Simple Tips To Set The Stage For Local SEO In 2015
When it comes to online digital marketing, we always focus heavily on our websites. But let us not forget that optimizing external web properties is also crucial.
As Google search algorithms and other search engines keep evolving to provide more accurate results for users, It became hard for SEO professionals to strive for the same keyword position as before. To ease off and to sustain with improved SEO ranking we should focus on Local SEO in 2015.
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| Local SEO in 2015 by SEO Information Technology SEO Services Mumbai |
Local SEO does not just stop with optimizing website pages for local traffic . Search engines have gotten smarter to help eliminate keyword stuffing and get more accurate search results. In July 2014, Google realeased a new algorithm called Pigeon. Pigeon update places a new, higher emphasis on localized on-page SEO as well as the uniformity and accuracy of local citations.
5 SEO Tips You Need to Consider for 2015
1. Set Up Your Google My Business Account
The most important thing is to make sure you’re listed in Google and your business information is up-to-date with correct details. This can be done for Google maps via Google My Business. It provides an easy way for a business owner to create a listing or claim an existing listing, allowing them to ensure that their business information is accurate and complete.
Note: If you were signed up and verified through Google Places or Google + Pages, you should automatically be moved over to Google My Business.
Read Detailed Steps on "Optimize Your Google Plus Page for Search Result"
2. SEO Optimization for Yelp for Local SEO
Claim your business listing on Yelp. After claiming your business, you can update your company's business information, respond to reviews, upload photos and more. Yelp is the one the most popular consumer review site, and it’s important to ensure your business information is current and accurate on their site.
Google+ Local listing is still a great place to have positive reviews, but Yelp is a second spot. Optimizing your Yelp listing is equivalent to optimizing your website for search engines such as Google.
Optimizing Yelp Listing
- You first have to claim your Yelp listing. This can be done either by unlocking your existing business listing on Yelp, or by adding your business if it was not detected by Yelp, or visiting your unlocked account, or taking steps to take control of your already unlocked account.
- You should make sure your listing information is completely filled out. Add business relevant photos, add contact information, Wi-Fi information, etc.
- Encourage customers to post more reviews. This can be achieved by encouraging Foursquare check-ins, Facebook check ins making your Yelp link visible on your website and email signature, promoting your business on Yelp, and working to rank your account higher on major search engines like Google.
- Some negative reviews are actually better than no negative reviews. Always, make sure to keep your business listing unbiased and always encourage engagement over asking for reviews.
Local SEO Strategies That Will Still Work in 2015
3. Optimize Your Local Listings
Once you’ve claimed your local listings and verified that your business information is correct. You can add photos, hours of operation, company information, your site URL, and other information to make your listing more robust (allowing it to stand out from competitors). Additionally, can also create special deals, coupons, respond to reviews and more.
Local SEO is increasingly important with the explosion of mobile users, Maps, GPS, and even localized searches from desktops. An effective local search and local listing optimization ensures your business will rank in search results as well as generate good online leads.
Apart from Google + Local, Yahoo Local, Bing Places, there are other relevant trusted Directories which you should consider.
Monitor your local listings, generate new citations and check for accuracy of Backlinks.
Look for common Local Listing issues such as Ghost listing, Deleted listing, Duplicate listings, Multiple locations, "We currently do not support this location", Verified to Unverified Listings, Merged Listings, Listings that show wrong business information.
4. Gather Customer Reviews
Gather great customer reviews on your local listings. It is one of the more critical and more difficult tasks to coordinate.
There are a few methods you can use to generate reviews. Most SEO'ers suggests to “just ask for reviews,” generally, this method is not very organic. In one of the cases when you ask customers to write reviews or offer an incentive to someone who reviews your business; but, you should be cautious with that type approach, as many review sites discourage review solicitation (including Yelp) .
As with everything else, Google wants to provide the best information to their users (searchers), and that means it wants to display honest, reliable information. If you're offering great products, with great service, and take care of your customers, they’re going to be inclined to post a review for you on these sites whether you ask them to do it or not.
Dominate Search Engines With Your Review Presence
- Create a Designated Review Space on Your Website
- Send an Email Marketing Campaign Dedicated to Generating Reviews.
- Include Links to Your Review Properties in Your Email Signature
- Leverage Your Blog
- Tailor it to Your Point of Sale
- Create Case Studies
- Leverage Your Lead Generation Content
Top Local Listing Review Sites
- Angie's List
- Yelp!
- Google Reviews/Local/Places/Plus/+
- Yahoo! Local Listings
- Insider Pages
- Citysearch
- Consumer Search
- Consumer Reports
- Better Business Bureau (BBB)
- Twitter (Review with HashTags - Suggested by HubSpot)
- Your Website
5. Engage With Customers Online
Responding to your online reviews. It’s fair to assume you will have both good and negative reviews on Google + Local and Yelp. That’s normal.
Customers are more often to leave negative review than positive – that’s why it’s critical that you must respond.
It is hard for businesses to satisfy all customers, and in certain situations you may feel that customers are not always right. Incase, where you have more negative reviews that all talk about similar issues, you might wanna double check the situation to see if what they’re saying is true.
in every case, please acknowledge their concerns, respond, and try to make them right wherever you can or provide a phone number or an email address and where they can reach the concerned person who handle's customer relations.
Final Thoughts:
Local SEO is an On-going SEO strategy. This is help you to build you customer base and increase online leads.
