As marketers, we know that it is essential to build a local presence for your business. Search engine optimization is one of the few things we need to learn, but local marketing is another end of the story.
This local marketing roundup can help small to medium businesses in optimizing their business online, on a local level. A quick Google search can yield thousands of local SEO guides online, but if you're entirely new to SEO, you wouldn't be able to differentiate the good practices from the bad.
To give you a quick preview on how locally targeted marketing is on the rise, Google Trends here displays the search interest for the keyword "near me":
The trend is on the rise; people want quick results, people want relevant, nearby places for their needs. That is where local marketing triumphs against big retail brands. The question now is, "how can we optimize our website for local searches?"
Here at Wax Marketing, we aim to provide references that are considered as the best practices in local search engine optimization. We make sure that these guides are up-to-date and easy to follow for all types of users. Whether you're an experienced marketer or a DIY business owner, you'll be up and ready to optimize your website for local marketing and search with these resources.
HubSpot - Local SEO StatsIf you aren't convinced that optimizing for local search can be beneficial for your site, or if you're trying to convince your client that local SEO is also important in generating revenue for your site, this is a good reference guide. It can help you understand how local search turns traffic into revenue, and there are supporting statistics that can help you decide further on how to use local search marketing to improve your sales.
Moz - Local SEO & Beyond: Ranking Your Local Business in 2017 ()
Contrary to the 3-pack ranking spots as discussed in the previous suggestion, this is a great guide and a wake-up call in one. Most marketers are obsessed with rankings, getting the #1 spot, etc. Have we forgotten the true purpose of our marketing efforts? We're here to bring in revenue, we're here to bring in profitable traffic to businesses. This article helps small to medium businesses in adapting ideas that are not 3-pack-centric. SEO changes dynamically, month after month; the author, Casey Meraz, will discuss what has changed and how to adapt to the changes in local SEO and beyond.
Search Engine Journal - Local SEO Guide for Beginners ()
This is a direct guide on local SEO if you want to spare yourself from the experts' thoughts. Search Engine Journal has compiled everything you need to know about local SEO. They wrote it as a step-by-step guide for beginners, and in simpler terms without the technical jargon. This is only a part of their updated SEO guide, so if you want to expand your efforts into a more holistic approach, Search Engine Journal's guide can help you to do so. Beware that it might be a lot to read in one sitting, so we recommend segmenting each part and proceed as soon as you're comfortable.
Yoast - 5 questions: Talking local SEO with David Mihm ()
These expert Q&As are the goldmine of knowledge more than any guide you may find online. These people have real life experiences in managing campaigns, and their experience in getting results has been commended and recognized around the world. Perhaps you're familiar with Yoast; most SEOs prefer this plugin for optimizing their website. This is a good insight article for small to medium businesses that may be restricted to promote their services on a local level due to budget or time constraints.
Search Engine Journal - 52 Local SEO Strategies for SMBs ()
Here's another guide on local SEO brought to us by Search Engine Journal. If you're already familiar with SEO, this is an exhaustive list that you can use as a checklist to optimize your site for local SEO. This list will help you through optimizing your local search engine presence through listings and citations, optimizing your website's architecture and content, and optimizing your local and web rankings via offsite search engine optimization practices such as link building.
SEMrush - Local SEO Strategies to Help Small Businesses #semrushchat (
SEMRush is an industry tool that digital marketers use for SEO. It encompasses everything you need to work on SEO - you can perform keyword research, competitor research, and analysis, and even display ads search; that's why their expert opinion round up post garnered a lot of good, insightful feedback. Learn what to focus on your website, how can a local business rank across multiple cities, how does a semantic hierarchy for local SEO looks like, what important things to consider for local SEO, and how to handle listings in the same location (duplication worries).
Thousands of Internet resources can be found online that claim to help you optimize your business for local SEO. Industry experts like Moz, SEMrush, Search Engine Journal and the like can help you achieve your goal. Gone were the days of keyword spamming and endless site submissions that will only get your site penalized by search engines.
Local search optimization increases the chances of a small to medium scale business to gain traction in the market.
As Little Giant Web Design would put it, "Put users first, exude passion, INNOVATE... go above and beyond, be transparent, stay humble, and make it fun." Instead of going crazy over keyword rankings, put users first. Optimize your UI/UX. Put your business on the map. Display your passion for your brand. Innovate how you interact with clients or render your services. Be honest, allow reviews on your site. Stay humble, and make it fun and engaging for you and your visitors.
