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Using Local SEO to Your
Advantage
When was the last time you cracked open your phone book to find
a local business? Chances are you're using your copy of the Yellow Pages to level
your desk. Well, your customers are not using their phone
books either.
An estimated 56% of searches are for local services, businesses, and products.
Are you taking advantage of those searches?
Traditionally, a local search query has always been in the form
of the service plus the city or state.
For example, you may be looking for "pizza in Appleton", or
"hotel in Green Bay". As search
algorithms have improved, search engines have
become smarter at understanding not only the "local intent"
behind a search query, but also where the searcher is located. For example, if you now search on Google
for the term "pizza", you'll likely find pizzerias
closet to your current location.
In order to maximize the chances of your business being visible
on local searches, your website should be optimized for local search
by including your location with your site content and META tags.
You will also want to optimize local listings on various search
engines.
How to Claim Your Local Listings
Create your business listing at Google Bing, and Yahoo by
signing up for an account at each site. Then search for your business.
If it is not already listed, add
your business by following the instructions.
It is important that you fill out this information as accurately
as possible so search engines can find your business. Be sure
to:
- Provide a keyword-rich
business description.
- Complete all fields
including hours of operation, payments accepted, services
offered, etc.
- Upload or link to the
maximum allowable number of business images and videos.
You will then need to verify your information
via phone or a postcard mailed to your business
location.
Once you verified your information, you can now
add to or update your business listing.
Best Practices in Claiming
Business Listings
- Do not create duplicate business listings
- Do create a listing for every physical
location you have.
- Follow the listing guidelines for each search
engine local business centers.
- When possible, use a local phone number rather than a
toll-free number for additional ranking power.
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