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Many small businesses operate on a local level. The thought of local SEO often intimidates small business owners since it seems as if only larger corporations that have unlimited budgets and employees can dominate this marketing activity. The good news is SEO is a simple marketing strategy that any business, large or small, can capitalize on when done correctly and consistently. So, if you are thinking to yourself, “local SEO: where do I start?” consider the tips below.

Get Listed on Google+ Local

A critical way to promote your small business online is by ensuring you get it listed on Google+ Local. This makes it easier for people to find your business, share it and recommend it to others. It also enables you to easily monitor customer reviews so you can improve your customer service if needed.

Keep your NAP Consistent on all Channels

Make sure your NAP (name, address, phone) information is correct and the same on all channels online. For instance, if you have a suite number in your address, be consistent. You don’t want to add it as ‘Ste’ on your website and ‘Suite’ on your local business listings. Likewise, you don’t want to provide a toll-free number on your website and a local number in your listings. Being inconsistent with your NAP information can result in Google+ auto-generating listings and these are not as effective as the information you provide on your profile.

Separate Landing Pages

Create recognizable landing pages for separate business locations on your main site. This is important since it simplifies many segments of your marketing strategy. When it comes to SEO, recognizable or distinct pages will enhance on-page optimization. Pages that are dedicated to a local area on your main site will increase your on-page content optimization efforts by allowing you to use highly specific and geo-targeted keywords. You can improve local search engine user visibility with specific optimization on each page while remaining visible to an audience with a less defined relevance to your business by using a more general optimization on other sections of your website.

Good Content

According to the SBA, you should aim to provide good solid content on your website. Search engines index content and it’s the content that attracts the visitors. It’s the content that encourages them to share your site and pages through social media. It’s the content that encourages them to link to your pages.

Too often, in order to shortcut this process and save time and effort, site owners will attempt to put up thin content. By doing this, they are actually failing themselves by missing out on engaged visitors and improved search position. It’s essential that you provide good content always and include your ‘about’ page, team bios and company story. Sprinkle in things like testimonials, interesting videos or even a quick tour of your company.

Other things that will Improve your Local SEO include:

• Encouraging customer reviews
• Accurate map location
• Optimizing your photos
• Encouraging customer interaction

Although SEO is easily done from your computer or laptop, it’s always a good idea to consult with a qualified SEO expert. They not only have expertise in this area, but can provide you with some valuable advice and tips to use in the future. Investing in SEO services might cost a bit of money, but it will save you and make you money in the future. Contact us here at Rainmaker Internet Marketing to learn more about our local SEO services.