With Google focusing their attention to local search results and local inventory ads, marketing experts are slowly changing their strategy. And if your website isn’t showing in local search results yet, then this is a signal that you should start doing local SEO now.
To start with, here are a few dos and don’ts of local SEO as summarized by your trusted digital marketing company in Pasadena, Cybertegic:
DOs
- Locally optimize your on-site pages by including your contact details, business phone number, and business address. Also, put in region-centric keywords to your meta-data, if possible.
- Create local listing pages for your business. Add or claim your listing on directory listing websites such as Google My Business, Bing Places, Apple Maps, and Yahoo Local.
- Put down correct NAP citations. Make sure that each of your directory listing accounts has the correct NAP citations, including business name, business address, and business phone number.
- Nowadays, it is essential to build your business brand on social media channels, especially Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It is also an excellent way for your local customers to find your business.
DON’Ts
- Writing fake reviews. Paying or generating fake reviews for your business can cause perpetual damage to your business online.
- Making your information copy unnatural or spammy. For example, keyword spamming can badly affect your website ranking. In the worst cases, Google can actually penalize your website.
- Using irrelevant categories. Adding unrelated categories on your listings will undoubtedly put off users who can find it. It also can damage your business brand and reputation.
- Never forget to put your business phone number on your website. Missing or incorrect contact details can actually de-rank a website and spoil your online reputation.
- Inconsistent NAP online information can also damage your website ranking, especially in local search results. It can also hurt your business reputation online and confuse users.