SEO isn't
what it used to be.
The
search marketing world has changed. Content is still king and link building is
still queen (debatable), but collaboration is the key to both crowns.
For the
best local SEO results, make sure about:-
Proper Keyword Research: It is important to identify the keywords that
will result in a conversion rather than just focusing on the keywords with the
highest search volume. High search volume doesn’t always result in high
ROI.
·
A keyword is an easy way of referring to the queries
people type into the search bars of their favourite engines. As a website
owner, you want to know which keywords your customers are searching for so that
you can use SEO best practices to optimize your site for them and improve your
chances of appearing in the natural search results for these queries.
·
Look in Google Analytics. If you
have Google Analytics installed on your website, log in and head over to the
"Traffic Sources" menu. There, you'll be able to separate your
organic search visitors and see a list of the keywords they used to get to your
website. Unfortunately, a large number of your results will come up as
"Not provided" (thanks to anonymous browsers and Google's proprietary
reasons), but add the phrases that you do see to your growing keyword list. You
can also find similar information in your Google Webmaster Tools account.
·
Leverage Google's "Related Searches". You can
also head over to Google and conduct searches for each of the individual
keywords you've come up with to this point. Then scroll down to the bottom of
the results. There, you should see a separate section where Google lists other
keywords that are related to your original phrase. If any of these keywords are
relevant to your business, they deserve a place on your keyword list.
Onsite Optimization: Once the keywords are identified, make sure that
the website is properly optimized for the chosen search terms. The title tag,
Meta description, images, and header tags all need to be adjusted for the
targeted keywords.
The
website content needs to be written for the visitor instead of stuffing the
website with the main keywords. The days of keyword stuffing are long gone, so
write for the visitor and optimize for the search engines. Make sure to also
include a contact page on the website that contains the business address and
contact details.
Optimized Places Pages: The two most important business profile pages are
Google+ Business and
Bing Places for Business. These
are the listings that appear at the very top of the Google and Bing search
results, notating the business location on the accompanying map.
Many
businesses create these pages but they fail to fully complete the profiles.
Make sure to upload pictures, videos, and fill in all of the business details,
making sure to list the businesses address and contact details exactly as they
appear on the websites contact page.
Directory Listings & Citations: Getting your business listed on
the more popular directory sites such as YellowPages.com and Local.com etc. The
search engines take these citations into consideration when determining the authority
of a local listing, so make sure to put the extra effort in making sure that
NAP is consistent across the board.
High-Quality Link-Building: Links also play a role in local SEO, and quality
again trumps quantity. Focus on getting high-quality links rather than
purchasing link packages that just blast links throughout the web.
Incorporating user-engaging content and info-graphics into the local SEO plan
are two great ways to build natural links because they result in social
sharing. This is the type of natural link-building that the search engines like
to see, and reward accordingly.
It is important to understand that local SEO
results do not happen overnight. There is no top secret method that will take
your website to the top right away. It requires hard work, a well thought out
plan and consistent follow through and execution in order to see top local
search results.
-Pinkesh Kumar
Analyst
BitSprint
