Category Archives: Local SEO

This is a collection of all Local Splash Blog posts that cover Local SEO

AT&T Releases Its Local Insights Report – Most Popular Categories Include Restaurants and Automotive

Local SEO, , , , ,

According to AT&T’s Local Insights Report, restaurants and automotive are the most popular local search categories in online and mobile searches. Other popular categories are movie theaters, beauty services and hotels as well as real estate, finance and legal services. The top growing search categories are pharmacies, toy stores, department stores, travel agencies and shoe stores.

Mobile searches now represent over 30% of all searches across the YP Local Ad Network and mobile search will continue to grow as more people upgrade to smartphones.  The Local Insights Report found that most mobile searchers used the “click to call” option to get more information about the business where users who were searching online visited the website to further research the business.

For more details, read the full Local Insights Report.

5 Local SEO Do’s to Boost Your Rankings

Last Updated On August 13th, 2014Local SEO, , , , , ,

localsearchLocal search is rapidly growing. In fact, it has been estimated that by 2015, 30% of all searches will have local intent, when compared with 12% in 2009 that’s a significant jump. Eighty percent of all searches conducted via mobile phone are for local services and products, which means if you aren’t thinking about local SEO for your business, you may soon be left trailing behind your competitors. Follow these 5 local SEO do’s to make sure your business climbs to the top pages of the search engine rankings.

1. Do optimize for localized keywords. This means including the location you want to target in your keyword phrase. Example: “Hair Salon Newport Beach, CA.”

2. Do create listings in local directories. When your business is listed in a variety of directories across the Internet, it increases your web presence and boosts your rankings. If your business isn’t already listed, add it to local directories like Google Places, Yahoo! Local, Yelp, Merchant Circle, SuperPages, etc. The more places you’re listed, the more likely your potential customers are to find you.

3. Do use photos and videos. Uploading optimized photos and videos to your website as well as submitting them to social media websites like Pinterest and YouTube increase your online presence, build your backlinks and keep your brand in front of your customers’ eyes. People love photos and videos which means they’ll be more likely to share them with friends via social networking.

4. Do keep your content fresh. Make sure once your local directory listings are live, that you keep going back to update the content. Keep your website content fresh as well in order to encourage search engines to keep stopping back to index your site. Search engines are looking for relevancy, so if your content is fresh and interesting and people are sharing it with others, it appears relevant and you are rewarded with higher rankings.

5. Do ask your customers for reviews. Depending on what type of business you have, determine one or two review websites to concentrate your efforts on. Then ask your happy customers to share their experiences with others. Tell them exactly where they will be able to find your business on those websites so it’s quick and easy for them. More reviews equal higher rankings as well as help convince potential customers to use your products rather than your competitors.

5 Reasons Why Your Business Needs Facebook for SEO

Local Maps SEO, Local SEO, , , ,

facebooklogoAlthough the main reason companies decide to get on social media networks like Facebook is to engage and interact with their customers, there are other reasons why businesses should maintain a social media presence. One of these reasons is for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes. Boosting your SEO efforts will help your search engine rankings and make it easier for potential customers to find your business rather than your competitors. Here are 5 reasons why your business needs a Facebook page for SEO.

1. Google and Bing crawl and index Facebook pages and comments. This means when people search for keywords that you use on your page, your page will be more likely to show up high in the search results.

2. When people “like” your content on Facebook and share it with others, it makes your page seem more relevant to the search engines. This means you’re more likely to appear high in the rankings. People who “like” your page can also be considered new leads or contacts.

3. Your Facebook presence adds quality backlinks to your website. The more backlinks that lead to your website the higher your business will climb in the rankings.

4. With 800 million users, Facebook is likely a place where your target audience spends time. This means you must have a presence on the social network in order to connect directly with your customers and potential customers.

5. Facebook is easily accessed on mobile devices which gives your customers and potential customers access to your content and keeps your brand in front of their eyes no matter where they are.