Improve Your Local SEO via Content Marketing

Published on: 11 April 2017 Last Updated on: 04 September 2024

In 2016, a local business in Lethbridge, Alberta, won the viral lottery when a raving Facebook post drew in customers in flocks. Whitby’s Fish and Chips shop was struggling for months due to poor location and expensive marketing.

Owner John McMillan, who had been unable to pay himself a salary, shared his plight with a first-time customer Colin Ross. The meeting changed Whitbie’s destiny. Ross posted a Facebook review promoting the shop and urging the close-knit Canadian community to help out McMillan by trying the sumptuous items on Whitbie’s menu.

The post went viral and sent people lining up from opening to well past closing time. According to a local news report, about 400 people visited the shop the day after Ross’s post, and 500 more lined up the next day.

The power of digital marketing

The viral post about Whitbie’s is a dream come true for any business. Not only did it provide the local shop exposure in local and international news outlets, but most importantly, it brought in real customers. Whitbie’s social media success is one of the products of digital marketing.

Digital marketing is simply the promotion of products and services via digital technologies such as the Internet, mobile phones, and display advertising. One of the most popular digital marketing tools is social media where roughly a third of the global population actively interact.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a set of techniques that helps businesses and publishers maximize digital marketing in reaching out to their target audience. Essentially, its main goal is to rank high in search results pages.

Google uses 200 signals in ranking webpages including keywords, the freshness of content, and region. It’s the job of a digital marketing agency to apply effective and ethical SEO strategies to sustain a business’ top ranking in major search engines.

Local SEO and citation consistency

If SEO is macro, local SEO is micro. Local SEO “allows local businesses to promote their services to local customers at exactly the time they’re looking for your type of business.” This set of processes aims to target real customers in a geographical location. Aside from search engines, local SEO uses online directories such as Yelp, Qype, and TouchLocal.

The core of local SEO is information. Your citation or NAP (name, address and phone number) must be updated and consistent in all webpages and online directories. Inconsistency can adversely affect your ranking in organic search results.

Try searching for your business in search engines. You’ll see which webpages still reflect your previous address or old phones. “The citation consistency of your business across the web helps search engines decide where you are geographically relevant for various local search queries,” wrote Sinclaire Dickinson, content strategist at Wired SEO.

The 3-pack challenge

Recently, SEO experts received news that would make their jobs a little more challenging. Google updated its search results to show three local businesses instead of seven. The business listings were also redesigned to suit the mobile user interface.

According to Google, the update “provides people with more than relevant information, including photos, review, and prices, for searches that have multiple results for a given location.” The challenge lies in how to make into the first three results in the world’s most powerful search engine.

Content strategies for your business

Google’s ranking factors serve as a compass leading the best digital marketing tactics. Ross’ viral Facebook on Whitbie’s Fish and Chips shop has the formula every digital marketer aims to master: a unique content too appealing to influence action.

Ross’ own reputation as an influencer within his own circle was also key. Content is one of the most important signals Google use in ranking webpages. In creating an article or video for your business, use Google’s content-related ranking signals as your guide.

Your content must not only be original, but it should also provide value and unique insights. This increases demand for journalistic materials supported by data and written by experts. Create useful content for your target audience.

Food brands are making 30-second cooking videos sharing how their products can be incorporated in easy-to-make meals. Regularly update your webpages and social media pages as Google takes note of the recency of content updates especially for time-sensitive searches.

Don’ts in content marketing

Do you need to hire an SEO expert or a digital marketing agency? Google warns that choosing an SEO expert partner is critical for your business as it can either improve your site or risk damage to your site and reputation. “Make sure to research the potential advantages as well as the damage that an irresponsible SEO can do to your site.”

Some of the techniques that you or your SEO expert should avoid is producing duplicate materials on the same site, spinning words to create “new” content, and posting misleading information. Google advises to watch out for rogue SEOs that own shadow domains, place links to their other clients on doorway pages, and offer to sell keywords in the address bar.

Shadow domains direct users to the website through deceptive redirects. Attaining a number 1 ranking on Google is not guaranteed. If your SEO promises a top spot, it’s likely that it’s a scam.

Some content marketing tips from experts

Today, consumers would check online reviews, blogs, and other online information before making a purchase. One tip to boost your local SEO is to submit guest posts on local websites. This will expose your business and offerings, and earn you valuable backlinks. Backlinks are ranking factors.

You should also make use of relevant local keywords. An SEO expert can help you determine the right keywords that will attract local searchers.

