Answers to 5 Common Local SEO Questions

In today’s article, get answers to 5 common questions about Local Search Engine Optimization (Local SEO).

5 Local SEO FAQs You Never Knew
You Needed Answered

Undertaking Local Search Engine Optimization today is extremely important for all businesses trying to build a solid local online presence -- just read our latest blog post on why Local SEO may be the best investment you ever make.

Today we’ve decided to summarize 5 local SEO FAQs you didn't know you needed answered… or maybe you did, and that’s why you’re here? Either way, we’ve got you covered.

#1. Does my business require a website for local SEO to be most effective?

The top rankings in local search are given to businesses that Google can trust. Getting into the top positions of the Google ‘Local Pack’ requires some website SEO – so yes, it is important to have a website!

Google correlates the address information on a website with the information provided on Google My Business, and then further validates this with the information about your business that is listed across the Internet.

A primary trust factor with local search is having a website that includes relevant content to your business categories with Google My Business, as well as having accurate NAP information (Name, Address, Phone Number).

Google will attempt to match up your services in your business listing with what you show on your website. If there’s a match then the trust-factor, and overall effectiveness of local SEO, will increase.

#2. So, what makes a perfect local search listing?

There are three core components which together will ensure that your local search-listing stands head and shoulders above the rest.

1. Accuracy and Consistency: Your business information across all directories, websites and local search listings has to be accurate and consistent. Particular attention to detail should be applied to your NAP and website URL.

2. A complete listing: Every field in your local listing should be fully completed. This includes photos, opening times and a detailed description with your business keywords incorporated. Completing all sections of your listing, not only provides more information for the search engines to deliver better results, but it gives the searcher more information about your business

3. Up to date information: Keep all information up to date across all of your listings. This includes incorporating any special offers and updating your opening times if necessary. It’s important to also manage and respond to any comments or questions. Visit your Google My Business dashboard to check on reviews and update your information.

#3. Do I need to build links to my Google My Business page and directory listings such as Yelp, or is link building primarily targeted to the website itself?

Most people are linking to websites that they find are of high quality, or relevant to their own business, hobbies or interests. At least that's what they should do anyway, so links to directory pages or a Google My Business page don't make much sense. This also doesn’t represent a reason to rank a business higher than another business, as most of these links would be built by the business owner and not earned.Generally, the type of links that help your listing rank higher are ones that point at your website.

#4. I’ve heard that submitting to directories can now cause ranking punishments by Google. How can I avoid this but still build the required citation links?

If the business listings are spammy and incorrect, then yes, Google may punish you. And it is correct that building links from low quality directories to gain links has been considered spammy for a long time now. Even with high quality directories, a spam factor that Google would look for is a business name with search keywords stuffed in it, or categories with location keywords being used.

So, as long as you are creating/claiming local listings with high quality directories, such as Yelp and other top directory websites, and you keep your NAP information accurate and consistent, then you don’t need to worry about any kind of ranking punishment.

Tip: Use the local testing tool my Moz to see what local SEO score they give you and to test the accuracy of your listings throughout the top quality directories.

#5. What if my business is relocating?

Relocating your business is challenging in the real world, and unfortunately in the online world it can be very challenging as well.

This process of change is not easy, and it is vital that all citations and business information is amended quickly and efficiently. Depending on your specific circumstances, various strategies can be implemented to keep your online presence visible during the transition. Unless your team has experience, then it's highly recommended to work with local SEO professionals to re-establish your new location online.

5 Reasons to Invest in SEO

5 Reasons Why SEO Is a Great Investment
for Your Business

Is SEO still necessary?

Every year, this is one of the most commonly debated questions in the digital marketing world. And every year, the answer remains the same -- yes, SEO is necessary.

In fact, not only is SEO necessary for your business, it's one of the greatest investments that you can make.

You can think of SEO like investing money in a 401K for your business -- it's money that will gain value over time and remain in your account. Similarly, by investing in SEO you create long-term value for your website that will continue to accrue over time.

Here are 5 reasons you should start investing in SEO now. 

1. SEO works.

This is a fairly straightforward reason, but it's completely true. As of today, Google processes 3.5 billion searches per day. With that kind search volume there's no debating that ranking in Google's search results offers a valuable opportunity to get more traffic to your business's website.

