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SEO Tips for Local Optimization

If you have a website then you most certainly implement some type of SEO to get your website noticed. The problem is that everyone else on the web is doing the same thing. That’s why it is important to get focused on who you want coming to your website and then optimize the site with that in mind. Local SEO is a top way to achieve this because it allows you to target the customers who are located near you.

Why Local SEO?

Even if you ultimately want to reach a global customer base, it helps to have a strong base of local customers. Local customers are increasingly interested in supporting local businesses. This is especially trendy today in the era of Groupon-style websites that specifically attract attention for local businesses. Getting a loyal local customer base will help you grow your business to whatever size you desire

So How Should I Do Local SEO?

Some of the most important tips for you to follow when doing SEO for local optimization include:

• Start with your keywords. You probably already have your site optimized for the keywords specific to your industry; now you need to re-optimize with the local level in mind. For example, if you’re a Houston luggage company then you want to change keywords like “luggage” to “Houston luggage” and “Texas luggage”. Remember to include your new local keywords on title pages and in your blog.
• Make sure to spend time on local links. Keywords matter but SEO is more about making the right online connections these days. You want to link to other local businesses. You should network with the people who own these businesses so that they will want to then link back to you.
• Get yourself added to local lists and directories. Depending on the industry that you’re in, you may be able to market yourself to get added to local lists of services or even local directories. Your Houston luggage company may get added to an article of top stores in Houston or to the local government’s list of top travel resources depending on how good you are at marketing yourself. Make sure you are added to local directories including Google Maps and City Search.
• Engage in social media interaction at the local level. Social sites like Facebook and Twitter let you know where people are located. This allows you to befriend and follow people who are relevant to your local region.
• Provide information that is relevant to locals. If you provide high-quality information on your site that is relevant to the people who live in your area then you will attract their attention. This will attract more inbound links and social media promotion, increasing the value of your site at the local level. One great way to check out what people in your area want to know is to use Google Trends and Twitter Trends for your specific area.
• Add your address to your site. You want to list your address several times in your site and blog so that people know where you are. This helps with basic SEO as well. Also, make sure that your address is up to date with the site WhoIs.net.

Don’t Neglect the Bigger Picture

When doing local SEO, don’t do it at the expense of attracting a bigger market. You want to continue to do the general SEO that you’ve been doing all of this time. Simply add the local SEO to the work that you do to increase attention for the site.