By using common local SEO tactics to boost your business’s visibility on Google, you can not only find new clients but also increase your ROI. In this response, I will explain a few steps that can help you achieve these goals.
1. Create a Google My Business (GMB) profile: If you do not have a Google My Business profile yet go to Google My Business. Google will walk you through a step-by-step process. It’s easy, and most importantly its free! There’s no reason not to set one up. It takes about a day for your Google My Business profile to show up in search results. In the meantime, you want to ensure that all of your business information is accurate and up-to-date, including the correct name, address, and phone number (NAP). We’ll discuss NAP later on and why it’s important. If you need help setting up or want more optimization tips for your GMB, feel free to email us at info@pnwmarketingsolutions.com
2. Online Reviews: This is one of the main reasons you should create a GMB profile. Online reviews enhance your visibility on Google when someone searches for your services or products. Reviews help Google boost businesses with a large number of positive reviews as well as those with a high number of reviews all together. Encourage past or current customers to leave reviews on your GMB profile. Also, interact with customers who leave reviews on your GMB by replying professionally. Respond to every review, whether good or bad.
3. Engage on social media: This will vary depending on your business but I believe that social media can benefit every local business when done correctly. Sharing posts on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram can help increase your online presence to those who may not have been actively looking for your business. As a business owner, it may feel overwhelming to keep up with social media and run your business simultaneously. If you need assistance in managing your social media, please feel free to contact us, and we can figure out the best way to help you out.
4. Optimize Online and Local Directories: Conduct a simple search in your area for local directories, such as Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Yellowpages. For those in the Yakima area, here is a local directory where you can add your business: 509 Local. Remember when we talked about NAP earlier? Name, address, and phone number? This is crucial because each directory you sign up for will ask for, you guessed it, your name, address and phone number. Ensure that your NAP is consistent across all directories and matches your GMB information. This consistency helps Google better understand and trust your business information when everything is the same.
5. Optimize your website: The last and final tip I’ll leave you with is to optimize your website. If you do not have a website yet, what are you waiting for? We offer web design services, so feel free to contact us, and we can get you started on creating one. Begin by researching your competition to see the keywords they are ranking for that you might be missing out on. We can assist you with this by providing a free website audit. Simply click here on Contact, select ‘Website Audit,’ and be sure to include your Website URL. This way, we can conduct a local SEO audit for you and identify any areas that may be missing to help optimize your website.