Produce content relevant to your local audience. One of the most popular blog posts is how-to’s or “Top 10” lists related to a certain industry. Adding high-quality photos can also help.

A viral post can only come once in a lifetime. Instead of aspiring for something that will be shared everywhere, work for content that will place you on top of search engines and attract real customers within your region of operation. Maximize local SEO. Create useful and appealing content. Reach out to people who will bring value to your business.

Content Rally

Content Rally wrapped around an online publication where you can publish your own intellectuals. It is a publishing platform designed to make great stories by content creators. This is your era, your place to be online. So come forward share your views, thoughts and ideas via Content Rally.

View all posts

Methods of Optimizing Local SEO That Is Essential For Small Business

SEO is a must for a local business no matter how big or small it might be. In the internet age, visibility matters a lot in marketing your products and services. In addition, consumers are inclined to get the types of businesses they are looking for at the right time and this is where local SEO gains its importance. Whether you are a florist or dentist, an accountant or a plumber, as long as you have a business that has an interest in the local market, local SEO is just meant for you. You are able to create two-way communication with the target consumers that build relationships that leads to improved sales. Why go for local SEO If you are wondering what would happen if you do not have a local SEO then be sure that it won’t be long before you are out of business. Despite all other means of publicity that you adapt to let people know about your business, your efforts are no match to what you can get from local SEO for dentists. The reason is that more and more consumers are now turning to the internet before they buy any product or service. At least 64 percent of consumers search the internet to locate the companies that they look for. So, if you are not there, you are losing out on this enormous opportunity of being seen by others. Read Morea: Avoid These 5 Mistakes Before Starting An SEO Speedy business can happen Being seen easily is just the beginning. Many of the consumers that happen to see you would perhaps generate business leads that you can latch upon. Knowing about their interest in your products or services, you begin to roll out the red carpet for them. What happens next bears enough evidence about the abilities of local SEO in garnering business quickly. About 47 percent of people who generate leads interacted with business owners and got the deals sealed just within an hour. This is the finding of a survey. Read also: Understanding Search Engine Optimization With so much potential to increase sales, it is no surprise that the popularity of local SEO is growing at a very fast pace. In addition, by listing in business directories like Google Places and by placing an advertisement on the platform you are likely to get a much higher ranking in search results outscoring many other localized keyword phrases. The advertisement also links consumers to the business website, company address, and hours of business of the stores, phone number and business reviews that can drive consumers in taking a positive decision. Have a responsive website Having local SEO is of no use if it is not properly optimized for local conditions. Measures have to be taken to ensure that the local emphasis remains in the optimization efforts and the majority of the audience is reached. This means that you need to have a responsive website that is viewed with the same ease on desktops as well as mobile devices. With the widespread use of mobile phones, it is imperative that the majority of searches are triggered by mobile devices. The most encouraging fact about mobile users is that of all the leads generated from mobile devices 82 percent users have got back to the sellers to follow up the leads. This provides a big opportunity for converting leads into sales. Local citations are important Pay attention to citations on directory listings. Citations increase the reliability of your business for search engines. Citations mean the mention of your business name and address on some other web pages that are not part of your website. If your business is listed on an online directory, make sure that the citations are correctly mentioned. The ranking algorithms of search engines like Google and Bing consider citations as a key component. Therefore, the higher the number of citations, better rankings you are likely to get provided other factors of a business are all equal. To add more power to citations, add incoming links to it. Increase customer reviews Customer reviews are critical for better rankings and the SEO campaign should target more and more customers who are willing to review and publish their views about the products and services. The reviews create a positive impact on prospective consumers who become confident about buying the product that has many satisfied users. The majority of consumers depend on reviews to decide about purchasing any particular product or service. The reviews also impact search rankings hence it acquires more importance from the SEO perspective. The reviews are equally important for all kinds of search engines and directories and not Google alone. Social media engagement As part of a local SEO campaign, make extensive use of social media to connect closely with consumers. Present interesting and relevant content on the pages of social networks that would ensure that more and more visitors are attracted to it. Google pays a lot of importance to social media feedback about your website and this can influence search rankings. Use localized keywords Localized keywords are critical for local SEO even though Google can do even without it. The keywords phrases are made more specific for the locality by adding a geographical dimension to it. This is of more help to searchers who are able to narrow down the searches without much effort as they are guided by the keywords. Localized keywords throw up more accurate results that searchers are looking for. This increases the possibilities of being found out very easily in search results. Google has its own ways of detecting the location and even if localized keywords are not used, Google can throw up the results that pertain to the area from where the search is generated. However, it is not always necessary that searchers would prefer to find businesses in their own areas but would also like to go beyond it. This is when geographical locations attached to keywords can work wonders for you. What has been discussed above are only some of the ways that can strengthen your local SEO efforts. There are many more things that can be done. However, these are some of the most elementary steps in optimizing local SEO that should never be missed out. Read More: Why SEO Is Still The Digital Channel With Highest ROI SEO For Dummies The Importance Of SEO Based Digital Marketing Services

