Search Engine Optimization is one of the best ways to increase traffic to your website. Many successful businesses have considered their SEO strategies as the one of the main sources of their traffic and conversions. In a day and age where most buyers and potential clients go to search engines to research before making their purchases, it would serve you well to invest in SEO so you can take a slice of the traffic that goes on in the web in an almost ceaseless manner.

If your business and its structure makes it not feasible to provide service/products abroad, then a good strategy for you to employ is Local SEO. This means you are practicing location based targeting such as focusing on “houston seo” as a keyword instead of just “seo”.

What is Local SEO?

Local Search Engine Optimization is taking advantage of your locality to drive your local audience to your business and make them your target customers. As a team of houston SEO experts, we also use this strategy so we can target potential clients that are closer to us by location. Being able to tap potential clients closer to us, we can set up logistics more easily and provide better service. This strategy is ideal for businesses with more constricted logistics and are unable to provide their products or services to an international market. You have to admit that clients closer to you geographically will have a better purchasing experience with you if they don’t experience any difficulties related to physical distance from your business’ location.

If you think your business will benefit from Local SEO, then read through these easy ways to be found by your local target market:

Build Your Google My Business Profile

The number one thing to do when you’re starting out your Local SEO strategy is to build your Google My Business Profile. Why is it so important? Well, as any Houston SEO consultant will tell you, Google is, if not the most, one of the most used Search Engines in the world. When you create a profile, you put yourself on the map, making your business visible for all local users to see. Now, make sure you take note of three things: Name, Address, and Phone Number. When you build your profile, make sure these three things are listed correctly and your location is pinned as accurately as possible. 

This will help your business show up for localized searches. If you’re a local SEO expert, then having your listing with complete and concise details will help you appear in local focused searches for “best houston seo expert near me” or “seo houston texas”. And when your Name, Address, and Phone Number are listed correctly, you become easily approachable by a potential client who already has the intent on making a purchase. 

Make Sure Business’ Details are Consistent in All Online Directories

Here is the tricky part. Aside from Google My Business, there are other sites that serve like phone books to help people find service providers or people they need. Such as Yelp or Foursquare, these websites will require you to create listings as well so they can keep a record of your business. These listings will also appear on Search Engines depending on relevance.m So, go to similar websites that are relevant to your business and create listings concisely. Be accurate and make sure the details are the same as the one in your Google My Business Profile. 

At the end of the day, all these listings will be visible on search engines and will help build your business’ online presence especially in local searches. Do make sure these same details are on your Social Media Pages and Accounts too as these appear in searches as well.

Get Reviewed

Getting reviewed is one of the best ways to build your business and rank in local searches. HIghly trusted listings get better chances at ranking higher in local searches so make sure to set up a post-purchase campaign with your clients so you can get their reviews for your listings. You can direct them to your Google My Business listing and they can leave a review there but other pages can do the same such as Facebook, Yelp, Foursquare, etc. Just make sure that you always provide a good customer experience so you can get many good reviews to build your business’ credibility.

Optimize Website Content with Local Keywords

Now, here is the part that is a bit technical. Research on localized keywords and target those for your online content. This means taking in consideration what your local clients might be searching for. For example, we may target “SEO experts” but for our local SEO strategy, we may close in on keywords that locals would be more likely to search for such as “Experts SEO Houston Texas” or “Houston SEO consultant”. The key here is to research and make a balanced list of keywords that you can work on all at the same time. Then over time, you can change and adapt your strategy according to online trends, both local and international.

We encourage you to try these tips and boost your business’ online presence. Marketing your business online may seem daunting but with some effort, perseverance, and maybe even professional help – you can be found and get results beyond your expectations. If you’d like some help, you may learn more here.