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what local businesses need to succeed

What Your Local Business Needs to Succeed

Local Business Marketing Solutions

Local search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial to maintaining a comprehensive online presence and to the success of your local business. A well-executed local SEO strategy gets your business to show up in maps and in local search results when consumers are searching in your area. This is important because these searches are often made with the intent to immediately contact the business or visit a location to make a purchase. If your business isn’t showing up in local search results, you could be missing out on reaching many prospective customers at crucial times. Here are some things your local business needs to do in order to have a successful local SEO strategy.

Claim Your Google My Business Listing

You may have heard of Google My Business (GMB), which is Google’s own directory listing service for local businesses. Since the majority of local searches take place on Google, claiming your Google My Business listing is crucial to ranking high in search and map results. Once you’ve claimed your business, optimize your listing with up-to-date business information, such as business description, business hours and payment types accepted.

Verify All Listings Are Consistent

Google My Business is important, but that’s just the beginning. You should ensure your business is listed on all other major search engines and directory listing sites, such as Bing Places for Business, Yelp, CitySearch and the Yellow Pages. Once you’re on other sites, make sure your business name, address and phone number (NAP) are correct and consistent with your GMB listing. Just one discrepancy or missing piece of information can negatively impact your local SEO strategy.

Acquire Online Reviews

Major search engines see reviews as highly valuable when it comes to ranking local search results. Online reviews are seen as unique and high-quality content, and they are one ofa consumer’s primary tools for making purchase decisions. For example, Google displays business reviews in both organic search results and the local map results. The more reviews and positive ratings a business has, the higher it ranks in local results. Current and positive reviews can improve your business’s online visibility while giving your brand a positive reputation.

Have a Mobile-Friendly Website

Not only do mobile searches outnumber desktop searches, but many mobile searches are specific to local businesses. It is common for consumers to grab their smartphone and search for a business while they’re on-the-go in a particular area. A mobile-friendly site creates a positive user experience and will keep users engaged and interested in your product or service. Sites that are not optimized for mobile often have a high bounce rate and, therefore, do not rank high in the search results.

Consider Outsourcing Local SEO

Manually adding and managing each of your listings across all sites and directories is a daunting and time-consuming task, especially when you have to focus on running your business. A marketing agency that specializes in local SEO will likely have the resources and expertise to properly manage your local business listings, providing higher online visibility and a better return on investment.

Get Your Local Business Listed with Strategic Marketing

Strategic Marketing is a full-service digital and traditional marketing agency that specializes in local SEO. We developed a cost-effective and easy way to maximize your local online visibility by boosting your presence in local maps, organic search and underlying directory listings. SmartList distributes your business information to hundreds of online publishers, including Google, Bing, Yahoo!, Yelp, CitySearch and many more for a consistent online local presence. To learn more about how SmartList can save you time while still growing your business, contact Strategic Marketing today at (561) 688-8155 or visit our contact page.