The number one reason for owning a business is to make money. You need a website to drive people to your business, but how can your website capture local customers? Social media can help make people aware of your business, but when you want to capture customers ready to make a purchase, you need to ensure you’ve got a local SEO strategy that can drive more
business to your doorstep.
NEXTFLY, an Indianapolis web design company, can help you find the right keywords and strategy to improve your local SEO, which will improve your search rankings and help searchers convert to customers.
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO (search engine optimization) is a subset of SEO that focuses optimization efforts on ranking higher for local queries.
Every website has an SEO rating determined by search engines, most commonly Google. Search engines crawl your site to get an idea of what your business does so they can recommend content or services on your website to searchers.
Let’s say you’re a plumbing business. The words “plumber,” and “plumbing” are all over your site. So when someone searches “plumber” you might pop up in the search results. However, where the searcher is matters. You don’t want to be an Indianapolis business that’s showing up for “plumber” in Chicago. You wouldn’t take that job if someone called you.
Local SEO fixes this issue by making sure your service areas or locations are clearly defined to search engines. So when someone searches “plumber in Indianapolis,” you’ll be recommended at the top.
But local SEO is weighted on more than just your website. There are other tools out there that you can leverage to improve your local search results rankings too.
What Are Some Things I Can Do To Improve My Local SEO?
To improve your local SEO rankings, you’ll need to work on your website. Your local Indianapolis web design team at NEXTFLY has these tips for your website and beyond that you can start working on improving your local SEO.
Google Business Profile
When you search for your business by its name, you should see your business appear on the right side of the screen on a map. This is your Google Business Profile. If your business does not appear, you can claim your business and start adding content to your profile.
This is where you can control the hours your business is open, the links to your website and phone number, and respond to reviews and questions. You can also enter business categories to help Google understand your business better.
Manage Reviews
Speaking of reviews, it’s a great idea to respond to reviews on your Google Business Profile and other websites. Google likes to see businesses engaging with their customers.
This is important. There are many instances where business owners get frustrated because there is a bad review on their Google Business Profile and they cannot take it down. By responding to the review, future searchers can see how you as a business responded and you have an opportunity to tell your part of the story.
Here’s a fun fact: it’s almost impossible to get a 5-star rating on Google. Don’t beat yourself up if you feel like you’re stuck at a 4.9 score forever. The rating doesn’t matter as much to Google as how you manage your reviews. Be sure to ask customers to leave a review because the number of reviews you have and how you respond to them often matters more to Google than your star rating.
Local Citations
A local citation is how your business is listed on other websites. Make sure your business has Facebook, Yelp, LinkedIn, and other social media pages so you can control the narrative on these sites. Your address, phone number, hours, and business description must be universal on all of these sites. Responding to reviews on these sites is a good idea too.
But it’s not just social media pages. Search your business and your business address and see what you find. Maybe you find a yellowpages site that lists an old phone number, or maybe you find an old business listed at your current address on Foursquare. Although these websites may seem outdated, every website that links to you must go to the right place. Many of these websites have options to claim a business page on their site or put in a request to change outdated information.
It’s never a bad idea to get the word out about your business. Let’s say, you’re a plumbing business, and someone from your team is being interviewed on the local news. Make sure that when the reporter publishes their story on the news website, they have the correct link to your website and your phone number.
Why does all this matter? Because search engines take in all this information about your business from other websites and assign you an authority score. This score is how search engines determine how legitimate your business is. If it cannot find your business on other websites, it most likely will not recommend you to searchers.
Target Local Keywords
Keywords are words or phrases that you use on your website that match common searches. They are ideal for PPC ads and landing pages. However, you can create content on your website that can target local areas to help make sure you show up when someone searches for your services.
Let’s say you’re a plumber in Indianapolis. You want to work in Indianapolis and some northern suburbs. If you include the keyword “Indianapolis Plumber” on your website, you might only show up for those in Indianapolis. If you want more customers in Carmel, Zionsville, and Broad Ripple, you can make content that is directed at those local area keywords so Google knows it can recommend searchers in those areas.
Creating a page or blog that targets “Carmel, IN Plumbing Services” signals to Google that you will work in Carmel. And someone who is searching a long-tail keyword like that probably needs help right away, meaning they are ready to become a customer quickly.
Should I Target “Near Me” Keywords?
You may have heard of people searching for “near me” keywords. For example: “plumber near me.” The thing is, you don’t want to target these “near me” keywords, because “near me” could be anywhere!
Search engines know where the searcher is located. If you establish where your business is located, the search engine will recommend you to local searchers searching for your business “near me.”
How Can Local SEO Help My Business
Local SEO not only helps build your reputation with search engines so they’re more likely to recommend you to searchers, but it also helps people find your business easier. Start by claiming your Google Business Profile, facebook, and Yelp pages. By dedicating an hour a week to responding to reviews and updating information, you’ll be surprised at how much of an impact you’ll see on the search results page.
When people can find you more easily, you’ll see business improve. Even if your business doesn’t rely on foot traffic, having a local presence can make your business known to the public.
Talk to NEXTFLY® About Local SEO Services
Don’t just talk to any digital marketing agency about local SEO services. Talk to a business in your local market. Outside companies aren’t familiar with the different Indianapolis neighborhoods and could target the wrong areas. You also don’t want someone unfamiliar with Indianapolis talking about “Caramel, Indiana” when it’s “Carmel, Indiana.” Those mistakes are hard to fix.
NEXTFLY is an experienced Indianapolis web design company with proven experience in boosting local SEO. Talk to us today to see how we can help.