Local Keyword Research

Keyword research is the process of determining what specific phrases your target demographic is searching for with the purpose of buying the product or service you provide.

When it comes to keyword research for local business websites, the objective is to find keywords that identify buyer intent. We look for keywords specific to your area.

This process is very involved and includes carefully studying your competitors in order to understand which keywords their website may (or may not) be ranking for on page one in the search engines.

Content Creation & Optimization

Once we have a nice list of keywords that your target demographic is searching for in your local area, we begin creating content around those keywords. Oftentimes this content takes the form of pages on your website. However, sometimes videos are made for the purposes of ranking in the search engines.

For the content created we ensure that it is properly optimized. This includes (but is not limited to) making sure that the keywords we found are in specific areas on the content being created…

• Page title
• Meta description
• First 100 words of the content

Build Local Links

The last but more important step is building a very specific type of link – local. Links, in the world of SEO, are like votes for your website. The more links that are pointing from other websites (e.g. Yelp, Twitter, your friend’s blog, your Facebook page) to pages on your website, the higher those pages will appear for the specific keywords they are targeting. However, not all links are equal. Links from relevant “authority” websites count much higher than those from newer, non-relevant sites.

For digital marketers untrained in Local SEO, finding the right links for a local campaign can be tough. It takes a lot of time and effort to understand where to find them. This is where the previous competition research comes in handy. By reverse engineering your competition we can also understand where they are getting links from and which ones are giving them the biggest “boost” in the search results. We can use this information to gain the same links, thus leveling the playing field and giving your website the same boost.

Below is a list of some of the best local link building opportunities to grow your SEO campaign…

• Become a Patch contributor for the town and write an article about your business.
• Find local bloggers and offer them your product or service for free in return for a review (and link).
• Join local groups, such as your town’s Chamber of Commerce. Many of these groups have a members page where they list and link to member websites.
• Donate to local charities that have a thank you page for their donors.
• Sponsor a local event. Many events also have thank you pages, like this one.

The best way to build links for a local campaign is to not think of it as building links. Instead of being “salesy” and pushing links, try to be friendly and helpful. While it can take a longer amount of time to build the types of links mentioned above, they are much more likely to lead to a greater boost in ranking. Getting those potential customers through the front door of your business, starts by making you discoverable on the web. We accomplish that through citation building, establishing high-quality backlinks, and creating a local reputation online that drives foot traffic.

Conclusion

As you can see, although Local SEO differs from a National SEO campaign (regular), it can be even more effective in bringing in leads. By following the plan outlined above, you can expect great results from your next Local SEO campaign. Contact us today, we want YOU to excel in your chosen industry, in your own community.