Category Archives: Local SEO

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

SEO in the Future: What to Watch For

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

seofutureWith the world of Internet marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) always changing, sometimes it’s hard to keep up with what is relevant now and what will be relevant next year, or even next month. Search engines are only getting more complicated and the key to SEO success is to stay updated on the latest techniques. Here are three factors you should pay close attention to in order to maintain high search engine rankings in the future.

Local Search: Local search is huge and will continue to become even more popular in the future. Today Google says about 30% of all searches performed have local intent. Back in 2007, local searches only accounted for about 10% of all searches. Google tailors your search results to include businesses that are in your local area. These businesses show up in the Maps results, usually above the organic search results. Typing in a keyword such as “plumber” in your search box will retrieve results that reflect listings for plumbers in your local area. This is why optimizing your business listings and website with local keywords is important. You must also submit your business to local directories such as Google Places, Yelp and Merchant Circle to increase your online presence and the chances that your local consumers will find you online.

Social Media: Social media has been steadily on the rise and now it’s affecting rankings and grabbing the attention of your potential customers online. Building your brand online and creating an engaging environment for customers will encourage them to mention you to their social circles. The more social mentions you receive, the higher you will appear in the rankings. One social media network to pay attention to is Google+. Google will start using this network to tailor its search results and show its users the most relevant results for their searches based on the information they gain from their Google+ profiles. Twitter tweets are now being indexed and displayed in Google search results. This provides Twitter users the chance to optimize their tweets in order for their brand to appear higher in the search rankings.

Internet marketers, watch out for:

Personalization: The search engines are constantly retrieving large amounts of information from their users, which allows them to tailor the search results especially for them. These personalized results can present a problem for SEO because Google will display different results to each individual based on their previous searches, their interests and more information that is gained through cookies and even Google+ and the +1 feature. In fact, Google+ updates are now being incorporated into the search results and depending on your account, you may already be receiving more personalized results than you did before. Internet marketers need to take this new personalization factor into consideration when preparing for the future.

Don’t Make These 4 SEO Mistakes

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

seomistakesAre you a search engine optimization (SEO) newbie? There’s so much information on the Internet about SEO that you may get confused when trying to distinguish the truth from the rumors. Let the experts tell you the real facts. Here are 4 common SEO mistakes to avoid from MarketingProfs.com.

Don’t assume social media is enough. Some business owners think that if they have an engaging social media campaign they don’t need SEO. Although Facebook and Twitter can bring in new customers and help build customer loyalty, without SEO you’re losing the opportunity to be seen by thousands of potential customers in your area via search engines like Google, Yahoo! and Bing.

Don’t build a Flash website. Although Flash looks cool and can be appealing to the eyes, it’s not SEO-friendly. In order for the search engines to know what’s on your page and see keywords, tags, etc. you need an HTML version of your website for it to read. If the search engines can’t read what’s on the page, there’s no point of having any content to begin with because no one will ever be able to find or view your site.

Don’t keyword stuff. Keyword stuffing is loading your content with keywords in an effort to appeal to the search engines. However, overloading your site with keywords does the opposite. It will hurt your ranking and also annoy visitor to your site because the awkward wording will likely be difficult to understand.

Don’t only focus on the approval of the search engines. Focus on pleasing your visitors too. Make sure you create a site that’s both SEO and user-friendly. Without SEO it may be hard for visitors to find your site. However, you need to remember that once they do, you want to make sure they have engaging and interesting content to read that encourages them to buy your product or service.

Avoid these 4 SEO mistakes and your business will be getting found on the search engines in no time. Local Splash can optimize your business information for search engines and more. Find out more about Local Splash’s service here.

Choosing the Right Keywords for Your Local SEO Campaign

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

keywordsThe keywords you choose to use while optimizing your business information for local search are extremely important. The right keywords can boost your business to the first page of Google while the wrong keywords can ensure that no one from your target audience ever sees your company information. Don’t have the slightest clue of how to begin choosing keywords for your business? Here are some tips for beginners on how to choose the right keywords.

  1. Know your customer well enough to predict how they communicate. What are some words that your customers use in speech and writing? Pay attention to how your customers communicate in order to spot keywords. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. If they were searching for your business, what keywords would they search for?
  2. Use the Google Wonder Wheel. Type in a keyword phrase in the Google Wonder Wheel and you’ll be provided with more keywords similar to that one. It’s great for getting new ideas and helping to inspire more creative keywords that you might not have thought about using before.
  3. Use the Google Adwords keyword tool to see the competition for each keyword. When a keyword is more competitive, it means more people are optimizing for the phrase. This means it will be harder to rank on the first page of the search engines for it. Try to focus your efforts on optimizing keywords with less competition. You can also use the Google Adwords tool to find out whether the keywords you want to optimize for are being searched for. The best pairing would be to find a keyword phrase with low competition and high searches.
  4. Come up with long tail keywords if you are in a more competitive market. These are longer keywords that are more specific to your business. For example if you are a beauty salon in Long Beach, CA, a long tail keyword for you could be “curly hair stylist long beach.” Since this keyword phrase is so focused, less people will think to go after it, which makes it more likely for your business to show up on the first page of the search results if you optimize for it. It’s also good to think outside of the box and cover all the possible keywords your clients could be searching for.

These tips will help you during the process of choosing keywords to use when optimizing your website and business listings for search engines. Once you’ve established which keywords you want to use, use them everywhere; on your site, blogs, social media networks, business listings as well as when link building and social bookmarking, and more. Local Splash can help you choose the right keywords and optimize your business listing to enhance your online presence today.