For small businesses, local search engine optimisation is crucial. It’s vital that you can be easily found online by people in your local area – after all, they will be your key customer base. To enable this, you will need to incorporate local SEO techniques into your overall strategy. Here are some of our top tips for achieving local SEO success.
- Have a quality domain name which includes your town or location. This will increase the chances of being found when people search for a product or service in their local area.
- Use the Google My Business feature to build up a customer base and allow customers to rate, review and endorse you. Include a well-written description of your business, with all important details such as opening hours and contact details, and make sure you’re listed in the appropriate categories.
- Include your location in title tags and meta descriptions.
- Make sure the content on your site is the best it can be. Include information specific to your local area to build the association, create a connection with customers and improve your visibility as a local business. Include a blog and regularly update it with fresh content.
- Include links to your site from other locations, such as in newsletter emails and on your social media accounts.
- Build your brand on social media, interact with customers, answer their questions and mention other local businesses and organisations in your posts. The more connections you build, the more likes, shares and retweets you will gain and the more your audience will grow.
- Ensure your business information is correct on local listings websites such as Yelp so that people know where to find you. Include your website address to encourage people to visit you online.