{"id":3886,"date":"2016-06-23T06:40:09","date_gmt":"2016-06-23T05:40:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.invoiceberry.com\/?p=3886"},"modified":"2016-06-14T16:03:18","modified_gmt":"2016-06-14T15:03:18","slug":"master-local-seo-6-easy-steps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/master-local-seo-6-easy-steps\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Master Local SEO in 6 Easy Steps"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you run a business that caters primarily to people in your local area, you might be fed up with having to have to rely on word-of-mouth to bring people into your store.<\/p>\n

However, if you\u2019re interested in how you can draw customers in using another method\u00a0\u2013 you\u2019re in luck.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because in this post, we\u2019re going to explore how you can improve the odds of your business appearing at top of the local search engine listings.<\/p>\n

Mastering this can take your business to the next level, especially when you consider that <\/em>50% of mobile users are likely to visit a store<\/em><\/a>, within a day of their local search.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

We\u2019ll take a look at the six key steps you need to pay attention to, and how you can overcome some common newbie mistakes.<\/p>\n

By the end, you\u2019ll know everything you need to know, to go out and do this as if you\u2019re a pro.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s begin!<\/p>\n

1. Claim Local Listings<\/h2>\n

The first thing you need to focus on is claiming your local listings.<\/p>\n

You need to do this for Google, Bing and Yahoo.<\/p>\n

If you want to list your business with Google,<\/em> head over to https:\/\/www.google.com\/business\/<\/a> and click on \u2018Get on Google.\u2019<\/p>\n

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You then need to find your business.<\/p>\n

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If you can\u2019t find your business, you\u2019ll be asked to enter in some location information.<\/p>\n

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You\u2019ll then need to provide some verification, of which when done, will result in you having listed your business with Google.<\/p>\n

For Bing, go to <\/em>https:\/\/www.bingplaces.com\/<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

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Once you click on \u2018Get Started,\u2019 you\u2019ll then need to go through the same process as you did for Google.<\/p>\n

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Lastly for Yahoo, <\/em>you\u2019ll need to go over to https:\/\/www.aabacosmallbusiness.com\/local-listings\/<\/a> and set up an account.<\/p>\n

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2. Get Reviews<\/h2>\n

Positive reviews can impact how high your business ranks in search engines. It also affects the perception that people have of your business, and the likelihood of them clicking on your site.<\/p>\n

Take a look at the screenshot below for instance.<\/p>\n

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Wouldn\u2019t your rather click on the business with 115 reviews than the one with 8? <\/em><\/p>\n

Thankfully, collecting reviews is not all too hard.<\/p>\n

You simply need to let people know where reviews can be left.<\/p>\n

Be careful that you don\u2019t solicit or incentivise reviews, however, as this can be frowned upon by Google<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Below you\u2019ll see a brief summary, that explains Google’s Point of View on collecting reviews<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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You also want don\u2019t want to attract too many reviews in too short a time, as this can also suggest to Google that you\u2019re doing something untoward.<\/p>\n

Consider collecting the email addresses of your customers and then emailing them after a purchase, letting them know where they can leave an impartial review.<\/p>\n

3. NAP Citations & (quick win) Local Backlinks<\/h2>\n

Once you\u2019ve taken care of the steps above, you then need to focus on collecting NAP citations and local backlinks.<\/p>\n

NAP Citations sounds like something complicated, but it isn\u2019t really. NAP simply stands for Name, Address and Phone number.<\/p>\n

Local backlinks are just links to your website, that come from other sites.<\/p>\n

If you want to build up your NAP citations,<\/em> all you have to do is submit your business information to business directories.<\/p>\n

Certain websites, such as this one<\/a>, will tell you the best places to submit your NAP Citations.<\/p>\n

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You can also visit the Moz citations directory <\/a>to find places to submit citations too.<\/p>\n

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You should also list your business with directories such as Yelp<\/a> and Business.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth remembering that there are some paid solutions available, of which will make this task easier.<\/p>\n

For instance, Moz also offers a service<\/a>, where they\u2019ll help do a lot of the NAP citation work for you.<\/p>\n

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If you want to collect local backlinks, <\/em>you need to see if there are any local businesses that might consider linking to your website.<\/p>\n

Of course, rarely will another website link to yours, just because you ask them too.<\/p>\n

There is a way around this, however.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve used the services of a local business recently, let them know that you\u2019d like to provide a testimonial. Then in your testimonial, provide a link to your website.<\/p>\n

Consider providing a video testimonial to improve the odds of someone showcasing the testimonial, on their site.<\/p>\n

4. Create Service Specific Pages<\/h2>\n

A lot of local websites are very \u2018thin,\u2019 on content, and this therefore provides you with an opportunity to get ahead in search engine rankings.<\/p>\n

The easiest way to improve the content levels on your site, is by providing more detail in terms of what your business does, and who it helps.<\/p>\n

Google will reward websites that are more in depth and relevant to a search query, because it leads to a better user experience for the person browsing your site.<\/p>\n

As a result, aim to have a page dedicated to each aspect, and service provided by your business.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re struggling to think of what you can write, just imagine that you\u2019re trying to explain your services to a someone who knows nothing about them.<\/p>\n

So if you\u2019re a mechanic, you might have a page dedicated to tyre fitting, engine repair, brake repair and so on and so on.<\/p>\n

Try and shoot for 500 words per page.<\/p>\n

5. Set up a blog<\/h2>\n

You then need to focus on setting up a blog.<\/p>\n

Your blog isn\u2019t a place designed to sell to your ideal customer.<\/p>\n

Rather it\u2019s a place to educate and inform them. <\/em><\/p>\n

As you do so, you\u2019re also presenting yourself as an authority on the said topic in your customer\u2019s eyes, and in the eyes of Google.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re stuck on what you should blog about, here are some great blog post concepts to get you started:<\/p>\n