This is very important because traffic equals leads and leads turn into sales.

By investing in SEO and raising your rankings in Google you'll send more traffic to your website which can generate to more leads and sales for your business.

2. Because of mobile, SEO is becoming even more important for small businesses.

Gone are the days where people needed to wait until they got home and in front of a computer to look something up online. With mobile searches now surpassing desktop, more people than ever are doing research on the go. This is great for small businesses because it means that people are searching for things at the exact time that they need them and are ready to make a purchase.

For example, let's say someone is on a business trip in your area and walking around town when they decide they're in the mood for a coffee. All this person has to do is type "coffee shop near me" into their mobile browser and they'll find all of the local results. For a smaller local coffee shop, this creates an opportunity to rank in their area over big-name coffee shops like Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts. That means people can find not only find them online, but also find them on foot in real-time.

By investing in Local SEO you're putting your small business on the radar of people who are your ideal customers and are ready to make a purchasing decision quickly.

3. Higher search engine rankings gives your business credibility.

What do you do when you're considering making a purchase online or in-store? For most people, the answer is research.

Most web users -- as high as 80% in some studies -- look past paid ads and focus solely on organic search results. That means that when someone is doing research for a product or service, they are much more likely to be pre-sold on your business if you rank highly in Google's organic search results. Plus, in order for you to rank highly, your website will have relevant content, which will help to drive sales once someone clicks through to your site

Having a high ranking means that Google and other searchers have found your website relevant. This builds trust and authority for your business and give consumers a positive feeling towards your business before they even start searching around your site.

4. Rankings can change fast, and your competition knows it.

SEO is an ongoing process and the more you invest in it, the greater it will be. This is a good thing on many levels.

If your website is already ranking highly in search results that's great -- but it means you need to continue to invest in SEO in order to stay there. With everyone vying for those top spots, your competitors are going to invest in SEO, and if they do and you don't, they can start to outrank you.

If you're not currently ranking highly in search results, you still have an opportunity to rise up. By investing in a sound SEO strategy and using smart tactics, you may be able to start outranking your competition and driving more traffic to your website.

Ranking #1 is a constant race to the finish line, and whoever trains the hardest and runs the fastest will get there first.

5. SEO is not going anywhere.

Consumers used to learn about products through advertisements on the radio, television and in print ads. People also used to make purchasing decisions in stores and look for service providers in the phone books.

While some people may long to go back to those "simpler" days, the reality is it's not going to happen.

Online shopping and searching is not only here to stay, it's going to keep growing and evolving and with that means SEO will continue to change as well. It's important to start investing now so you set your business up for success in the future.

[Local SEO Tip] Spoonfeed Google Your Business Info

Local SEO Tip: How to Spoonfeed Google

Your Correct Business Information 

The simple days of static Google Places business pages are long gone.  They have been replaced by dynamic, social, and ever changing Google+ Local business pages.  Not only did Google overhaul the look and feel of their business pages, but they also changed the administrator dashboard and the algorithm that ranks all the pages.  In other words, just about everything has changed since the original Local SEO Formula!

With that said, the fundamentals have remained the same.  You must have accurate, consistent data across the internet if you want to rank high in the local results.

 

Why is Accurate & Consistent Data Important?

One of the most important ranking factors in local SEO is accurate and consistent data.  More specifically, I’m talking about business information like your name, address, and phone number.  This is often referred to as your NAP for short (Name, Address, Phone).

If you think about this from Google’s perspective, then it makes perfect sense. Google’s mission is to provide the best possible results for any given search.  In the case of local results, that means showing searchers reliable local business information.  If Google’s results were full of inaccurate business names, addresses, and phone numbers, then that’s a big problem.  Searchers would eventually lose faith in Google and turn to Yahoo, Bing, or another business directory like Yelp.  Ultimately, that would mean lost revenue for Google.

To mitigate that risk, Google scours the internet to confirm business information is accurate.  If they find your business name, address, and phone listed consistently across many websites, then there’s a pretty good chance that info is correct.  On the other hand, if Google finds inconsistent information, then they are less likely to display your business high in the results.

