7 SEO Strategies to Optimize Your Local Business Website
Last year (has it really been a year since we first went into COVID-19 mode?!), we heard a lot about the #ShopLocal movement. Especially around the holidays, people focused on buying gifts within the community to support small businesses.
The Retail Council of Canada (RCC) found that 90% of Canadians intended to shop locally during the 2020 holiday seasons, with 83% preferring to purchase items that were also made in Canada.
Now that the holiday season is over, it’s important for small business owners to look ahead and think about ways to continue to market locally in 2021.
It is very important to focus your marketing efforts on getting local website traffic if you have a store business or offer a service that is located within a specific geographic area.
Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do to increase your visibility and reach your target audience. To help you reach your goals in 2021, here’s how to qualify locally:
1. First, make a list of the regions you want to target.
For example, if you live in the Lower Mainland of BC, you may want to incorporate keywords like “Langley”, “Abbotsford”, “Surrey”, etc., into your website content.
Include your city, the nearest major metropolitan area, and your province. Now, start creating long-tail keyword phrases for each of these. Let’s use the example of “interior design”. Instead of just using that keyword phrase, you could target “Surrey interior designers” and “British Columbia interior designers.”
2. Write a web page or blog post dedicated to each local keyword phrase.
Now that you have your list of keywords to target, it’s time to start writing!
To optimize your website for local search, sprinkle keywords and geographic locations throughout the text of your website so that search engines take you into account in their search results. Remember not to stuff your content with keywords.
3. Regularly write and post new local content.
Adding fresh content to a website, especially as a value-added blog post, is essential for every website.
When you create new location-based content with your keywords, you make what you say even more valuable, whether it’s a press release about something you’re doing in the community or a review of a new local service.
4. Add your business address in the footer of your website in text.
If you’re wondering how to rank locally, don’t forget to include your address on your site! This not only acts as a clue showing Google that you are a local business, but also shows your website visitors that they are in the right place.
Even better: embed a dynamic Google map to help customers find your location, display your location with images, and build trust and credibility.
READ: Your guide to SEO trends for 2021
I know that 2020 was a challenging and stressful year. Many small business owners have had to cut their budgets and are now wondering where best to spend their money in the future.
Customer behavior also changed. McKinsey & Company referred to it as the “home economy” in its research on consumer behavior during the pandemic. They defined it as “Most intend to leave home to buy basic necessities, but maintain a low participation in shared services.”
Here’s what this behavior change means for 2021 SEO trends.
Read more by visiting us online.
5. Use Google My Business.
Google My Business helps small business owners stand out in search engines. Whether through a search result or a map query, more than five billion searches are performed every day around the world through Google.
That means a large audience can find your product or service quickly and easily. Not only does it increase your visibility, it’s also a free way to optimize your website for local search.
6. Take and share local photos.
Think beyond text as you optimize your website for local search. Take photos of your business to show what you have to offer and share real photos instead of stock photos.
Be sure to take pictures of your business doing things within the community. Then, name these images when you post them on your website or blog with file names that include your local keyword phrases.
Why? Because all the images used on your website have localized keyword phrase filenames and alt tags.
So if someone goes into Google Photo Search and searches for “best interior designer in Surrey”, if you have a photo with that filename, your image will appear at the top.
7. Leverage the power of review sites.
Create free business accounts with some of the big review sites like Yelp, Google, Yellow Pages, Insider Pages, Angie’s List, etc. and encourage your customers and repeat customers to write reviews about your business.
As you optimize your website for local search, it’s key to also focus on off-site methods to boost results, but that’s another conversation! If you’re not sure how to rank locally using off-site methods, please contact us.
Start by taking the time to review your website and follow these SEO tips and you’ll be well on your way to more loyal customers throughout 2021 and beyond!
For the success of your business,
Suzanne