What is Local SEO?

Do I need Local SEO?

Local SEO is an important measure for many businesses.  If you are trying to appeal to a local audience or depend on local customers to come into your business, you will need to consider a local SEO strategy. Using local SEO is a fantastic way to boost the number of people coming into your business or accessing your page from a local audience. As you continue to increase the notoriety of your page with a local audience, you will be able to see greater results in your customer base and improvements for the services that you offer. If your competition is not optimized for local results in their pages and advertising, they will likely be left behind in search engine rankings.

Apex Digitech’s Comprehensive Guide on Local SEO

Local SEO, or search engine optimization is a method in which companies and businesses can level the playing field between them and larger companies when it comes to ranking on online searches.

These searches will offer the best match for the keyword that is entered into the search bar, and the sites that offer the best matches to the terms and that have been viewed the most times will be on the top of those listed results. With SEO practices they will rank higher on the listings, and since most people only read and select the first few this can bring in more customers and help their business thrive. For the most local responses local SEO practices are necessary, including ensuring the address and phone number are mentioned frequently, ensuring the location is displayed prominently and often, and stating the town and area where the business resides and operates.

To create a solid SEO strategy for your business follow these simple steps; ensure the business Name, Address or location, and Phone number are used often and accurately, create directories and links within your website between the pages of your site, maximize your Google My Business, become active and engaging on social media with links to and from your website, provide great content that includes local connections and is aimed at those in your area, make your website optimized for mobile usage on cell phones and tablets, and become active in your community both in person and online.

Use Updated Contact Information on Your Website and Social Media

For local SEO it is important to focus on the location of your business. It should be included on each page of your business website as well as on your social media. This can be included in headers or footers on the site as well as in the contact pages, and where appropriate add the location into the headings on the articles or content that you post.

The easier your location is to see on the website the more likely it is to be found in web searches. The address and contact information will help those who are local to your business to find it easily in a web search and it will become higher ranked in the search results.

Choose relevant Keywords

To improve your results in searches it is important to have keywords that are associated with the products or services that your business provides and that are connected to your industry and business.

Do your Keyword research and pick keywords to attract those who are in the decision-making phase and are looking up your business and others like it. What will set your business apart and encourage them to make the choice, to choose your business over the others in the search? Use these words throughout your website content, place them with the questions the customers may be asking in a frequently asked questions section, and keep them in mind when you are creating your own content. These words will help you create a site that will appeal to the people who are most likely to use your business.

Directories and interlinking on your Website

When optimizing your website use directories with the location, address, and phone numbers for the contacts in your business. These will increase the number of times that the local address will be noticed by the search results and will remind people that you are a local business and can respond quickly to their needs. It will also help potential customers know who they should contact for the information that fit their needs.
Where possible include links within your own website. The home page, for example, should have links to each other page on your business website, while other pages can contain links to related content in other pages. This not only makes it easier for customers to find the information they need and keeps your website organized, but also encourages better results through search engines that see interlinking as a mean of having a complete website.

As a top search engine, Google prefers to offer complete information with their searches and will provide the information for those that are most complete and well presented with the map of the closest results. This uses the address or city of the search and matches business that are closest to that at the top of the page along with a small map that has them all pinned. This is where you want your business to be.

For the best results ensure that your information is complete and matches across the internet in all your platforms, website and social media. This includes business Name, Address (which is necessary for the mapping function), Phone number and your hours. These are all bits of information that are most requested by potential customers, as well as including the necessary results for the search. Having the complete information is the best way to be located on the search results and to attract customers after they see the search results. The completer and more consistent your information the more results you will be included in and the more likely customers are to view your websites.

Social Media Active and Engaging

The more active you are in social media platforms the more times your business name is seen in a search. An active business will receive more results in searches than inactive ones, and it will also help local customers to recognize the business name, which increases the probability they will choose your business. Familiarity is an important part of building a customer base.

Strong Local Content

Posting content that is local to your location will not only use the name of the location and city more often, moving it up in the ranks, but will also show that you are active in the local area and are able to provide products and services that meet the needs of the local people. This will attract more search results as well as to help you be visible and showing you know the local needs of the community.

Build Local Connections and Networks

By creating local connections and networking with other businesses in the area, including any chamber of commerce or other groups, will help tie your business to the local area. Many of these groups and some other businesses that you can work together with, working with local charities and donating time or money to the community can help your business name become more associated with the local community, it will have results and links to other businesses, increasing your ranking in the search results.

It is important to be active in your local community both online and in person.

Mobile Use

Many people are using mobile devices to find their search results and locate businesses. To be seen in these searches and have your website viewed it is important that your website and media pages be set up to view well on a tablet or cell phone.

Dallas Local SEO Company

Contact The leading Dallas SEO and PPC Agency today to arrange a consultation and get your Dallas business on the map.