As a local business, you need a presence online. It’s not a “Field of Dreams” situation where you can build it and they will just come. Instead, you need to use local SEO to drive traffic to your new website.
You may be thinking that a website cannot possibly benefit your business because you only serve a local market. This simply isn’t true and most of your competition probably uses websites to steal customers from you daily. Here’s how you can take your website from lost to found with basic local SEO.
Use Google Places
If you haven’t created your Google Places page, not is the time. This page is very important to getting you listed high in the search engines. Without it, you will be losing some of your local power.
Make sure the information matches up with your website and make sure it provides a great place for visitor to find out about your company. If you create a good places page, you will actually gain traffic and customers from it.
Consistency with NAP
NAP is your name, address and phone number. Your website, social media profiles, directory listing and other listing for your business should show a consistent NAP. They should all be the same.
This, alone, will make a difference with Google. Google looks at all of this information and will list you higher if it’s consistent.
Use Social Media Often
Social Media has become one of the most influential factors for local SEO. You should be using Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other social sites on a regular basis. If you don’t have the time, you can automate the process with scheduled posts or hire a social media manager.
Get Great Reviews
Reviews of your business need to be great. When somebody logs onto Yelp or another review site, you want them to say good things and give you a high rating. Google will reward you if they do.
Sometimes, it’s a matter of asking clients to actually review your business. If they are highly satisfied and they review you, it can help outweigh the occasional average or bad review you might receive.
Use these basic local SEO strategies with your website and you will be able to find yourself listed higher. This will help to drive business through your doors and help you find more customers.
