When it comes to your local business, you want to find the best way possible to alert consumers to your close proximity and invite them in.<\/p>\n
Yet, with evolving technology, you may be feeling left behind. No longer do customers simply wander down the street looking for what you offer.<\/p>\n
Instead, consumers today increasingly search for similar products or services online.<\/p>\n
If you want those consumers to find you, then, the key is to include a <\/strong>local SEO<\/strong><\/a> strategy<\/strong> into your marketing plan. <\/p>\n Otherwise, you’ll simply be hoping that potential customers will chance upon you or your website.<\/p>\n By developing strategic local SEO solutions, you can increase your ranking on search engine result pages (SERPs) and lead customers right to your front door.<\/p>\n Below, check out the best local SEO solutions to do exactly that.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Once you identify your relevant keywords and incorporate them into your website, you’ll want to track them to determine if they are working for you or not.<\/p>\n You can use <\/strong>Google Analytics<\/strong><\/a> or other online tools to monitor keywords<\/strong> and positioning in search engine results. By doing so, you’ll gain information as to:<\/p>\n The essential metrics to pay close attention to when it comes to keyword tracking are<\/p>\n With this information, you gain knowledge of how your selected keywords are performing and if you need to make improvements.<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to get lost in the weeds with this stuff, honestly. Some business owners go down a rabbit hole, checking their rankings obsessively every morning while sipping their coffee. But tracking keywords is really about patterns over time. A blip up or down isn\u2019t the end of the world\u2014it\u2019s the long-term trends that matter. If you see certain keywords stuck near page three for weeks, maybe that\u2019s your cue to switch things up or test new content angles.<\/p>\n Analytics can also show some weird surprises. For example, maybe a phrase you barely even meant to target starts driving real traffic. Embrace that! Sometimes real-world search behavior doesn\u2019t align with your \u201cideal\u201d list, and following the data instead of hunches can pay off. Just don\u2019t stress over every single dip\u2014digital visibility is a moving target, and nobody has it figured out 100% of the time.<\/p>\n Continue to monitor your keywords<\/a> and make changes whenever necessary.<\/p>\n Social media is the place to be today, including for local businesses. These popular platforms allow you to easily build a strong online presence.<\/p>\n Develop a <\/strong>social media marketing<\/strong><\/a> strategy to get you noticed<\/strong> and to attract and retain customers along the way.<\/p>\n You don’t need to be on all of the social media platforms, just those that you determine will be most beneficial to your business and those that you know you will continue to use.<\/p>\n If you are still unsure of which ones to select, however, start by thinking about your ideal customers.<\/p>\n Consider creating buyer personas<\/a> to help you determine demographics such as age ranges and buying behaviors, then look at the various social media platforms and their main audiences.<\/p>\n Facebook<\/strong> provides you with access to the widest audience of all social media platforms.<\/p>\n A feature on this platform that is particularly helpful to you is the ability for users to geo-localize posts. By using the platform’s unique check-in feature, these users create passive advertising of your business and share it with their followers.<\/p>\n Instagram <\/strong>is another option, especially for improving your brand image and engaging more customers. Get creative in a way that fits your business image, including photos of products, events, behind-the-scenes moments, and more.<\/p>\n Others to consider are Twitter <\/strong>and its retweet feature and YouTube <\/strong>for video marketing<\/a>.<\/p>\n Whichever ones you choose, go all in and customize your page header, promote upcoming events, market your products or services, and post attention-grabbing photos.<\/p>\n Also, be sure to focus on creating a social media profile and keep it consistent across the platforms you choose.<\/p>\n Local SEO can benefit from adding beneficial backlinks<\/a> to your site by other reputable sources.<\/p>\n A backlink involves another website linking to your website content. <\/strong>Two benefits of backlinks include:<\/p>\n Ways you can add backlinks include:<\/strong><\/p>\n Online reviews, when positive, are golden marketing opportunities for you.<\/p>\n They can serve as stellar recommendations for your local business, product, or service.<\/p>\n In addition, according to Google, positive, quality customer reviews improve your visibility and boost your rankings.<\/strong><\/p>\n It’s no wonder, then, that the more online customer reviews you have, the higher you can boost your local search rankings.<\/p>\n Encourage both your returning and new customers to leave reviews<\/a> by asking them outright or sending follow-up emails.<\/p>\n Also, be sure to monitor any reviews and be ready to respond. Handle these with care as they can directly impact your business and image.<\/p>\n When they are positive, acknowledge the reviewer and thank them for the review.<\/p>\n If a negative review comes up, instead of taking it personally, respond in a friendly way<\/strong>, such as you’re sorry they had a negative experience, and ask them to contact you directly to discuss the circumstances.<\/p>\n For a slightly more advanced approach to your local SEO, consider utilizing the advertising technique of geofencing<\/a>.<\/p>\n As a location-based marketing tactic, geofencing allows you to reach mobile devices in a designated geographic location.<\/strong><\/p>\n Geofencing accomplishes this by inserting a visual boundary around your physical business. <\/p>\n Whenever a consumer with a mobile device enters your geofenced location, it triggers your ads to appear on their device, alerting them that you are nearby.<\/p>\n2. Track Keywords and Positioning<\/h2>\n
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3. Develop a Strong Presence on Social Media<\/h2>\n
Which social network should you be on?<\/h3>\n
4. Add Beneficial Backlinks<\/h2>\n
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5. Increase Your Number of Online Reviews<\/h2>\n
6. Utilize Geofencing<\/h2>\n
7. Claim Your Google Business Profile<\/h2>\n