Technology is on the move, both literally and figuratively. There was a time when searching the internet had to be done from one’s home, but now nearly every consumer has a portable computer or a phone with equivalent searching capabilities. This technological advance means that businesses need to go from a broader SEO strategy to more focused local SEO tactics. Therefore, it is necessary to understand how to start this type of campaign for the most significant business impact.
Create Dedicated Pages
The first thing a company must do is create dedicated location pages. These pages do not need to be dedicated websites. They can share the same home URL. However, be sure that each location page is unique. There are many ways to create these pages, but each page should provide several pieces of information.
- Name, address, and phone number
- Embedded map
- Images
- Location-specific content, title tags, and meta descriptions
Use Google My Business
Google My Business is an excellent tool for local SEO campaign management because it provides tools for building listings and analyzing customer interactions with your site and content. To use My Business, you will want to verify each location, add photos, list hours and manage and respond to reviews. Once you are up-and-running on this platform, you will be able to see how customers interact with, search for and view your business.
Improve Consistency
In order to gain the most benefit from multi-location SEO, it is vital that you manage the consistency of how your business is mentioned. For instance, it is crucial that every mention of your business has accurate information, like name, phone number, and location. When listing your company, have one specific name. For example, John Smith’s Cheese Shack, not John Smiths Cheese Shack in Green Bay.
Create Inbound Links
Local SEO is not too different from regular SEO strategy in that relevancy and popularity win out in the search engines. Therefore, you will want to create shareable content that is specific to your locations. You can help drive the creation of content by hosting events, becoming a sponsor or creating the content yourself.
Encourage and Monitor Location Specific Reviews
While encouraging and focusing on reviews for your overall brand is good, it does little to help with location-specific SEO. Therefore, you may want to encourage location specific reviews. Also, make sure to respond to all reviews quickly and respectfully.
Local SEO is a great marketing strategy for improving relevancy and brand recognition. However, it does take effort. You should create location pages, improve consistency, drive traffic through backlinks and manage consumer reviews, to ensure the effectiveness of localized marketing.
