THE SEO CHECKLIST FOR SMALL LOCAL BUSINESSES
If you’re a small business looking to implement SEO to improve your search rankings, one of the most important things to do is to set realistic expectations from the get-go. As a local business, ranking nationally for competitive keywords in your niche can be rather unrealistic. But with local search stronger and more effective than ever, you can optimize you site for local searches and to beat your competition for searches in your vertical.
So what are the keys to SEO for small local businesses? First and foremost, claim your local listings on Google My Business and Yelp and any other relevant sites or directories that cater to your area. It is widely believed that Google reviews can help with a site’s ranking, whereas Yelp gives you an important and highly-visited platform upon which to engage with your audience.
Once you’ve claimed your listings, your next step should be generating reviews for your business. While many business owners are understandably skittish about online reviews—after all, it only takes a handful of bad reviews to sink one’s rating and deter potential customers—there’s no denying that getting reviews from happy customers will go a long way in encouraging people to click on your site. However, Yelp does frown on this practice, so try to focus on providing the best possible experience to your customers to ensure positive reviews.
After you’ve established your basic local search presence, you’ll want to make your site mobile-friendly. Local search is mobile search after all—people often conduct searches for your business when they’re on the go. And while having a Facebook page is a crucial step in terms of search results for mobile searchers, if there is ever an issue with your Facebook page, having a mobile-friendly site will guarantee that your site ranks well for local searches.
Finally, an ongoing practice you will want to get in the habit of is earning as many local citations as possible. Local citations can come in the form of links to your site or the addition of your name, address, and phone number (NAP) to a local directory. It is extremely important that you ensure that your NAP is the same across all sites and directories, as this can confuse Google’s rankings if not.
By following the above steps and maintaining a strong social presence on even just one or two social media platforms, you can give your business that crucial leg-up in local search.
