How to Use SEO for Marketing a Local Business
After speaking with several business owners, one of the questions that continued to top the list was “how to use SEO for marketing a local business”. Now, this is not a bad question, and considering the various methods that can be used, it certainly makes sense why confusion exists. To cut through the fog of how to use SEO for marketing a local business, we are going to answer a few related questions.
How Do You Market a Business Online?
Now, more than ever, claiming online real estate for your business is crucial. This is not just referring to having a website. Currently, there are about 5 websites for every person on the planet. If you do not make your website stand out above the rest, you are wasting your time. In order to do this, you will need to use search engine optimization, pay per click marketing, and social media marketing. If your budget does not allow for all three, you need to at least use one of these methods. Of the three, SEO is my favorite as it allows you to own the top spot and not pay for each lead once you have established yourself. SEO is becoming more social driven though, so you really should consider the 1-2 combo of SEO and Social Marketing. You can learn more about social media by visiting How to use Twitter for marketing or How to use Facebook for marketing.
Getting Started with Local SEO
National level SEO differs vastly from local SEO. While the common principles are the same, the places and techniques are different. Any local campaign should begin with setting up your local listings on Google, Bing, and Yahoo. This is done for two reasons, the first being because of integrated search. The local listings often show up above other sites. The other reason is because this will give you a few authoritative, local links, which is a crucial part of local optimization.
As you progress with your own local SEO campaign, you should strive to build authoritative and local links. Local business directories, your Chamber of Commerce, and The Better Business Bureau are a few places you can get started with this.
Aside from directories, you should try to take an honest interest in the community. Often times, this can lead to you building a ton of authoritative links to your site from local news and government websites. Try making donations to some local charities or hosting a local event for fellow business owners.
How to Get SEO Help
If you have been reading this long, and you still don’t have the first clue what I am talking about, you may be wondering how to get SEO help. You have three choices for this.
- Do some intensive reading and begin learning the ropes of SEO. If you are interested in learning about link building, you can find out more by checking out link building in 2013. If you are looking for advice on social media, search marketing, or web design, you can find a ton of good information at our SEO blog.
- Hire an SEO Consultant. An SEO consultant will work with you or your staff to teach them techniques for improving the SEO readiness of your site. Additionally, they will work with you to develop a plan to rank your site for related keywords. If you have available staff and are eager to learn, consider hiring an SEO Consultant.
Hiring a SEO company. If you do not have the time, patience, or desire to spend every day keeping up on the latest SEO updates, then hiring and SEO Company may be the choice for you.
Learning How to use local SEO to market your business will not be quick or easy, but seeing it through will be worthwhile. If you just cannot wrap your mind around the process, our team of SEO experts would be happy to help. We offer both SEO Consulting and SEO Marketing services. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you.