Top 9 Factors To keep in mind before Choosing A Web Host

Making decisions while choosing your web host can be a tricky one. You may have multiple options with you and most of them claiming to have 99% uptime, knowledgeable support, and unlimited resources. This can cause confusion and there is no way to make an informed decision. After creating a professional website it is equally important to choose the right web hosting company. There may be positive as well as negative feedback about the service provider. To make yourself at ease, you should know that there are few factors by which you can decide on the web host. Even if you are using a VPS service, check if the Windows VPS has the features you need. Let us look at some of these factors. 1. Area of focus and specialties : This is an important aspect while choosing the web host. You need to make sure that the web host caters to your requirements. Some of the web host companies offer good shared plans but these plans do not suit the growing business needs. For some businesses with a small exposure, you may not need the solutions provided. This is where the company`s specialty comes in to play. Before you buy to make sure that you understand your needs and how it will be fulfilled. The reviews and recommendations can also help to understand the strength and weakness of the service provider. 2. Price : This is something that everyone looks at while choosing the web host. This should not be the deciding factor. Going for the cheapest option is not necessarily the best thing always. If you want to make money from your site, make sure that you pay for the right services. Make sure that you think about the factors which can play a role and then take a closer look at the features that each service provider has to offer. Once you have all the features in place then compare the prices of different web host companies. 3. Tech Limitations : Your website can be used for many things. You can use it for a blog, rich content, as an e-commerce site, or host videos. The cheapest hosting package will not cut the deal. The cheap hosting plan will not have the necessary RAM, disk space, and processing power. Some companies may have Technical limitations or limited after-sale support, hence it is important to understand these factors, before buying the plan. 4. Tech Support : This is an important feature which needs to be there when you buy web hosting services. Some people may also consider it as an important point. If your website is affected and goes down, it is important that you should be able to reach out to the company for support. Also, the team should be able to help resolve the issue and get the site back online quickly. You should also be aware of the reputation of the support and how you can contact them when needed. The companies which are not good with Tech support, you should stay away from them. 5. Hardware : You should be aware of the hardware the company has and the kind of machine they use. It is important because it will be the deciding factor when it comes to uptime and the performance of your site and server. 6. Add-Ons : You should be aware of the add-ons a company has to offer. These add-ons will make them more attractive while buying the services. Some of the add-ons can be energy-saving practice, data centers, data back up, and free domain privacy. If these add-ons are something that you may need or have been looking for then it will help you make the decision. 7. Reputation and Customer review : You will have to do some background checks and look into the details of the reviews posted by the earlier customers. Also, you can read the reviews on Twitter or Google. You can see what the current and earlier customers have to say about the service provider. This is the best add-on of social media and you can even know about the company by asking more questions. You can get responses from the people and the company employees as well. 8. Scalability : This is something that you will have to keep in mind. It is important because if in future your business grows, does the hosting provider have adequate plans to support the growth. If the hosting company is good for now, it is not necessary that it will work in the future. You should look at the options if the company has VPS or Dedicated Server solutions to support the growth. Get some opinions about the scalability of the company, before you move ahead with the purchase. 9. User Interface : Having a User interface is a bonus. Even if you do not understand technology much, a user interface will help you with a lot of things. It gives you the option to install WordPress, set up emails, and accounts. These things can be done without reaching out to the service provider. Conclusion : The importance of hosting your website with the correct company is critical. Take your time and review different companies. Use all the resources and understand all the aspects, before you purchase the plan. Read Also : Things You Should Know About Web Host Providers What Makes A Web Hosting Good? Cloud Hosting: Top Five Reasons To Take Your Business To The Cloud

Organic Traffic vs. Paid: Where Should You Focus Your Budget?

