As we get deeper into 2018, you will notice an increasing number of local SEO mentions throughout the digital world. Why? Because for small businesses in particular local SEO traffic is one of the most productive methods of advertising. Why now? Because increasing numbers of small businesses are realizing its importance. So today I want to talk about a few things that you need to know about local SEO to make it work for you.
4 Things You Need to Know About Local SEO For 2018
1. Local SEO Does Not Replace E-Mail Marketing
Both local SEO and e-mail marketing focus on targeted marketing tactics. Local SEO is designed specifically to target local searches for your business or service to increase your sales. E-mail marketing supplements this by e-mailing anyone signed up to receive your email newsletter to remind them of your product or service. How is e-mailing productive? It targets customers who have expressed interest in your company previously as well as reminds previous customers that you are still around!
2. Local SEO Isn’t “Set It and Forget It”
Like any other SEO campaign, local SEO requires monitoring, tweaking, and overhauling regularly. Of particular importance is monitoring. By monitoring your local SEO results you can quickly catch small changes in your local rankings before they begin to seriously affect your business.
Local SEO and SEO, in general, is akin to a never-ending race. Your competition is always trying to outdo you, to steal your customers and to steal your search engine positions to help their business to thrive. You can’t blame them, of course, because you are trying to do the same thing! That said, this means that you have to be just as vigilant and just as focused on your SEO rankings as they are on theirs.
For example, if you rank #1 for “Dunedin Mall Stores” but the following week you notice that you have been bumped down to #3 and your competitors have taken over your spot, you need to implement changes.
Yes, there will always be a constant jockeying back and forth when going up against your competitors, which is why it’s crucial for you to stay on top of things!
3. It’s Not Always Thinking Big With Local SEO
So, you sell umbrellas in Seattle… When it comes to your local SEO campaign, your first instinct may be to optimize your site for “Seattle umbrellas” or something similar. Use any of the major keyword research tools and you will quickly find that targeting such a popular term for your local business ranking in search engines puts you up against plenty of tough competition. Try instead to think a little smaller, go to niche markets and specific products and increase your local sales with less competition and less struggle to “stay on top”.
For example, instead of targeting “Seattle umbrellas” you may target a more specific location like “Pike Place umbrellas” or you may target a specific product like “Seattle bubble umbrella”.
Now obviously, when optimizing your site for local search engine rankings you don’t want to leave out those “big” keyword terms, but you also don’t want to rely on them as your sole source of ranking. Mix your campaigns up by hitting those big keywords, but pepper in plenty of niche words or phrases as well to increase your ranking. Yes, you will get less traffic from people searching for more specific items, but you will get traffic. When you rank only for those highly competitive terms, however, you are going to be lucky to rank at all and even when you do, the chance of maintaining that rank is slim to none.
4. Claim Your Business and Your Niche
Claiming your business on Google is one of the biggest things you can do to get your business on the local map, but claiming your niche is just as important. When you claim your business via Google, you are given a selection of categories which define who sees your business in search results, when they see it, and what they see it for. Choosing the right category for your business can literally mean the difference between success and failure. Your business should rank for the most pertinent keyword categories, but it should also touch on related categories as well.
For example, a veterinary clinic may list themselves as a veterinary clinic first, but also as a boarding kennel or groomer. This type of listing increases exposure to your business through local search engine queries.
Need Help With Your Local SEO Campaigns in Tampa?
If you are in my area and are on the lookout for local SEO services Tampa recommends, Online Presence Manager is a great place to start looking! (Plus, you get a free consultation!)