How To Do Local SEO In Four Easy Steps
It might feel like late-night emails suck up most of your time, but the reality is that search is the most common activity on the Web in 2015. In fact, 93% of all online experiences start with a search engine, and we’re not talking about Bing. According to a study by Pew Internet, 58% of U.S. consumers research new products and services online first, usually on Google.
Experts say that Google dominates at least 70% of the search market. If you run a small business, then you need to make Search Engine Optimization a priority, or customers won’t be able to find you.
Here’s a sobering fact: if you aren’t on the first page of search results, your site might as well be invisible. Almost 75% of searchers will never even scroll past the first page of results.
So if you’re looking to boost your website’s search performance this year, then here are four winning local SEO strategies you need to follow in 2015:
- Go Mobile: Google’s latest update favors websites that are mobile optimized, meaning pages that load easily on smartphones and tablets. If your site hasn’t been designed to be mobile-friendly yet, then it probably won’t rank well for people searching on their phones. And since one in two local searches are performed on a mobile device, and since 51% of customers are more likely to buy from a mobile-friendly store, you don’t want your business to get left behind.
- Make Content: Local SEO experts agree that creating content is one of the best ways to boost your rankings. One third of marketers say that content creation is “very effective” for SEO, and 92% agree that it’s at least “somewhat effective.” Infographics and regularly updated blogs are two popular content choices for small businesses.
- Pay-Per-Click vs. Local SEO Strategies: PPC ads can be a helpful, if expensive, way to get your company name on the first page of search results. And while PPC ads can be a beneficial part of your marketing strategy, ultimately paid ads won’t outperform organic SEO. On average, 75% of searchers will click organic results over paid ads, no matter which they see first.
- Links, Links, Links: One of the most important factors Google uses to determine your site’s rankings are the number of links pointing to your website. Building up links on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook are the simplest way to accumulate links. However, you should also make sure your website is included in local business directories like Yelp and Yellowpages.
To recap our local SEO guide — creating content, building links, creating long-term local SEO strategies, and making sure your site is mobile-friendly are four basic steps small business owners can take in 2015.
But remember: Google and the other search engines update their algorithms many times a year. If you want to reap the benefits of seo, stay up to date, or get left behind.
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