What is local SEO?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019ve probably had an experience where you\u2019re looking for a hairdresser in the area, need a new dentist or just want to buy a new bike. And what\u2019s the first thing you do? Probably grab your smartphone or laptop and search for providers in your area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And this is exactly where local search engine optimization comes in! The goal is for customers to see your medical website,<\/a> coaching site<\/a> or salon website<\/a> on the first page of Google if they\u2019re looking for offers in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The advantage of local searches is that the demand for your product or service already exists! All you have to do is to make the prospective customer aware of you and give them the most important information so they can contact you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So what used to be the classic Yellow Pages ad, is today what local SEO marketing is for your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To determine the authenticity of a physical business, Google references data from many sources, especially online yellow page style services. Some of these services, as well as local business search sites, rely on user contribution for their data. As a business owner, ensuring this data is accurate and consistent on the web is crucial. If you notice any discrepancies, take action as soon as you can. For new business owners, here\u2019s the best way to get started:<\/p>\n\n\n Google My Business has a free signup process that\u2019s fast and easy, and it will give you instant visibility online. If a customer searches for your business on Google, your business name, address, phone number, opening hours, and other information will appear in the knowledge graph on the right-hand side of the search engine results page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this article, we explain how to claim your business on Google My Business<\/a> in just a few steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yelp<\/span><\/a> is another important place to promote your business. You can create a free account in just a few minutes, and users searching for a particular business will often see a Yelp information page as one of the top results. Similar to Google My Business, you\u2019ll want to enter your business name and all other important information when you sign up.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n While Google My Business and Yelp are used most often for business searches, you should also consider these options: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Foursquare, LinkedIn, Apple Maps and Yahoo! Local.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you already have a website for your business, the most important information to have on your site, in terms of search ranking, is your business name, address, and phone number. Google will look for this information on your site and analyze it for accuracy and consistency with other sites that host your information. It\u2019s also a good idea to post this information on every page of your website.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you don\u2019t have a website yet for your business, you should get started building one right away. The first step is choosing the right domain name<\/a>, and using your business name is a safe bet as long as it isn\u2019t too long. Next, make sure your homepage title tag is optimized. A title tag is the main text that describes one page of a website. In the example below, the title tag is \u201cJimdo: Create your own website.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n For small businesses, I suggest setting your homepage title tag as follows: industry-specific keyword(s) \u2013 city, state abbreviation \u2013 business name. If you\u2019re in the furniture business, this would be a great example:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s important to remember that most title tags are cut off in search results after 55-60 characters (including spaces), so consider this before getting started.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n Your web address (domain) can instantly show customers that you\u2019re a local business, service or restaurant. You\u2019ve probably come across domain names like “www.gelato-bronx.com” for example. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n These domains make sense, as customers immediately know where to find you and what you do. I always advise integrating your company name into the domain\u2014provided it\u2019s not too long. Here\u2019s more about <\/span>how to find the perfect domain name<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\nStep 1: Create local business profiles<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Google My Business<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Google](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jimdo-stable-staging.com/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-21-at-09.38.36.png?resize=1177%2C1150&ssl=1\")
Yelp and other services<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Bring your business online with Jimdo.<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Step 2: Do local keyword, metadata and domain name research<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Jimdo](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jimdo-stable-staging.com/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Screen-Shot-2019-06-21-at-11.37.29-1.png?resize=749%2C256&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nChoosing a domain name<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Bring your business online with a custom domain.<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n