Key Facts about Local SEO
One of the best ways for local businesses to promote themselves is by getting local search engine traffic. Let's take a look at a few local SEO strategies that will get your site ranking better.
One of the simplest SEO tips that you can take home is creating optimized local classified listings. This is a very easy way to leverage the local searches in your area because the major search engines really like those kinds of sites and using them a lot is a great way to send local traffic to the website of your business. When you start out your focus should be Craigslist because it is the most popular classified site on the internet. As a business owner you need to be sure that you are posting optimized ads on Craigslist on a regular basis. The ads you post should be targeted exactly to the market in which your business operates. Ensure that it is simple and not too loud. When you write the ad, focus on the title because this is what increases most of the response. Your title needs to have your city, state and keyword phrase in it. It could be helpful to write your ad for Craigslist the same way that you would write a landing page for your business because, often, the ads for websites will outrank the sites themselves in search engine results. The best strategy for business owners is to think of Craigslist as a funnel for targeted traffic and your website. You can also use USFreeAds; it doesn't have the same rate of success as Craigslist but it can still garner you a good response because it is a highly ranked classified ads site. Your main goal with the classified websites should be to send as much traffic to your best offer by either posting directly or using their traffic as a starting point.
The major search engines run local listing services like Google Places, Yahoo! Local and Bing Local, and claiming your profile is the first thing to do when visiting these sites. If you want to claim your profile on any of these sites, there are a few steps you have to complete to verify various facts about yourself, and this includes verifying your phone number and address. Doing this won't take you long and it boosts your overall efforts at promoting your business. Another way to easily improve your image in the minds of search engine users is to simply post pictures of you or your business to local site listings, as this makes you seem more open and honest. Try to find the best pictures you have handy and upload them, so people have something to see when they find your listing. Use the best pictures you can to show your business in a good light, but they don't have to be taken by a professional photographer.
Another tip is to ensure that your address is typed on every page on your website. If you can do this, the search engines will favor you and you'll rise within the ranks. What does this include? You must have the address, number as well as zip code for your business on each page you publish. This just goes on to show that you're targeting local search and makes your job easier.
You now have a number of effective methods to get quality local traffic. If you keep these ideas in mind, you can start getting more local traffic very soon.
One of the simplest SEO tips that you can take home is creating optimized local classified listings. This is a very easy way to leverage the local searches in your area because the major search engines really like those kinds of sites and using them a lot is a great way to send local traffic to the website of your business. When you start out your focus should be Craigslist because it is the most popular classified site on the internet. As a business owner you need to be sure that you are posting optimized ads on Craigslist on a regular basis. The ads you post should be targeted exactly to the market in which your business operates. Ensure that it is simple and not too loud. When you write the ad, focus on the title because this is what increases most of the response. Your title needs to have your city, state and keyword phrase in it. It could be helpful to write your ad for Craigslist the same way that you would write a landing page for your business because, often, the ads for websites will outrank the sites themselves in search engine results. The best strategy for business owners is to think of Craigslist as a funnel for targeted traffic and your website. You can also use USFreeAds; it doesn't have the same rate of success as Craigslist but it can still garner you a good response because it is a highly ranked classified ads site. Your main goal with the classified websites should be to send as much traffic to your best offer by either posting directly or using their traffic as a starting point.
The major search engines run local listing services like Google Places, Yahoo! Local and Bing Local, and claiming your profile is the first thing to do when visiting these sites. If you want to claim your profile on any of these sites, there are a few steps you have to complete to verify various facts about yourself, and this includes verifying your phone number and address. Doing this won't take you long and it boosts your overall efforts at promoting your business. Another way to easily improve your image in the minds of search engine users is to simply post pictures of you or your business to local site listings, as this makes you seem more open and honest. Try to find the best pictures you have handy and upload them, so people have something to see when they find your listing. Use the best pictures you can to show your business in a good light, but they don't have to be taken by a professional photographer.
Another tip is to ensure that your address is typed on every page on your website. If you can do this, the search engines will favor you and you'll rise within the ranks. What does this include? You must have the address, number as well as zip code for your business on each page you publish. This just goes on to show that you're targeting local search and makes your job easier.
You now have a number of effective methods to get quality local traffic. If you keep these ideas in mind, you can start getting more local traffic very soon.
