SEO for Local Businesses | Tips for Local SEO | Improve Local SEO Results

SEO for Local Business

Is Local SEO part of your overall internet marketing strategy? SEO for Local Businesses is an area that is increasingly competitive. Let’s cover some basic tips for local SEO and how you can quickly and effectively improve your local presence with the search engines.

Local Business Listings on Search Engines

First local SEO tip – claim your local business listings on the major search engines.

  • Google Places (formerly Local Business Center)
  • Bing Local Listing Center
  • Yahoo! Local Listings

When you create your local listing in each search engine there are a few things to keep in mind. Try to include the name of your product or service in the local business listing title.  Categorize your business accurately in your local listing.  Add your product or service to your business’ local description.

Local SEO Tip #2 – Local Search Listing Reviews

Now that you have created your business’ local listing it’s time to start building your online reputation. Successful SEO for local businesses requires gathering reviews for your local listing. Ideally you want organically generated, genuine , positive reviews.

Local SEO Tip #3 – Local Directories

I recommend you also add your business to several of the top local business directories.
Yelp, Best of the Web Local (BOTW Local), Yellow Book, Localeze and CitySearch are some of the more popular local directories.

On Page SEO for Local Search

Additionally, you should optimize your website pages for local seo.  Let’s look at some simple things you can do to improve your businesses local search engine rankings.

Local Address on Website

Show your complete local address on your Contact page.  This is important. Also, include a local phone number as well, even if you offer a toll free number.
Also consider including your business’ complete local address and local phone number listing on every page.

Use Regional or Local Names in Page Titles

SEO for local businesses is done effectively when you include the region (state, city, etc.) in your web page titles. Consider targeting your money keyword – one that you wouldn’t expect to rank for on a National level, and add your local qualifier.  For example New Jersey Insurance Agency.
Additionally, consider creating individual pages that target your product or service and mention the actual town or city.   A local SEO strategy I like to use is to target at high level on the home page (e.g. Product, State) and then creating pages which target more specific locations (e.g. Product, City, State).

SEO Tips for Local Businesses

If you apply these basic tips for local SEO, you should see an increase in long tail and local search traffic to your website.  Local SEO for small businesses is increasingly competitive. As the web gets bigger, markets get smaller. The sooner your business includes local SEO in its internet marketing strategy the better positioned you will be.
Additional Local SEO Resources:
David Mihm’s Local Search Ranking Factors – 2009 edition of this collection of top local SEO minds
A great Local SEO case study by Aaron Wall of SEOBook.com – I’ve done a similar test of my own agree with Aaron’s results

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