We believe SEO is an investment in the future. Putting the time and energy into SEO is a long term investment - improving your site ranking we will help your business generate local traffic and stand out from competitors.

SEO FOR LOCAL BUSINESS

 

Studies show that:

  • The majority of consumers browsing online will pick a business that shows up in the first page of their local search results
  • 2/3 of shoppers who search for a local service or product will actually visit the business they find.
  • Within the first 24 hours of performing a local search on a mobile device, 50% of prospective customers will visit the business they have discovered.

Three core elements of local search ranking:

Proximity: How close is the potential customer to your business?

Relevance: Are your products and services relevant to search queries?

Prominence: What are other customers saying about your services and products?

We have put together a list of 5 key local SEO services that will ensure your success in Local SEO:

Website ‘localization’: You can build your local site rankings by ‘localising’ your website. You do this by peppering your websites with your location information including region, city and country. In order to be most effective it should be included naturally into the copy. You can also partake in local events and link to them in your website. If you have more than one website, you may consider having separate sections on your website for each location.

Citation Building::A citation is any place your business’ NAPW (Name, Address, Phone number, Website URL) information appears online, typically in an online directory or business listings website.

These are particularly important to get in place for local SEO, as if you don’t appear in the places people are looking for businesses like yours, you’re likely to get overtaken by the competitors that do.

There are two types of citation: unstructured and structured. Structured citations typically appear in business listings and come from form fields being filled in when the listing is claimed. Below we’ve highlighted in yellow the structured citation for a Yelp listing.

Claiming your Google My Business listing: To ensure that your business is shown on Google services such as local search results and Google Maps, it is important to claim your Google My Business page. Taking ownership of Google My Business and its Microsoft equivalent, Bing Places for Business, should be a top priority.

Previously known as Google Local, and for a time, even Google+ Local, Google My Business (GMB) is, as the name suggests, your business profile on Google. You can find out how to add or claim your Google My Business listing here.

It feeds information to a variety of places, including the local pack and Google Maps search results, but the most familiar appearance will likely be when it’s in the top right (or top on mobile) of a branded search for your business, as below.

Your GMB profile can include a host of information submitted by yourself, such as services you offer, contact details, business description, category, and opening times but it’s important to note that features such as GMB attributes, GMB Q&As, and Google Reviews are almost entirely generated by consumers, ideally with experience of your business.

A big part of local SEO is making your GMB profile as up-to-date and accurate as possible, so that it has a higher chance of appearing in the local pack, and trustworthy, attractive and appealing enough to warrant a clickthrough. Although it’s incredibly powerful, Google My Business is just one example of what’s known as a ‘citation’.

Managing reviews and ratings: Reviews can have a huge impact on your business. Having honest reviews from genuine customers will signal to prospective customers the high quality of your service. It will also demonstrate to search engines that your website and the service you provide are to be trusted. The quality of the reviews really matters – your local search rankings will be better if your reviews come from highly regarded review sites.

Getting quality, relevant backlinks:You can improve your discoverability in local search by collecting quality backlinks. This can help search engines to recognise your site as trustworthy. A variety of links from reliable sources such as local news outlets, bloggers or other businesses will improve your rankings.

 

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Together our team has over 25 years of marketing experience, working with companies and organisations – from large to small.

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