Q: What are things I need to take care of to have my local business website ready for SEO in 2015?
A: Understanding local SEO and how to capture local search will be instrumental to your online success in 2015. You need to have a more focused and customized SEO strategy to fulfil the unique needs of audience in your region.
Coming straight to how you can take care of local business website in 2015, I have certain points to make:
Title & Meta Description with Localized Keywords:
While it’s necessary to have meta & title tag for each page, also ensure that it should tell the search engines as well as searchers about the location of your business. Local businesses usually optimize the homepage with a title tag, for example “Bakers Seguin” and do not pay attention to make similar changes in the inside pages.
Meta descriptions mentioning your location are important as these will tell local searcher if the link leads to a business near them.
Optimizing for Google+ Local Business Page
Local SEO is incomplete without a Google+ Local business profile because it will put your business on the literal Map of Google Page One. Maile Ohye, Google tech lead in a video told that a business can do without a website if it performs G+ local page optimization.
Optimizing Content with Semantic Variations of Local Keywords
If you want your website to rank for local search results, it is important to optimize the content from the same aspect. As Google is paying attention to semantic search, try having long tail keywords in the content.
Optimizing Blog with Semantic Variations of Local Targeted Keywords
Instead of having a generic how to blog, try to make it more city or locality specific. For example, if you offer plumbing service in Naples, why not write on How to find the right plumbing company in Naples? or something that specifically highlights the locality you serve.
Media Rich Content
Having photos and videos of local areas gives a real look to your business. If you own a restaurant, why not share some of the photographs of the interiors as well as the exteriors of your restaurant. This will definitely drive more visits.
Building Natural Links on Local Authority Sites
There could be several local sites such as a listing site or a local government website, which are considered to be of great authority. You can set up a local resource page on these sites and write more about your business.
Mobile Optimization
Local searches are usually performed when users are on their mobile devices. For example, there will be several people looking for an Italian restaurant nearby on their mobile devices. If your website is mobile optimized, it may rank higher in the search results and get those searchers to your restaurants.
If you run a local business, make a checklist of these points and plan your local SEO strategy for 2015 accordingly.
