If your business caters to a specific geographic locale, then it’s important that you establish a strong online presence so that customers in your area can easily find you. It’s often a task that’s easier said than done but it is actually achievable with a little thoughtful planning and execution.
Follow these tips and you’ll be able to help your business stand out locally amongst the other competition in your area.
In any successful SEO campaign, it’s essential that your business is able to target the right keywords so that people can easily find you. This means that you have to perform effective keyword research that is focused on your location to hone in on what your customers are really searching for. Know that there are several tools available to help you do this. Some of them are free, but the more powerful ones can cost you much more.
Your businesses will do well by focusing your efforts on one primary keyword, but make sure that you balance it out with others that are related to your niche as well. Then, you can create content that tackles those keywords and use them in your blog posts, articles, images, and videos.
Another critical step is to ensure that all the details your customers need to reach you are found online. Since Google is the most commonly used tool to find information on the Internet regarding any topic, an easy way to go about this is to make good use of Google My Business. This is basically your company’s profile that the search engine uses to store all the pertinent data customers need to find you, but it also has plenty of other useful tools to help your business grow.
When setting up your account, make sure you include up-to-date contact and business information. You also want to choose the right category to file your business under. Finally, don’t forget to add a concise description using the same keywords we mentioned in the first tip.
What you and your business do in the real world will have direct effects on how people perceive you on the Internet. This is why it’s important to be an active member of your community, especially if you want your business to thrive online. Stay updated on events happening in your area, and find ways you can get your business involved.
For example, your business can act as a sponsor for community events. If there are media personalities or bloggers attending, they’ll be able to see your involvement and maybe mention or provide a link to your business when they write about it online. This will do wonders for your local SEO as it signifies to search engines that people outside of your company care about your business as well.
Make use of third-party business directories to earn a local citation for your business. These are essentially business cards on the Internet that you can leave strategically in places where your customers have easy access to them. Business directories are usually focused on a particular service or industry, so be sure to only go for the ones that are relevant to your brand. There are plenty of options available, and many of them are free, so it’s definitely worth the effort.
Applying local SEO practices to your business is a multi-faceted and perpetual process. While these tips will put you on the right track, you need to first understand the underlying principles to continue to grow and succeed as a business.
If you’re looking for an SEO expert in Cornwall, get in touch with us to see how we can help.