If you are thinking that there is some magical new method to help websites rank better, then please do read on. It is my intention to show you the best SEO techniques for local business website, and I’m certain you will be a bit surprised at what you learn.
First off, you should be happy to learn that basic SEO is still the first thing that any website should be doing. By that I mean by making sure that your website complies with the following:
1.) A responsive website – making your website what is known as, device-friendly. This mean that your website is presented in an easy to read format for all of the different types of devices, be they desktop, laptop or mobile devices.
2.) Your website now needs to be protected by a SSL certificate. This is for the protection of your mobile device user visitors… and, is a SEO requirement set forth by Google in early 2018. You also need to make sure all of your pages and post are displaying a green padlock… making connection secure. If they are not then you need to fix them. Even one post or page displaying a broken padlock could hurt your site’s rank.
3.) Make sure that your website loads quickly. The fast loading sites that have all the requirements on this list… PLUS, of course, also offer the person who is searching the internet the information they are looking for, will have their site rank the best.
TIP: Cached sites with fully optimized images load quickly.
4.) The basic META tags like a proper Site Title, Tagline, post/page Titles and Description, need to be in place and used correctly for your niche.
5.) Make sure your business contact information across all platforms has been stated EXACTLY the same. This is better known as NAP… or name, address and phone number. This means all listings like online directories, Google MyBusiness and any other online listing for your business.
6.) The proper use of ALT text on images so that screen readers can interpret images for their users properly. This too is a more recent requirement from Google. Ignore this option at the peril of your site ranking lower than your competition’s.
7.) Setup a Google MyBusiness account and make sure you have completed it, or if necessary update it. Again, ignoring this step would be at the peril of your website ranking well.
8.) Testimonies are like gold, so if you are fortunate enough to have customers who will take the time to give your business a review, make sure to use them on your website if they have sent them to you on a card, in an email or a video.
Or better still, encourage your customers to use your social media business accounts like your business Facebook fan page or your Google MyBusiness, to provide their review. HINT: Google loves all things Google!
9.) Proper use of keywords used for business type both in your content and titles. No keywords stuffing EVER!
If you will be setting up your website, then selecting a descriptive, keyword rich domain name is highly recommended. Examples are:
bowmanvilledentaloffice.com or .ca, if you prefer
oshawalocalplumber.com or .ca
whitbyusedcardealer.com or .ca
These are geographical keyword AND niche rich domain names, which works great for local businesses.
Rank All Over Your City With This Strategy (Major Competitive Advantage)
The video above serves as proof that 4 years later, this STILL works!
Darren Shaw from Whitepark, clearly states that keywords in your domain name is number 2 in importance in getting your site ranked well, in your Google Business title.
So, you really are NOT limited to a geographically descriptive word to use in your domain name, given that Google now provides their searchers, businesses in their location, as in, “close to you”.
NOTE: It has been suggested to me that I never use a domain name over 16 characters… BUT… in the case where your business type requires more, there is little you could do about it… and… I have seen longer domain names rank more recently. Perhaps this rule no longer applies. However, I thought it only far to share this tidbit with you.
10.) Additional assistance for search engines would be to include a sitemap for easy use of search engine’s scripts in indexing your website. Linking your sitemap to your website footer is recommended, as this makes sure it gets crawled by internet search engines.
11.) Quality backlinks are always recommended, for obvious reasons. Any social media account that is setup for your business is considered a quality backlink, providing you make sure to include your domain address in the account.
Links that other’s share on their social media accounts to your domain ALSO count as quality backlinks, and might be even considered best links to have.
12.) There are other options that will definitely help you get your website ranked better than your competition’s site. You could add a blog with posts that are informative and valuable to searchers, providing your content is niche related.
These are the types of links that would most likely be shared on other’s social media accounts, or be sent to their friends in emailed messages. This option should never be overlooked if you are serious about SEO.
13.) The latest BONUS to help your site rank best that I can offer you is the new local search ranking factor offered by having a Google MyBusiness account. This is a great advantage that local business owners have over any other type of website on the internet, simply because you have to have a geographical address for your business to have a Google MyBusiness account.
Next is a very informative video by Moz. If you are serious about finding new techniques, you NEED to watch it.
The SEO Trends for 2019 You Need to Know About
Google Trends to Watch for
1.) Apparently, mobile first is Google’s goal this year. It sees that most of Google’s searchers are now using mobile devices, so if your website is not at least responsive, you need to get it that way; Also, if your website speed needs improving for mobile users, that too needs to be your focus.
2.) From Gateway to Destination – Google’s big goal is to be able to answer their searcher’s questions right in search which means that snippets of information will be offered more and more so that searchers won’t have to click and visit a website to get their answers anymore.
Conclusion
Do NO think of your website as a “set it and forget it” tool for your business. Though some of you may have gotten away with this over the past few years, this is about to change quickly. Creating unique, quality and relevant content that answers questions about your particular niche STILL works wonders.
WARNING: If you don’t already have a Google MyBusiness account… or if you haven’t updated it lately, please do so. This may be the only view a mobile user will see of your business.
Review your entire website and update whatever needs updating now.
Header Image: by Brooke Lark on Unsplash
