Regardless of what you may have heard, everybody, and we mean everybody, needs to do local SEO…that is, they need to do local SEO if they plan to compete in the global marketplace.
In the past, most marketing firms would tell you that if you don’t have a local presence, you don’t need to do local SEO. And while this is very much true for the past, it is far from accurate now. The truth is that no matter what type of business you own and where you conduct most, if not all, of your business, local SEO is no longer an option. And, if your marketing firm is telling you different, it’s time to find a new marketing firm.
Most online properties have done some global SEO work. If not, they probably haven’t been ranking well over the past ten to fifteen years when it comes to search engine results pages. And while this will continue to remain true, at least for the time being, most companies are looking for the edge…and local SEO gives you the edge. By incorporating some very simple local SEO techniques in your website, you can not only rank well in search engine results pages, you can also put your website in the Map Pack, which is one thing that customers are totally loving right now. And, you know, if customers love it, so does Google.
But, why do I care about being in the Map Pack if my business is conducted 100% online? The answer is fairly simple. While you are correct in assuming that most customers are using the Map Pack to find local businesses using mobile technology, using local SEO and getting listed in the Map Pack places your website ABOVE all of the others, which are still overlooking the benefits of SEO. And, since Internet search traffic is headed towards becoming all mobile at some point, getting preferential treatment early is going to ensure that your web property remains preferred, even after all of the other websites begin to incorporate local SEO, too. So, even if you aren’t taking customers at your physical door, putting emphasis on getting your website listed in the Map Pack automatically puts preference on your website over your competition.
So, if you’ve been ignoring local SEO thus far, now is the time to get started. The best news about local SEO is that the techniques are fairly straightforward and simple to perform. While many companies still depend on their marketing firms to handle local SEO tasks for them, other companies are saving money by doing a lot of the work themselves. It’s also helpful to do some DIY local SEO if your firm is lagging a little behind the eight ball on offering local SEO, however, if they aren’t doing it, you may want to be asking yourself if they may be lagging in other areas of online promotion.
Start your local SEO efforts simply by claiming business directory listings and making them all uniform and accurate. Make sure you are listed in Google Places, boost your social media presence. Add your name, address, and telephone number to the footer of every webpage and add local friendly content. It’s really that easy to get started with local SEO.