Makes sense right?

How to Spoonfeed Your Data to Google

Up until recently Google was on their own to find your accurate business name, address, and phone number on your website.  There are some obvious places to look like your contact page, but in some cases (like businesses with multiple offices) it’s not always easy for Google to determine the most authoritative Name, Address and Phone number for your business.

Plus, who wants to leave it up to a 3rd party? Shouldn’t the business provide this information first hand?

Well you’ll be happy to know you can do just that… Now you can spoonfeed Google this information.

Introducing Schema.org.  Before you click that link and get lost in a world of tech jargon, I’ll give you another handy tool called the Schema Creator.  Click that link and simply complete the form to generate the code your webmaster should add to your website.  It’s basically just HTML code that tells Google exactly what you want to use for your name and address.  Unfortunately that tool doesn’t include your phone number so you need to do a little hacking.

Feel free to copy our code below and then replace the information with your own.  Or ask your webmaster to view the source code on our Contact Page and she’ll be able to easily copy the code.

<div itemscope itemtype=”http://schema.org/Organization”> 
<a itemprop=”url” href=”http://www.mainstreetroi.com”> 
<div itemprop=”name”>Main Street ROI</div> </a> 
<div itemprop=”address” itemscope itemtype=”http://schema.org/PostalAddress”> 
<span itemprop=”streetAddress”>116 West 23rd Street, Suite #500</span> 
<span itemprop=”addressLocality”>New York</span>, 
<span itemprop=”addressRegion”>NY</span> <span itemprop=”postalCode”>10011</span> 
Phone: <span itemprop=”telephone”>(646) 470-3753</span> 
<span itemprop=”addressCountry”>United States</span></div>

Once the code is added to your website, then you’ll want to verify it’s set up properly using Google’s Data Verification Tool.  Simply copy/paste your website into that tool and Google will tell you if they have the correct information or if there are any errors.

Why Content Marketing is the Key to Business Success

The phrase “content is key” has been buzzing around the marketing world for quite some time now. It’s an easy statement to make, but not necessarily an easy one to fully understand for anyone who don’t specialize in marketing or writing.

 

In this article, I’ll explain exactly what content marketing is and why you should start using it ASAP.

 

     

What Is Content Marketing?

According to The Content Marketing Institute, content marketing is,  “a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.”

 

Let’s break that down to make it a bit easier to understand.

 

Content marketing refers to media you create that is specific to your business. This can include the creation of blog and newsletter articles, videos, social media posts, photos, podcasts, e-books, webinars, and more.

 

The key to being successful with content marketing though is making sure the content has a specific goal related to educating, entertaining, and engaging your audience in order to lead them to perform a specific action.

 

For example, let’s say you’re a chiropractor’s office manager who recently hired an acupuncturist on staff and you’d like people to start booking appointments. You can use content to tell your audience about the benefits of acupuncture. You could create a blog post that documents a patient’s recent success with acupuncture, or a video that informs people about 5 things they never knew about Eastern medicine techniques. All of this content has the goal of educating your audience about acupuncture in hopes that they’ll want to book an appointment and try it out.

 

Now that we understand exactly what content marketing is, let’s go over why you should use it.

 

Why Should You Use Content Marketing?

 

1. It Drives Relevant Traffic to Your Website.

Almost every small business I work with wants to increase traffic to their website. But, what many people don’t realize is that traffic in general doesn’t necessarily help your business. Instead, you want to focus on driving relevant traffic to your website. This way, you know the people who are visiting your site are actually interested in your business.

 

Content marketing can help make this happen.

 

By creating good content that is relevant to your business, you open up opportunities for that content to rank in Google, which benefits your Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

 

If you create a blog post focused on a topic that is specific to your business and it ranks highly in Google, then you know the traffic coming from that post is going to be from visitors who are interested in your products or services.

 

2. It Creates a Natural Opportunity to Follow Up with Customers and Leads.

Cold sales calls are tricky and require a lot of effort on the part of you and your sales team. Using content marketing opens up more “warm” sales opportunities.

 

Once you begin building an email newsletter list, you can create content to send out to the customers and prospects on your list that keeps them engaged with your company. Sending out monthly or even weekly newsletters with content your audience is interested in helps to keep you top of mind and opens up the doors for a more natural follow-up sequence. 

