Website design By BotEap.com7 SEO strategies to optimize your local business website

Website design By BotEap.comLast year (has it really been a year since we first entered COVID-19 mode?), We’ve heard a lot about the #ShopLocal movement. Especially during the holidays, people focused on buying gifts within the community to support small businesses.

Website design By BotEap.comThe Retailers Council of Canada (RCC) found that 90% of Canadians intended to shop locally during the 2020 holiday seasons, and 83% preferred to buy items that were also made in Canada.

Website design By BotEap.comNow that the holiday season is over, it’s important for small business owners to look to the future and think of ways to continue promoting themselves locally in 2021.

Website design By BotEap.comIt is very important to focus your marketing efforts on getting local website traffic if you have a showcase business or offer a service that is within a specific geographic area.

Website design By BotEap.comFortunately, there are several things you can do to increase your visibility and reach your target audience. To help you achieve your goals in 2021, here’s how to rank locally:

Website design By BotEap.com1. First, make a list of the regions you want to target.

Website design By BotEap.comFor example, if you live in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, you may want to incorporate keywords like “Langley”, “Abbotsford”, “Surrey”, and so on. in the content of your website.

Website design By BotEap.comInclude your city, the nearest major metropolitan area, and your province. Now, start creating long-tail keyword phrases for each of these. Let’s use the example of “interior design”. Instead of just using that keyword phrase, you could target “Surrey Interior Design” and “British Columbia Interior Designers.”

Website design By BotEap.com2. Write a web page or blog post dedicated to each local keyword phrase.

Website design By BotEap.comNow that you have your list of keywords to target, it’s time to start writing!

Website design By BotEap.comTo optimize your website for local search, spread your keywords and geo-locations throughout your website copy so that search engines keep you first in their search results. Remember not to fill your content with keywords.

Website design By BotEap.com3. Write and post new local content regularly.

Website design By BotEap.comAdding new content to a website, especially as a value-added blog post, is essential for all websites.

Website design By BotEap.comWhen you create new location-based content with your keywords, what you’re saying is even more valuable, whether it’s a press release about something you’re doing in the community or a review of a new local service.

Website design By BotEap.com4. Add your business address to the footer of your website in text.

Website design By BotEap.comIf you’re wondering how to rank locally, don’t forget to include your address on your site! Not only does this act as a clue to Google that you are a local business, it also shows your website visitors that they are in the right place.

Website design By BotEap.comEven better: insert a dynamic Google map to help customers find their location, show their location with images, and build trust and credibility.

Website design By BotEap.comREAD: Your SEO trend guide for 2021

Website design By BotEap.comI know 2020 was a challenging and stressful year. Many small business owners had to cut their budgets and are now wondering where to best spend their money in the future.

Website design By BotEap.comCustomer behavior also changed. McKinsey & Company referred to it as the “home economy” in its research on consumer behavior during the pandemic. They defined it as “Most intend to leave home to buy basic necessities, but maintain a low commitment to shared services.”

Website design By BotEap.comHere’s what this behavioral change means for the 2021 SEO trends.

Website design By BotEap.comRead more by visiting us online.

Website design By BotEap.com5. Use Google My Business.

Website design By BotEap.comGoogle My Business helps small business owners stand out in search engines. Whether through a search result or a map query, more than five billion searches are performed globally each day via Google.

Website design By BotEap.comThat means a large audience can find your product or service quickly and easily. Not only does it increase your visibility, it is also a free way to optimize your website for local searches.

Website design By BotEap.com6. Take and share local photos.

Website design By BotEap.comThink beyond text while optimizing your website for local searches. Take photos of your business to show what you have to offer and share authentic photos instead of stock photos.

Website design By BotEap.comMake sure to take pictures of your business doing things within the community. Then name these images when you publish them on your website or blog with file names that include your local keyword phrases.

Website design By BotEap.comWhy? Because all the images used on your website have localized keyword phrase filenames and alt tags.

Website design By BotEap.comSo if someone goes into Google Photo Search and searches for “best interior designer in Surrey”, if they have a photo with that file name, their image will appear at the top.

Website design By BotEap.com7. Harness the power of review sites.

Website design By BotEap.comCreate free business accounts with some of the big review sites like Yelp, Google, Yellow Pages, Insider Pages, Angie’s List, etc. and encourage your customers and regulars to write reviews about your business.

Website design By BotEap.comAs you optimize your website for local search, it’s key to also focus on external methods to improve results, but that’s another conversation! If you are not sure how to classify locally using external methods, please contact us.

Website design By BotEap.comStart by taking the time to review your website and follow these SEO tips and you’ll be on your way to getting more loyal customers throughout 2021 and beyond!

Website design By BotEap.comFor the success of your business,

Website design By BotEap.comSusan