Tag Archives: local internet marketing

5 Local SEO Tips You Should Know

Last Updated On March 14th, 2024Local Maps SEO, Local Search Techniques, Local SEO, , , ,

localseoIf you’re a local business owner trying to make a name for yourself online, local search engine optimization (SEO) is what’s going to help you do it. Want people to find your business in the search results instead of your competitors? Here are 5 quick local SEO tips that you can use to help make that happen.

1. Complete your Google Place page. Claiming your business’s Google Places page then completely filling out all the information, including all five videos, all 10 photos, business hours, payment options, contact information, etc. will drastically improve your search rankings.

2. Make sure you have a physical address in the city you want to be found for. Businesses that are physically located in the city searched for have the best chance of ranking for keywords in their city. Chances of ranking well in surrounding areas decrease significantly unless you have a Google Adwords pay-per-click advertising campaign.

3. Submit your business to local directories. The more local directories your business is found in, the more chances you have to be found on page one of Google, Yahoo! and Bing search engines. Make sure your business appears in directories like Yelp, Facebook, Merchant Circle and more.

4. Encourage your customers to write reviews. Google takes into account how many reviews your business receives and whether or not they are positive. Gaining many positive reviews will boost your search engine ranking significantly.

5. Keep your business information consistent. Even so much as having your street address written using “St.” in one directory and “Street” in another can hurt your rankings. Search engines like to see clear, consistent information, which means inconsistent business information can hurt your rankings drastically. When submitting your business to directories or claiming your business, make sure you are always using the same format to write your business name, address and phone number to avoid this.

Need help with your local SEO campaign? Get some help from the local SEO experts at Local Splash. Check out our services today.

3 Reasons Why Claiming Your Google Listing is Crucial to Local SEO

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Google, along with other top search engines, is currently competing to provide you with the best local search engine possible. That’s why they’ve already gathered information on millions of local businesses – to provide you with the most relevant information possible through Google Places. Google Places is a local business directory that provides users information about local businesses such as address, phone number, description, business hours, photos, videos, reviews, driving directions and more. If your business is listed in Google Places it will also be able to show up on the Google Map, which appears at the top of the search results page and helps direct consumers right to your business location.

Odds are, if you’re not a new business, your company already has a Google Places listing. So you may be asking, “if my company is already listed, why do I need to bother with ‘claiming’ my listing?”

Although Google may already have your business in its database, the information it has may not be correct and it is certainly not optimized. Google and other search engines often obtain incorrect or outdated information that can really put a damper on your rankings. Sometimes duplicate listings are made by mistake, which doesn’t only confuse your potential customers but also the search engines, which penalize you with lower rankings.

Claiming your business has many advantages. Here are the top 3 reasons why you should claim your business on Google Places:

1. You can update your information easily when needed – Once your local business information is on Google Places, Google is not going to update it. This means that there could be misinformation about your business on your listing as well as outdated information. Claiming your business allows you to edit this information as needed, giving you full control over your business’s image.

2. Optimizing your local listing is an option – Once you claim your listing, you will be able to optimize it using keywords and categories to help it get to the top of the Maps. Listings that haven’t been claimed have little or no local SEO, so claiming your listing and adding more information will make it complete and give you an advantage over your competitors.

3. Adding enhancements – Once you claim your Google listing, you can add enhancements that make your listing more appealing to the search engines and your potential customer. Adding more information such as business hours, videos, a URL to your Website, coupons, photos and more will help consumers who view your listing. These enhancements also make your listing look better to Google and you will be rewarded with higher search rankings.

Google wants businesses to claim their listing. For this reason, when a business is claimed, higher search rankings will follow. The bottom line is, if you claim your Google business listing, you will have more control over your online image, higher rankings and more consumers will be able to see your listing. This means more potential new customers leading to more profit.

Beware of the “Too Good to be True” Offer!

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At Local Splash, it is our mission to make it easy for your customers to find your business online. We do everything we can to ensure you dominate the search results for your industry in your local area in order to help your business grow and prosper. Unfortunately, this also means our competitors can easily find you online. Many times competitors solicit our clients promising “special introductory pricing” or a “first page listing on Google in one day.” Many of these offers will seem too good to be true and as the saying goes, if it seems too good to be true, it is.

Since the founding of Local Splash in 2004, we’ve had only one goal: to get online exposure for local businesses. As an innovator and leader in the local search engine optimization (SEO) industry, Local Splash has attracted many imitators. However, when you compare other companies to Local Splash, we outshine the competition in a variety of ways. Local Splash has 7+ years of operating experience in local SEO. Compare this to only “months” that most local SEO companies have been around. Local Splash has over 10,000 customers, including dozens of Fortune 500 national brand clients. The company is also led by executives who are recognized leaders in SEO who are frequently invited to speak at industry events and conferences such as SES (Search Engine Strategies) and AdTech. Local Splash was named one of Inc. 500’s fastest growing companies in America. When measured against these key criteria, it’s easy to see why so many would-be competitors have come and gone as Local Splash continues to grow.

Don’t let our imitators fool you. Keep putting your trust in Local Splash and we’ll continue to help your online presence and business grow.