 

Sticking with the acupuncturist example above, after sending out an article about the benefits of acupuncture, it’s a much more natural phone call for someone from your office to follow up with clients to see if they’d like to schedule an appointment to try it out. Using content marketing to educate and engage with your audience helps to create warmer relationships.

 

3. Content Marketing Positions You as an Expert in Your Industry.

By creating content that educates your audience about your business, you’re automatically positioning yourself as an expert in your industry.

 

People love to learn new things, and if you’re the one who teaches them something new that is relevant to their lives, they’ll be looking to you for more advice in the future.

 

For example, I recently moved and needed tips on installing a wall mount for my TV. I Googled “how to install wall mount tv”. The first thing listed in the search results was an article from Home Depot titled “A Guide to Wall-Mounting Your Flat Screen TV”. I clicked on this article for tips without even considering that Home Depot would sell TV wall mounts. Because this article was highly relevant with good content, I trust that Home Depot is an expert in this and am considering purchasing my wall mount, or the tools needed to install one, from Home Depot.

 

See how that works?

 

4. Content Marketing Provides Opportunities to Engage With Potential Customers on Social Media.

There’s no question that social media is a huge part of any marketing plan.

 

According to Statista.com, Facebook had 1.71 billion active users as of Q2 of 2016. This provides a valuable opportunity for your business to engage with potential customers through social media platforms.

 

Drafting engaging social media content is a big part of content marketing. It’s important to identify which social media channels your ideal customer is using, and then to create a content plan that will engage your audience. Organic content, paired with paid social media advertising is a great way to reach potential customers.

 

I was recently on the receiving end of successful content marketing using social media. A few months ago, fitness accessory company, Caeden, was running a Facebook ad campaign to promote their new fashionable fitness tracking bracelet. Their product not only tracks steps, calories, and heart rate, but also uses the information to report on your stress levels and then pairs it with a meditation and breath app to help relieve some of that stress. This ad repeatedly came up on my Facebook and eventually lead me to click on a video post that featured a woman using this bracelet while practicing yoga.

 

This was genius because I’m their ideal customer — a female yoga instructor who has an interest in fashion. After watching the video and reading more on their blog, I became a strong prospective buyer.

 

I was shown well-crafted, relevant content which kept the product top of mind. A few days later, I ordered my Sona after using one of the promotion codes that popped up on my Facebook account through their retargeting campaigns.

 

Sharing and promoting your content, especially if targeted to your ideal customer, can help to connect with prospective clients.

 

5. Content Marketing Gives Your Business A Voice

What do you want the “feel” or overall perception of your company to be? If your target audience is doctors or engineers over the age of 40 you’re likely to want a different reputation than a business whose target audience is millennial social media marketers.

 

Content marketing helps establish the voice of your company which helps you attract and retain more customers who get along with your company culture.

 

Whole Foods is a great example of a business who uses their content marketing to establish a voice. Their Whole Story Blog focuses on healthy recipes and video cooking tips all containing words like healthy, better, benefits, and greens. This establishes their voice as a brand focused on providing meal prep inspiration targeted to people looking for healthy recipes with exciting ingredients — i.e. their ideal customers.

 

6. Content Marketing Helps Create Partnership Opportunities

Forming partnerships within your industry is a great way to get in front of a new audience that is likely interested in the product or service you are selling.

 

Content marketing opens up opportunities to engage with partners. You can reach out to influencers in your industry and invite them to exchange guest blog posts with you. This not only provides your audience with compelling content from a thought leader in your industry, but allows you to provide content to get in front of a new audience as well. And, circling back to reason #1, it will drive relevant traffic to your site… which is what you want.

 

Whether you’re exchanging blogs, social media shares, webinars, or other types of content, these types of partnerships help to expand your audience and potentially generate new clients.

 

Conclusion

Content marketing is a powerful tool that can be used to educate, entertain, and engage your audience. By establishing the voice of your brand and positioning you as an expert in your industry, it can help you connect to potential new clients. Creating a content marketing plan targeted towards your ideal client, with help you turn those prospects into new customers for your business.