Improve Your Local SEO via Content Marketing

Published on: 11 April 2017 Last Updated on: 17 August 2019
SEO

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

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.

Local SEO

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.

Read also: Methods Of Optimizing Local SEO That Is Essential For Small Business

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.

Read also: Avoid These 5 Mistakes Before Starting An SEO

Content strategies for your business

Content marketing

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.

Read also: Social Media Marketing Role In Technology

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 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

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related

Web Host

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

READ MOREDetails
Hosting

Why A2 Hosting Is One Of The Best Hosting

Managed WordPress Hosting has gained much popularity among web hosting providers, it is a hosting plan that is exclusively designed for WordPress. The aim of this plan is to ease the stress of WordPress users by taking responsibilities for most technical aspect while leaving contents generation to the website owner. Cool! Right? Someone will be maintaining your website while you will be posting contents. And this is not even the only benefit of Managed WordPress Hosting, there are more. Managed WordPress Hosting is a name generated for the concept of the hosting plan “to manage WordPress websites on behalf of the owner”, so it is not exclusive to any web hosting service provider but is variably packed with features from one provider to another. A2hosting.com Managed WordPress Hosting is the best deal you can get. It offers so many awesome features that will definitely surprise you, some of the features are; 20X turbo server, free JetPack personal license, site staging, WP-CLI (WordPress Command Line Interface) and many more. Advantages of A2Hosting Managed WordPress Hosting: Super-fast: 20X faster than typical hosting server is tested and confirmed, so it is very real. Website speed has a lot to contribute to traffic, user experience and SEO. A2Hosting Managed WordPress Hosting is a dedicated hosting plan where a website is isolated with more than enough resources. Security: a website hosted on a dedicated server is almost hack-proof because its isolation decreases vulnerability to attacks. Plus A2hosting has installed firewalls and have security experts monitoring your server 24/7 for any suspicious activities. Automatic backup/updates: what is more comforting than never having to worry about updating your WordPress core files and its components. Your sites content and database will be automatically backed up every single day and you will have access to various restore points just in case you decide to roll back. 24/7 uptime and supports: customers support is one of the very sure ways of solving problems quickly, solving problems is even faster when you can contact customer support and have your solutions immediately; such is the case with A2hosting customer supports team, they are fast, reliable and always available. Furthermore, there is no such thing as downtime on A2hosting servers, you will only experience 99.9% uptime. Developer Tools: various tools such as code editor and debugger, site-staging tools etc. are available for developer’s convenience. Who needs A2hosting Managed WordPress Hosting? Everybody that has a WordPress website does need A2hosting Managed WordPress Hosting plan. It is useful for small, medium or large websites. Even if your WordPress website is currently small or medium size, do you doubt it can later boom off? And that is why you need to be prepared with adequate resources. For larger websites, there is a no better option to run their WordPress website with less hassle. A2hosting Managed Wordpress Hosting is affordable and has three different plans suitable for your individual hosting needs. Get more information or purchase via https://www.a2hosting.com/wordpress-hosting/managed/compare. Read Also: What Makes A Web Hosting Good? Cloud Hosting: Top Five Reasons To Take Your Business To The Cloud

