Optimizing Your Business Listings For Local SEO

Is local traffic important for your business or organization? If it is, then you need to be optimizing your online marketing for local search. More and more keyword search terms are considered “local” by Google, and therefore influenced by local ranking factors.

Your local directories and pages, such as Google My Business and Facebook Pages, are key components of what makes up local ranking factors. The three tips below are to help ensure that these listings are having a positive impact for you.

1. Accurate and Matching Information

Across all of your online directory and business pages, it’s very important that the information listed is accurate and matching. Incorrect phone numbers, addresses, or even slight variations in the company name can lead to negative impacts on your local search engine optimization.

My recommendation for ensuring correct information would be to first create a document that lists out the company name, address, phone number, and business categories you are going to use. Then, after you’ve created your “master copy,” update all of the business pages that you manage to match that data.

2. Authentic Reviews

Do you ever look at a review of a business before visiting? So does Google. Reviews on your Google My Business page, Facebook page, and other services like Yelp or Foursquare, have an impact on your local search ranking.

Make it a habit to reach out to satisfied customers and ask for a review. Most internet-savvy people understand how important reviews are, and are happy to voice their support for a business they enjoyed working with.

3. Fresh Content

Having updated content posted to your listings has been shown repeatedly to have a positive impact on the visibility of your business page. Google, Facebook, and the like, are all encouraging page managers to keep content fresh.

Uploading photography of your building, staff, and products is an excellent way of adding content to your listings like Google My Business or Yelp. For more “social” directories, like a Facebook page, posting more content that is meant to start discussion will encourage additional engagement with your brand.