SEO Tactics

Search engine optimization (SEO) is more important than ever for getting discovered online–and employed local SEO tactics is critical in getting clients to purchase from your business. That is because internet search has come to be the keyway potential customers find local businesses.

Don’t believe me? A whopping 87% of people used a search engine to discover a local product or service in the last month, the Local Lookup Association reports.

SEO was once a specialized skill that demanded to hire an expert to drive traffic to your site. Now, while SEO is still somewhat of an art form, there are lots of SEO tactics, tools, and tips you can use to enhance your site’s SEO all by yourself–with exceptional results.

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Below are three key local SEO tactics to boosting your SEO–which you can perform yourself:

1. Use dialed in keywords.

There are tons of programs that can help you opt for the proper keywords to use in your site and online marketing –some paid, some free.

To get a free Option, Begin with the Google Keyword Planner tool. This tool is meant for planning online advertisements, but you could also use it to research keywords to use in your website.

Input keywords that are related to your business to learn how often people search for them, get tips for related keywords and find out how much competition there is to rank for them. (This last is important: Keywords with a great deal of competition are more difficult to rank for.)

Another method to find ideas for keywords is by using Google Trends. This website shows what search phrases on Google are now trending.

For example, assume you have an e-commerce site which sells skincare and cosmetics. Just type in”cosmetics” or”makeup” to obtain the most popular search terms. You can even sort results by filters such as location and whether users were searching the web in general, shopping websites, YouTube and more.

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Two or three popular makeup-related conditions are”Halloween makeup thoughts” and”makeup revolution concealer.” Use this information to create content about Halloween makeup thoughts. You could also spotlight Makeup Revolution Concealer in your website (if you carry this merchandise ) or perform a video tutorial on the best way to use it.

Don’t just”stuff” keywords into your own website willy-nilly. Google penalizes this kind of thing. Instead, make keywords part of the useful content. Specifically, you will want to utilize them where they look natural in your website headlines, name and image tags, and meta descriptions.

2. Take a local approach

A local business should include location-related keywords in its site, too. A pizza parlor, for instance, could improve its SEO (as well as provide invaluable information) by listing the names of cities and neighborhoods in its own delivery area on the website. Think local.

To get a local business, local research directories are vital in getting detected. (Basic listings are generally free, although many directories also offer paid options).

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Listed below are some of the most important directories to get listed in:

When completing your listings, including all of the information a potential customer might need to decide whether they want to buy from you:

  • A description of your business that includes your keywords (including location-related ones)
  • Your hours of operation
  • Your business address
  • Your business phone number
  • A map and/or directions to your business
  • Your website URL
  • Photos of your location

Remember that for local directories to enhance your search engine results ranking, your business name, address and phone number info (NAP) must be absolutely consistent across all of your local search directory listings.

If your business address shows up this way on a single site:

4747 Wilson St., Suite 10

and also this way on another:

4747 Wilson Street, Ste. 10

Search engines will probably see these as two different addresses–and two individual businesses. As a result, your website won’t receive the SEO increase you’d normally get from multiple directory listings.

3. Construct a mobile-first site.

Over half (55 percent ) of visits to search engines take place on cellular devices. No matter what you market, chances are that clients are searching for it in their telephones, not in their computers. Google has also started to factor your site’s mobile-friendliness into its search engine positions. That means if your site isn’t mobile-friendly, your rank will suffer.

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Bottom line: It’s no longer enough for your website to be more mobile-friendly. It has to be mobile-first–that is, designed primarily with cellular users in mind. The fantastic news is a mobile-first website design easily translates into a desktop format, so there is no downside to this strategy.

Always challenge yourself to learn

The principles of SEO and the resulting SEO tactics are constantly changing, so in the event that you would like to stay on top of search engine results, you need to keep learning. Search Engine Journal, Search Engine Watch and the Moz Blog are great places to locate news, how-to information and resources which may help.

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Interested in SEO tactics, starting a business or growing a business in Santa Barbara? Contact us today for your free business consultation! Call Santa Barbara Entrepreneur at our Impact HUB location (805) 633-0877.