With the increasing popularity of events that encourage consumers to #shopsmall, such as Small Business Saturday and National Small Business Week, it’s become commonplace for buyers to hear about the benefits of “buying local.” Many businesses rely solely on local residents to keep them afloat. After all, a plumber in Los Angeles isn’t going to head out to Boise just to fix a leaky faucet. While the internet has helped businesses make major strides in expanding their global reach, any small business that’s not also focused on local SEO is missing out.
What Is Local SEO?
Take a moment to think about what types of phrases your customers might use when looking for a business just like yours. It might be “hair salon in Dallas” or “Italian restaurants in Washington DC.” Enter those terms into the search engine. Is your business at the top of the results? If not, your local search engine optimization needs some work.
Local SEO is just what it sounds like – using on-page (meaning, on your website) and off-page (meaning, outside of your website) techniques to ensure that search engines are able to find you when prospective customers go online to search for businesses like yours in your area.
Quickstart your local SEO with these five quick tips:
1.) Add local tags on your website
2.) Optimize your Google My Business profile
3.) Get Online Reviews from Raving Fans
4.) Pay Attention to Inbound Marketing
5.) List Your Business in Online Directories
Want to know how your business shows up online? Try our free Business Scan Tool now!