READ MOREDetails
SEO

The Key To Success Turns Out To Get The Top SEO Services

Meet digital marketing land where a click may lead to a sale and, ultimately, skyrocket your business performance. For any company that operates online in today's competitive environment, search engine optimization (SEO) strategies are the most critical sides of getting ahead and being unique. Amongst all of this, it is through working with a pro SEO/marketing agency in Melbourne that will make all the points in maximizing your online presence. It's time for you to plunge into the magical world of growth and prosperity: let us look at how great specialists in SEO work in Melbourne! While getting an SEO piece of the puzzle is a fundamental part of digital marketing, there is more to it in generating online visibility than search engine ranking as well as organic traffic. SEO, (Search Engine Optimization) is an ambition exercised by, art and science used in improving your website to increase visibility in SERPs(Search Engine Results Pages). The process incorporates a mix of all the methods due to the website visibility and organic traffic aim.  With a tactical use of keywords, building constructive content, and creating links that are authoritative, SEO takes your business to attract visitors who are proactively looking for products or services for which you are the supplier. In an era where digital technology dominates and consumers usually like to turn to search engines such as Google thereby, having a robust strategy for SEO has taken just foremost position nowadays. Not only does it assist you in getting better on the internet but also engenders confidence and trust with your possible clients. A well-thought-out SEO strategy can not only render your brand visible to target customers but also bring it to the front desk among competitors in the rough and tough virtual market. Melbourne's top SEO agency has experts who masterly understand the technicalities of local search trends, and consumer preferences and hence is able to deliver results. Leveraging their knowledge and application of advanced technologies, organizations will be able to build up their competitive position and achieve sustainable growth amid accelerated digital development. The Outstanding Benefits of Cooperating with a Topnotch SEO Firm Getting optimization of your online visibility through leading the SEO service provider is the key successful ingredient of your brand's achievement. Through the work of these agencies you can actually rank higher in search engines and reach the desired audience with a clean and smooth digital marketing strategy. One of the positive things about a kind partnership with such an SEO agency is its ability to analyze deeply the keywords. By selecting the most suitable keywords for your business, they can do the right optimization for website content and make the search results come in the first page as possible. Furthermore, high-quality and interactive content from exceptional SEO agencies that not only attracts visitors but also convert them into customers are developed by premier SEO agencies. With content brainstorming integrated into their strategic process, they ensure that every content they produce is aligned with your brand’s tone of voice and audio which the audience can keep. Firstly, even establishments have the requisite skills and experience to gain evidence from authority websites, which in turn boosts the credibility rating and authority of your site. visit : https://www.shoutdigital.com.au/seo-melbourne/ A part of that link building process is a linchpin of your website’s overall performance and an opportunity to increase your site’s traffic. To put it simply, partnering with a professional SEO service provider brings you the chance to broaden your digital presence and to optimize the performance of your website (i.e., its ranking on search engines) through various strategic techniques and changes to the website content. Strategies for Maximizing Conversions Fast converting is the core of all your business strategies – the ones maxing out your business objectives. With the contest being one of the first stages in this process, the first step is to go through the process of thorough keyword research. When you realize the type of search terms that your target market is using, you will be able to accommodate their needs with your content. This creates high visibility of your website in search engines. In-depth content writing is one of the most powerful tools described to convert leads to customers. Creating easily readable, relevant pieces of content that include a call to action or an invitation to visitors to take certain actions on the website may help you attract visitors, eventually helping you maintain them engaged and build trust in the end. Displaying strong content even in the form of blogs, videos, and infographics can lead to a higher conversion. Link building is an effective and key strategy for conversion rate optimization. Within online space, constructing authoritative backlinks from sites of good reputation not only increases a site's credibility but also leads to traffic and support conversions. When you tactically put links into your content, you drag users towards the desirable actions on your website through this content. Practicing SEO in this way will help to increase conversions. With effective implementation, your business will be guaranteed success in digital marketing. Will SEO be relevant by and by and how to Step away from competition? As technology keeps on adapting, respectively how SEO will be in the future has a constant tendency to change. Therefore, it is essential for company leaders to anticipate the changes and keep evolving their operations and approaches to thrive in a competitive marketplace. One important aspect is that voice search optimization becomes a must now as voice search turns more popular among people using virtual assistants like Siri, and Alexa among others. AI and machine learning, besides, are reshaping the SEO future by presenting more relevant search results customized for searchers' preferences. It is the practice of adapting to your target audience and generating customized content. Therefore, in the digital space being able to understand your audience and create specific content will be necessary for a successful existence. Furthermore, we will consider the user experience on smaller screen sizes and prioritize their search usage (whether on desktop or mobile) to ensure that our algorithms are top-of-the-line. Developing the ability of your website to be flexible and speedy in loading across various devices would be critical in order to rank more highly in search engine result pages. How to Select the Best SEO Company for Your Company Business success is often dependent on SEO service, therefore, and you have to understand some matters before choosing the right agency in order to make the decision right. First and foremost, observe their reputations with track records and client reviews. A good agency, at the very least of course, has a real track record in the delivery of results. Think about the services that they provide and if they are the same as what you aim to accomplish long term. Identify an organization that practices such a strategy rather than just presenting you with its location and identifying your target audience. An SEO provider who is open about their processes, practices, and techniques is worth your trust. Pay particular attention to giving the agency a reasonably effective communication and information flow, as well as reporting the results of your campaigns. Arguably, experience and knowledge are not terrible requirements as well. A small-sized agency with a team of motivated experienced people who are aware of and follow the developments in the market is key to success in drawing organic traffic to your website. Do the necessary work of visiting the agencies you think you may want to work with in person or remotely, to check whether there matches in cultures amongst both the parties. Partnership with a webmaster who will kindle trust and collaboration is very important for having SEO performance in the long run. Read Also: Social Media Marketing – A Life-Changing Strategy How A Chicago SEO Can Help With Your Flower Shop How to Build SEO Trust and Credibility in 6 Easy Steps

READ MOREDetails