Inbound marketing strategies have long been an extremely important part of web marketing campaigns. From developing and implementing solid content marketing strategies to smart web design, optimizing whatever you do online for search engines has been essential to being found online by the ever growing community of web shoppers out there.
In truth, those things are just as important as ever, but they require a different approach in 2014 than in the past. The reason? Web shoppers, armed with the $1.5 trillion eMarketer estimates they’ll spend online this year, are increasingly using localized search terms to find small businesses like yours. Subsequently, you need to rethink your SEO strategies to successfully make the shift away from general to local SEO.
What’s It Take for a Successful Local SEO Campaign?
- Make Social Media a Priority
- Take Advantage of Google’s Move Towards the Visual
- Go Ahead — Take a NAP
For Search Engine Land, few things are as important to a powerful local SEO campaign as social media. While Google has said that social media signals aren’t incorporated into SERP rankings, that doesn’t mean an active social media page won’t drive your visibility and traffic. An active, engaging social media account will help you attract followers for your brand and traffic for your website, the latter of which will certainly affect local SEO.
By and large, Google is a text-based search platform; that said, as Tech Cocktail details, there has been a move toward more visual content for business pages in the last few years. In particular, both Google and its users want to see businesses provide more high quality pictures on their Google+ business pages, showcasing the surrounding area, the building, and the products. Making pictures a priority may seem silly, but it is truly important.
Now, as you well know, you can’t afford to fall asleep at the wheel when it comes to an SEO campaign. It’s too dynamic, too volatile of a process for you to ever be hands off. However, as Business 2 Community details, you should feel perfectly comfortable with a NAP when you’re dealing with local SEO. The acronym translates to Name, Address, and Phone Number — or the essential bits of information you need to include in the footer of every one of your business pages to help your business pop in local search queries.
Do you run an online website development or other digital marketing company? What tips would you add to help businesses struggling with local SEO? Share your advice in the comments below.