Getting potential and paying customers, who will bring your business success and ranking, demands many efforts. You will need to have a certain plan to understand your business goals for attracting visitors and making them your “happy clients”. People will hardly find your business if you do not “help” them. Here a question arises: How? Surely with the help of eCommerce marketing tactics. You will need to invest some money in order to have success in this competitive online marketplace. You can have your success either with organic traffic, or eCommerce PPC management. However, first, it is important to find out which of these two approaches will drive more traffic to your website and convert them into paying clients. SEO and PPC are two completely different approaches, although they share the same goal: bringing more traffic and high ranking. One of the vital differences that we can mention is that you invest your time for SEO, while for PPC you invest money. However, if you hire an SEO agency, in order to implement the best tactics for your success, here not directly, but you as well pay money. Both SEO and PPC are effective. However, let us find out the best option for you to focus your budget. 1. Benefits of Organic Traffic Organic traffic comes from an organic search. Its role in your business is really important. It brings you real visitors providing you with conversion rates. Its benefits are a lot. However, the main ones include: Better User Experience; Higher Conversion Rates; Higher Brand Credibility; A long Term Marketing Strategy; A Cost-Effective and Sustainable Approach. Targeted keywords help potential clients to meet your business very quickly, as mostly when they want something, first of all, they try to find it in search engines. Many people give their preferences to the organic search results rather than advertisements. It means that through SEO you can increase your traffic, without any additional expenses for each click. Besides, organic SEO is long-lasting, regardless of the fact that it takes longer than PPC. 2. Benefits of Paid Traffic Pay per Click (PPC) demands a certain amount of money for each click. In case of SEO you “earn” visits to your website, while in case of PPC you “buy” them. It allows you to reach a targeted audience. However, you need to pay a fee when someone clicks your ad. Among the main benefits, you should remember that PPC: Increases brand recognition; Helps to get fast results; Offers fast entry; Works well with different marketing channels; Gives the opportunity to choose your audience (based on location, place, gadget, etc.). One important fact about PPC is that it is independent of Google Algorithmic changes. In comparison to SEO, its results are faster. You can see them almost immediately. 3. Combining SEO and PPC Both SEO and PPC are great channels and each of them includes unique approaches for your business growth. While deciding which one is better for your business, you can detect one more option as well: combining them together to gain more customers and boost revenue. It will really provide you with greater and more effective results rather than using them separately. However, you need to review your tactics when using them together. You can easily replace the word “VS” with the word “AND”. Each of these methods has its important impacts on your business. You can mix their tactics and best practices taking advantage of both. This is a great step for not only SEO marketing but for PPC as well. Read Also: 5 Inexpensive Tips On How To Scale Your SEO Business 5 Things You Are Not Checking In SEO But You Should!

Improve Your Local SEO via Content Marketing

The power of digital marketing

Local SEO and citation consistency

The 3-pack challenge

Content strategies for your business

Don’ts in content marketing

Some content marketing tips from experts

Avoid these 5 Mistakes before Starting an SEO

Should You Hire a Digital Marketing Agency?

Content Rally

Content Rally wrapped around an online publication where you can publish your own intellectuals. It is a publishing platform designed to make great stories by content creators. This is your era, your place to be online. So come forward share your views, thoughts and ideas via Content Rally.

Leave a Reply

Popular

Technologies For Creating A Startup Idea

How to Download Facebook Videos on Android?

7 Rules of Effective Ecommerce Web Design

The 10 WordPress Plugins Every Sucessful Blogger Uses

Follow Us

Recent

Caribbean CBI and Does India Allow Dual Citizenship?

Self-Driving Cars And Pedestrian Safety: Who’s Responsible When Tech Fails?

Ryan McCorvie on Helping Kids Develop a Global Perspective

Safe Tree Care Tips for Urban Homeowners

Related

Methods of Optimizing Local SEO That Is Essential For Small Business

Top 9 Factors To keep in mind before Choosing A Web Host

Organic Traffic vs. Paid: Where Should You Focus Your Budget?

Improve Your Local SEO via Content Marketing

The power of digital marketing

Local SEO and citation consistency

The 3-pack challenge

Content strategies for your business

Don’ts in content marketing

Some content marketing tips from experts

Share this Article

Avoid these 5 Mistakes before Starting an SEO

Should You Hire a Digital Marketing Agency?

Content Rally wrapped around an online publication where you can publish your own intellectuals. It is a publishing platform designed to make great stories by content creators. This is your era, your place to be online. So come forward share your views, thoughts and ideas via Content Rally.

Leave a Reply

Popular

Follow Us

Recent

Related