Let’s say you own a local business, and a potential customer is searching for one just like it. What’s her first step? If she’s like 4 out of 5 consumers (according to Bruce Clay, Inc.), she’ll be plugging those keywords into Google. The first page of results is where she’ll find her match – whether it’s your business or another. And you definitely want it to be yours.
Why?
According to a Google study:
Half of local smartphone searches lead to a store visit in less than a day (not to mention 34 percent of computer/tablet searches), and 18 percent of those visits lead to a purchase.
That’s payoff you can’t write off.
But in order for your customer to find you, your SEO’s gotta be on point. Here’s a handy list of five things that’ll raise your rank:
- Branding. Make a name for yourself through happy customers and quality services. Google pays attention to positive reviews, and how your business is perceived by its community can make a difference.
- Content. As always, you’re only as good as your content creation. Having a variety of informative, regularly updated content gives your site more opportunities to rank higher, as it can appear on vertical search engines like Google Images or YouTube.
- Link building. Did you know that anchor (i.e. clickable) text actually sends signals to search engines? The keywords you use in anchor text can affect your ranking as well, so choose wisely.
- Social mentions. Are people praising your brand online? Even if they don’t include links, such mentions can boost awareness of and drive traffic to your site. (Social media is 2017’s word of mouth, after all.)
- Google My Business (GMB). This is crucial for any place of business – and it’s free! Optimize your GMB listing here with a concise description, high resolution image, phone number, and correct business hours.
Following these tips should get you well on your way to super SEO. Want five more? Or ten more? We just so happen to have an expert in house – contact us today!