– Craig Wilson
An SEO plan for local businesses should focus on targeting local keywords and building local citations and links. Here are some steps that can be taken to improve a local business’s visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs):
- Conduct keyword research: Use keyword research tools to identify the most relevant and high-volume keywords for your local business. Target both broad and long-tail keywords that potential customers may use to find your products or services.
- Optimize your website: Optimize your website for both on-page and technical SEO. This includes optimizing your meta tags, header tags, and content for relevant keywords. Make sure your website is mobile-friendly, fast-loading and easily navigable.
- Build local citations: Build local citations by listing your business on local directories such as Google My Business, Yelp, and Bing Places. These citations help to increase visibility and improve your business’s local SEO.
- Build local links: Build local links by getting listed on local websites and directories relevant to your business. This can include local chamber of commerce websites, local news websites, and local business directories.
- Optimize for Google Maps: Optimize your Google My Business listing by providing accurate and complete information, including hours of operation, contact information, and photos. Encourage customers to leave reviews on your Google My Business listing.
- Utilize Social Media: Create social media profiles for your business on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Share relevant, engaging content and use local keywords in your posts.
- Monitor and track your progress: Use tools such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console to monitor and track your website’s traffic, search engine rankings, and backlinks. Use this data to make informed decisions about your SEO strategy.
- Regularly Create Quality Content: Create quality content that provides value to your audience and is optimized for your target keywords. This can include blog posts, infographics, videos, and more.
By following these steps, a local business can improve its visibility on SERPs and drive more targeted traffic to its website. It’s important to keep in mind that SEO is an ongoing process and requires consistent effort to maintain and improve rankings.
Additionally, it’s also important to keep in mind that SEO is not the only way to increase your visibility. You might want to use other digital marketing techniques like paid advertising, social media marketing and email marketing to increase your visibility and reach more customers.
