Although we’d like to claim we’re SEO Jedi, that status didn’t just happen out of nowhere. We’ve tweaked and improved our marketing strategies, and we pass those best practices onto our clients’ campaigns. Here are some basics of a local SEO strategy and how you can evolve your content marketing to improve your efforts.
What Is Local SEO?
When Internet users type in a Google search, they have a certain purpose in mind. They’re either looking for an answer to a question, a specific product to buy, or very often, they’re looking for a nearby company to give their business to.
Whether it’s a clothing store, a new restaurant, or a doctor’s office, people are starting to become patrons of the the places they find online. (You know, as opposed to looking things up in a phone book or asking their mom for recommendations.)
A successful local SEO strategy helps people find your local business in these search results. It’s all about getting your business more visible online, and a local strategy does that specifically for your area. If you’re searching for a place with great carne asada fries, Google won’t send you to the best place in the United States; they’ll detect you’re in Las Vegas and give you search results that are based on your location.
And, if you’re a brick and mortar company, your website and all your owned media should be optimized for these local searches.
Content Marketing for a Local SEO Strategy
To show up in local searches, you want your content marketing to be locally relevant. Here are some tips to improve your content’s relevance for local search queries.
Understand what the user is searching for
Before you can start any local SEO strategy, you need to have a plan. Research your audience’s search intent and start building your keyword strategy from that. It improves your user experience to know whether users are looking for a specific product, whether they’re planning to buy or visit today, or if they’re just browsing.
To start this research on your audience, you can create a send out customer surveys, host focus groups, or simply login to Google Analytics and explore that use data.
Write for locals—as a local
When you create content, you want it to be locally-focused, but still include those search queries and target keywords you’ve researched. In addition to your target keywords, use local slang and reference hangout spots that only locals know. Make the reader feel at home with your content.
Evoke local authority with your content. If you’re not a local yourself, no worries! Simply do your research on the city you’re writing for. Learn about the location, and be as genuine as possible to connect with your local audience.
Reference local areas without keyword stuffing
One of the biggest mistakes content marketers make is keyword stuffing, or overusing the same phrases unnaturally. Google is starting to crack down more on these Black Hat SEO tactics and giving more authority to the content creators who are providing value to their audience.
When you use keywords, they should flow. Readers shouldn’t get tripped up by a keyword when they read your content, so don’t stuff them in there just for the sake of using keywords. Instead, reference local spots and surrounding areas naturally. That way, you include local terms, but you’re doing it in a conversational way.
Also, include local phrases in your meta descriptions, as this often shows up in the Google search results snippet. You could miss out on a click from a reader who doesn’t know where you’re located.
Optimize your business directories and social profiles
In addition to optimizing content on your website, you should also optimize your profiles online. You’ll be sharing your content on social media, and that’s where a lot of people will find your content. Your customers will go to those business directories like Yelp and Google My Business to leave reviews.
Users should never have to question where you’re located. Include your street address and city in all your bios. And, of course, include a link to your website.
Ask the Web Nerds
Creating an effective SEO strategy takes hard work, knowledge, and expertise. At Post Launch, we have all that and more. Contact us today to learn more about our local SEO services.
