We all want better search engine rankings for our websites and just like most things in life, it’s best to start small. Optimizing your website for local traffic is going to be far easier than optimizing a national campaign and you’re going to see results a lot faster.
If you take the time to optimize your website keeping local SEO (Search Engine Optimization) in mind you’re also going to reach more targeted users. If I searched for "plumber" I might be looking for "how to fix my toilet," "how to become a plumber," or "what else a plumber does besides fix sinks." The thought process behind the search is very vague and could be looking for almost anything that has to do with plumbing.
If I searched for "plumber Greenville SC" I am most likely looking for a plumber in my local area. Typically, when users search with a location modifier they are closer to the end of the buying cycle. Having your website optimized with local terms gives you a better chance to show up towards the top of Google for local searches. Without targeting local terms on your website you can be potentially missing out on a lot of business.
How to Optimize Your Website with Local SEO
1) Be Specific
On the search engines, it’s all about competition. Whenever a user searches for anything, Google has to decide what sites to display. The first page usually displays 10 results, depending on the search term. Is your site listed in the top 10?
Here’s a search example:
lawyer - 93,000,000 sites in competition
lawyer greenville sc - 1,200,000 sites in competition
greenville sc lawyer - 883,000 sites in competition
Would you rather compete against 883k websites or 93 million websites? Which do you think you have a better chance of showing up for? The point is, anytime you can be more specific with your content by adding your locations, the less competition you’ll have.
2) Local Directories
We’ve all used Google Maps, but have you taken the time to list your website with Google and other local directories? Here are some of the more widely used local directories:
3) Add Locations
One of the easiest ways for your site to show up for local searches is to add your location to your content. You’d be surprised how many sites never mention their location except for their contact page. Add your address to the footer on every page, talk about the area you live in, mention the surrounding interstates/attraction/landmarks, add a page for each office location. There are tons of ways to incorporate your location into your content. GET CREATIVE.
Local traffic is very important to any business. Is your website taking advantage of it?
For more SEO tips check out a few of my other posts on cross links, keyword research, meta descriptions, and title tags over at the Cure for Common Marketing.