No matter what business you’re in, you have one struggle in common with every other business out there today - your competition. If you’re a local company, you have to be at the top of your game to reach customers, and nowhere is that more true than Palm Beach County.
Home to hundreds of other companies that may offer exactly what you do, it can be tough to go up against them, online and in the real world. Local SEO can certainly help, but understanding exactly how it works and how to leverage it for your company can be tough.
What Is Local SEO?
Local SEO is a way to improve your visibility to reach the audience near you. There are lots of similarities between traditional SEO and local SEO, but Google typically places quite a bit of emphasis on keywords related to where you are, customer reviews, and directory listings.
Is Local SEO Worth It?
Local SEO is absolutely worth it, particularly in a crowded place like Palm Beach County. Let’s look at a quick example. Imagine you’re a plastic surgeon in the area. There are scores of potential patients and clients in your area searching for the types of services and solutions you offer. “Local plastic surgery” SEO can help enhance your visibility to make sure they find you before they find another local plastic surgeon.
In fact, statistics suggest that 76% of people who search locally end up working with the top results on the list. By optimizing your practice for local search, you’re likely to get the targeted traffic you want and more appointments from it.
The Local SEO Checklist you need
Local SEO in West Palm Beach is a must, no matter what your industry, and these local SEO tips can help you get there.
1. Claim Your Google My Business Listing:
Before you do anything else, you’ll want to claim your business listing. This is actually a fairly easy process. Just search for your business on Google Maps. When it appears, click “more info.” You should see an option that allows you to click “Business Owner.” Do so, then you’ll be taken to a screen that allows you to edit your business information. That will then send you to a screen where you can manage your business information. It should allow you to edit several things.
At the name screen, type in your business name - use the
business name most of your customers will know you by. In the description category, use descriptive keyword phrases. For example, if you’re a plastic surgeon, don’t just use that phrase. Maybe you want “liposuction in South Florida” or something similar. Under your phone number, you’ll want to use a local phone number.
If you have both an 800 number and a local phone number, the local number is your better bet. You should also be taken to a set of categories. Choose those that are most relevant to your company. If possible, upload photos and videos to make your company a bit more appealing.
Don’t forget to include the link to your web address. When you’re done, you’ll click submit, then you’ll need to verify your company.
2. Standardize Your NAP:
NAP stands for “Name, Address, Phone Number,” and you must make sure these are standard across the web. If you listed a local number in your Google My Business profile, list that local number absolutely everywhere, whether it’s your Facebook account or an Angie’s List entry.
Be picky about what is displayed and where. For example, if you’re a plastic surgeon, make sure your name is spelled correctly, and if you list it with an M.D. after your name on your Google Business Listing, it should be listed that way absolutely everywhere.
3. Integrate Local Keywords:
The right keywords have long been a hallmark of SEO, and that’s true for local search too. Here, though, you’ll want to use the terms that locals might use to talk about your business.
If you’re located on a particular street, in a given shopping district, or in a certain part of the county, you’ll want to optimize for that. People may not just search for “Plastic Surgeon West Palm Beach.” Instead, they may search for something like “Best Tummy Tuck Surgeon in Palm Beach Gardens.”
Do the research to understand exactly what they might look for, and integrate those into your site and your listings.
4. Encourage Reviews:
One of the key ranking factors in local is reviews. Google likes it when businesses are reviewed, so encourage your customers to review you on a regular basis.
You may want to make it as easy and convenient as possible with simple review buttons and links.
5. Don’t Neglect Other Directory Listings:
There are lots of popular directory sites online today, and you cannot overlook them if you want to rank well for local search.
From the Chamber of Commerce in your area to Yelp, Angie’s List, and Best of the Web, you’ll want to visit places you’re already listed and make certain everything is correct.
That way, no matter how customers find your site, they’ll get the information they need to contact you.
6. Optimizing Your Entire Site is Important:
Only paying attention to local means overlooking some important aspects of your site, and that’s not going to get you to the top of the rankings. Look for accessibility, duplicate content, missing metadata, broken links, and more.
In fact, it may be incredibly useful to conduct an SEO audit to make sure your whole site is in shape for the search engines and your human visitors.
7. Build Local Content:
Content has long been important for many companies, and local content is particularly essential if you’re trying to enhance your local SEO profile. You’ll want to build out keyword-rich content that applies specifically to your area.
For example, if you’re that plastic surgeon we keep referencing, you might get additional traction in local search if you talk about the climate in West Palm Beach or certain locations in the area. Offer customers direct resources within your geographical area, and respond to requests like offers to be on local radio or sponsor local teams.
If you’re really interested in a stronger local SEO profile, consider working with a West Palm Beach Local SEO expert. To learn more about the process and how we can help, contact us today.
