Local Ranking

Why is local ranking important for digital marketing?

When it comes to digital marketing, many times our focus is on websites.

For local businesses, a strong online marketing effort requires an investment in local directories, maps and review sites too.

Optimizing local ranking web properties is crucial for local SEO / Search Engine Optimization:

1. Google My Business 

   • Improve your local ranking on Google

2. Yelp - popular consumer review site

   • Claim your business listing, update information, respond to reviews, upload photos.

3. Optimize your listings

   • Add photos

   • Hours of operation

   • Contact information

   • URL links to your website

   • Create deals, respond to reviews

4. Gather reviews

   • Honest, quality, reliable information

   • If you offer great products, service and take care of your customers - they will be inclined to review your business on sites like Yelp

5. Engage with customers online

   • Respond, acknowledge concerns

   • Try to make them right

Rankings to Track

• Desktop results, Mobile results, both

• YouTube results

• Amazon results

• Local Finder results

Tips / References

☆☆☆☆☆ 

• Local Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Checklist

• Want your business or website to rank higher?  

  • Contact Rich Owings and please tell him Web Tech Czar sent you - http://localiswhereitsat.com   |   @richowings   |   828.450.4929

    • Local SEO

    • Search Engine Optimization

    • WordPress Services

  • When does it make sense for a business to get local SEO help? 

    • Ever moved or changed phone numbers?

    • Not ranking in the map pack?

    • Need help setting up listings at Google, Bing, Apple Maps, Facebook, Yelp and/or Trip Advisor?

    • Don't have many reviews or if all of the business reviews are on one platform? 

      • If the business has a lot of bad reviews, it's usually a business problem, not a review problem!)

Articles

• Google Updates Affecting Local Businesses: Are You a Hawk or a Possum?

• How To Use Google KW Research To Target The Long Tail In Local Search

• Growth Hacking 101: How to Hack Local Search

• Case study: 33% of local search business is from non-locals (and 7 tips for capturing that traffic)

• 10 tips for building a local brand that will boost your local search ranking

• 3 Ways to Market Your Local Business Online

  1. Add your business to online directories

     • Search engine directories

     • Local directories

     • Centric directories like Yelp, Angie's List, and Merchant Circle

     • Industry specific directories

  2. Social media business pages

  3. Email marketing

• How Google’s new Local Business Cards could change local optimization & SEO

• • Not your average listing

    • Local Business Cards

  • Formats that currently display on Google SERPs

    • The Knowledge Graph

      • Wikipedia or IMDb

    • Google Carousel

      • Pictures of popular items

    • Local 3-pack of popular local business related to search

    • Google AMP - scrollable cards on the SERP or simple, graphical, quick-loading, mobile links to already-published content on a company website

  • Different way of indexing

  • Losers/winners?

• How To Get Your Business Optimized For Local Search and Maps Results To Help You Find More Online Customers

• Local Search SEO Tips - Citations, Reviews, and Your Website

• Google: Local Searches Lead 50% of Mobile Users to Visit Stores [Study]

• What Is A Local Citation and Why Should Small Businesses Care?

• 11 tips for using slide presentations for local SEO advantage

• Local Search – Tips for your Google Business Page, Citations, Reviews, and your Website

• Local Search Ranking Factors

• Despite Documented Performance Lift Brands Still Confounded By Local Search

Tools

• Pro Rank Tracker

Also See

• Event Marketing

• Facebook for Business

• Local SEO

• Hashtags

• Location-Based Social Media Monitoring

• Online Marketing