As more consumers turn to the Internet to find nearby stores or business establishments, local search engine optimization (SEO) becomes increasingly important. This trend can be attributed to the ever growing volume of mobile searches, i.e. search queries carried out through smart phones and tablets. Furthermore, the latest search engine algorithms favor businesses that focus on local SEO.
What Does Local SEO Involve?
To begin with, this process can be quite tricky as it involves various elements. Any professional who provides internet marketing services in Atlanta and beyond can attest to that. Aside from all the conventional tasks related to basic SEO (e.g. keyword research, optimization, etc.), you need to factor in an additional layer of complex activities—simultaneously. While some tech-savvy business owners have a pretty good idea of how SEO works, going the local SEO route can be confusing without an expert’s guidance.
Among other things, businesses need to amplify their keyword game. Companies explicitly targeting a local market can do wonders since high rankings mean less competition in local terms. For instance, a contractor whose SEO campaign targets keywords such as “general contractor” will have to compete for search engine rankings against literally millions of similar companies from all over the world. By “localizing” keywords through the use of geo-tags (e.g. Atlanta general contractor), the competitive window shrinks significantly.
Categorization and Optimization
Appropriate categorization and adequate page optimization play a huge role as well. The latter involves rather simple techniques such as affixing relevant and quality imagery, adding details such as business hours and contact details, and listing core services on the company website. Moz Local sums up the importance of the former rather succinctly: Search engines will ax an uncategorized business from the search results; and more so if the company is categorized for the wrong keyword set.
NAP Must Be Accurate and Consistent
In any case, local SEO success can be connected to the acronym NAP, which stands for name, address, and phone number. NAP plays a huge role in online listings as the accuracy and consistency of the NAP can spell the difference between being found and being ignored. Local search engines judge a company’s online authenticity based on the NAP, which makes it vital for all pieces of information to be accurate as possible.
If you think all those pointers are confusing, don’t fret. A capable internet marketing company in Atlanta such as YEAH! Local can help shed light on these and other concepts. With an expert’s assistance, you can up the ante with your local SEO campaign and see your business take flight like never before.
Let’s us know in the comments what you are doing for Local SEO and don’t forget to share this with your friends.
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Source:
Local SEO: 5 Tips To Conquer Your Local Market, Huffington Post, November 25, 2013
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