Local SEO

Local SEO can seem like a difficult task when you’re first starting out, with a little time and effort you will eventually see the fruits of your labor and watch as your location grows from one zip code onto several others in the surrounding areas.

Always confirm your listing

Go to your Yahoo Local, Bing Local and Google Places and list your company along with any speedy verification available to get the name out there. Otherwise expect the listing search engine to send a post card with a verification code a week or so later; use it as soon as it arrives. If the site is able to confirm by phone or SMS with a confirmation code attached, even better.

Share your pics

There are a ton of sites where pictures can be instantly shared from your cell phone. Facebook, FourSquare, Snapchat and GooglePlaces love to be able to provide images relevant to industry specific content and descriptive to their users. Traveling representatives can provide updates from anywhere in the world they travel to or through for your company. Pictures from company picnics, conventions, training events or images taken by a professional photographer of your work site; whatever, they should provide an inside look into your Brand or Website.

Manage online references

A crucial part of local SEO is updating search engines and directory websites with relevant and up-to-date information about your company. Recognize local neighborhoods, parks and other landmarks near your business where available. If any phone numbers, sites or services have changed, update accordingly.

Local BBB, Chamber of Commerce, Jaycees and other merchant circles should know your name and your business. With this in mind, you will also always want to invite clients to review your work on local sites or your own URL. Reviews really help with local listings and search engine results in your area. You can even offer discounts for future services as an enticement.

The idea that bad reviews can actually help you is the stupidest thing on Earth. If you’re a local market, car dealership, realtor, insurance agent or other small business owner you always want to try for perfection. Although near impossible to keep a completely perfect reputation, once you start getting bad Yelp or Google Maps reviews they start to pile up. Address issues instead of burying them and hopefully you can convert it to redemption of your performance.

What do people want?

Your clients are searching specific keywords so when they look for a services/products they prefer relevant responses. If you’re a pest control guy and your SEO is driving traffic from door hinges and window replacements for the sake of providing traffic, you have a problem. What you always want smart, focused keywords that provide actual returns and target the audience that converts clicks to cash. It may not always be about focusing on keywords with the most searches, work your negatives and your niche for real customers or responses.

Mirror/Landing Pages

If you live and work in Chicago like I do, clients want to include neighborhood nicknames and geographic locations beyond their immediate area. Sometimes it’s as easy as uploading a PDF onto free local directories with focused keywords but different titles. No matter where you actually list the PDF or new article, your one-page site/landing page provides a local listing that always point to a page on your site that it is specific to that keyword.

What People Hear…

Your customer service must always be above and beyond when you own a small business or are concentrating on your local SEO standing. The rapidly growing world of social media reflects on local listings through navigation apps, check-ins and review sites. Make every effort to settle issues amicably, in writing and within reason and expectations of services rendered. Just because you have terms and conditions for everything you do, it doesn’t mean flaunting them, as a flag of defense will help. Some customers only want what’s right while others want to hurt you for no other reason than it pleases them. With both you should always address the issue as professionally as possible and be empathetic to the opposing view. Always spread good testimonials on your site, your social media pages and landing pages you create to broaden brand recognition.

Jennifer Yaniz and Steven Yaniz are Chicago based search engine marketing consultants providing websites with proven techniques in SEO, PPC, Social Media and Blog marketing to reach broader audiences, attract fresh sales and retain clients.