What Is Local SEO Marketing, How Does It Work, and Why You Need It To Rank Locally

Focus On Local SEO To Rank Higher In Google For Locally Based Searches

What is local SEO? How does local SEO work? How do you use local SEO marketing to rank locally in Google for the searches you want? In this episode we'll answer these questions and run down the most important things you should be doing to get found locally in Google, and Bing. Learn what you need to do on your website, plus the importance of social media profiles and review portals as it relates to your local presence. We'll round up some tips from previous episodes, plus talk about some new tactics too!

YOU'LL LEARN

• If you're trying to get found locally, you need to setup your Google My Business (GMB)
• You need to be appearing in the top 3 results within the GMB for searches
• Getting reviews on your GMB will help with your local search rankings
• Google Posts (within GMB) expire after 7 days, so post weekly to stay visible
• Choosing the primary category for your GMB is very important
• Take advantage of the Business Description in the GMB and fill it out
• Make sure you properly setup your Service Area Business if you visit your customers
• You can setup a GMB even if you do not have a website yet, and still rank in Google
• Get setup on Bing Places to show up in the Bing map pack, for local searches in Bing
• Setup business pages on the main social networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc)
• Put up a profile on popular review portals such as Yelp, CitySearch, and similar
• It's very important to keep your NAP (name, address, phone number) consistent on all listings
• Local SEO just means that your efforts focus on showing up for your local city, not nationwide
• Make sure your GMB primary category is leveraged heavily on your homepage
• List your physical address twice on your homepage, once above the fold and once in the footer
• Put your phone number at the top of your website, and make it big, bold, and contrasting
• Get local backlinks by sponsoring clubs, teams, and organizations in your city

View the show notes, resource links, episode transcript, and watch the video version at https://www.localseotactics.com/episode25