Jack has a flat tire right in the middle of nowhere. Where do you think he will search for an automotive repair shop? He is on the highway between Houston and Dallas. Naturally, he will not look for his favorite dealer in New Jersey, will you? He will not go through the rigmarole of looking up on the Yellow Pages or the local telephone listings.
He has a smart phone in his hands and the whole wide world of internet to find his automotive repair shop. Therefore, you expect him to type out the following words on the search page of Google.
He gets a list of auto repair shops in and around Dallas. He does not know any one of them. How do you think he will choose the best repair shop? There is no need for any worry. Google does the job for him. This is the power of local SEO.
As an automotive dealer, do you not feel that you are losing out on something when you are not in the internet? In fact, you are losing heavily. You might argue that you are happy with you normal clients. However, would you not like if you got some clients like Jack right out of the blue? We shall help you develop your local SEO strategy so that your name ranks high on the SERPs in the local SEO listings.
First things first, you need a website. Prior to that, you can still list your business on search engines like Google.
Build your own GMB Page
Does it sound like Greek and Latin to you? Maybe, it does. Just have a look at the previous image on this blog. What does that image signify? That is nothing but a Google My Business Page listing. When others can have it, so can you too.
This blog will teach you how to do so without any problem.
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Go to the GMB building page.
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Fill out the self-explanatory form on the page.
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Include your business name, address, and phone number (NAP in local SEO language).
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You will get a verification code from Google. Enter the code and your GMB is done.
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You can include images if you wish to.
This is the procedure for new entrants as well as for existing businesses in the field.
Market Yourself
You have opened your GMB. How do you think people will trust you as you are new to the field. They would like to go with someone who has experience. You judge experience in the number of reviews you have. This is literally the only way for any new client to judge a business.
If you go back to the same image, you can see some names of businesses on the left hand side of your screen. They have details about the number of reviews and ratings as well. In this case, both quality and quantity counts.
If you are an existing business, you can ask your clients to drop in some online reviews. It can be tough, but it is an interesting job catching up with old clients. You can drop in a word or send them emails seeking reviews. Most of them oblige. If you are a new entrant to the field, you can list your business with the local directories and industry specific directories. Clients search for information here as well.
This is what we call in SEO parlance as off page SEO. You should excel in on page SEO as well. You need to have a website for achieving this objective.
Build your own Website
You are a master at repairing automobiles. However, building websites is not your cup of tea. Engage the services of a professional to build the website for you. However, you should have an idea about what goes into building a website.
Every website has a home page, About Us page, Contact Us page, Services page, Blog page, and FAQ pages. Having a user friendly website should be on the top of your mind. Navigating through the website should be easy. Having a mobile friendly website is the need of the hour as most people use their mobiles to browse the internet.
Have your Keywords on the Dot
Of course, the building of the website is in the hands of a professional. However, you have to provide the background information. The most important aspect of any SEO is “keywords”.
This aspect requires you to think like a client. What would you do if you were searching for an automotive dealer? Know your strengths and play to it. You have an idea about your business and the services you offer. List out all the services you provide on an Excel sheet.
One of the best options available you are to use the services of search engines like Google or Bing. Consider the same example of “auto repair in Dallas”.
As you type out your search keywords, you get suggestions from Google about alternate keywords used by others in the same context. This will give you a fair idea about how clients approach the keyword issues.
You have tools like SEMRush, Google Keyword Planner, and others to help you narrow down on the optimum keyword. The primary keywords can be the services you provide whereas the secondary keywords can comprise of the words that describe your services.
Do your research well. Know what your competitors are up to. There is no harm in replicating their keywords if they are of use to you. If the keywords have worked for them, they can work for you as well. At the same time, try to be as different as possible. Set the trend for people to follow.
Optimize your Keywords
Keywords are important but optimizing them is essential. There are two aspects of optimizing your keywords. One is the Off-page optimization and the second one is the On-page optimization.
Off-page Optimization: GMB Page
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It is very important for Google to verify your GMB page. On opening the GMB page account, Google sends you a verification code. Enter the code at the appropriate place and verify your account.
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Ensure that you have provided the correct address and phone number. In case you change wither of them, ensure to make the changes in your GMB pages as well.
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Entering the correct category at the appropriate place is important for your ranking. This is because each category or industry has specific rankings.
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Include the hours of operation on your GMB page. People should know when to contact you and when not to.
Other off-page items:
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Title tags: You see these tags on the Google search result page. Your primary keyword should invariably be present title tags.
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Meta Description: This description is the first thing a prospective client sees on the website when he searches for your keyword. Keep it brief and concise. It should automatically lead your client to browse your website.
On-page Optimization: Your website pages
Everyone knows that the Home page and Services page are the most important pages of any website. Therefore, it becomes necessary for you to optimize your keywords on your website pages as well.
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Home page:
The first thing the visitor sees on visiting your website is the H1 tag. This tag should contain the primary keyword.
Similarly, the body of the home page content is also important. It should provide a brief description of each service you provide.
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Services Page:
Make a list of all services you provide. Ensure that each service has a separate page on the website. Google places great emphasis on keyword strategy. If you use the same keyword for two different services, Google does not know the distinction. Its crawlers can get confused. Now, that is the last thing you need.
Ensure that you have good and meaningful content on the services page. Include your primary keywords at strategic locations. Do not overdo it as Google considers such attempts as spam. Understand that the singular and plural form of keywords mean the same.
You have the opportunity to display your knowledge and expertise in the FAQ pages. Include pertinent questions that you think your clients can ask. Provide correct information and try to link such answers to your services page by including internal links. Internal linking is a very important aspect of local SEO strategy.
Your Webhost has an Important Role to Play
No one likes to do business when the website takes a long time to open or navigate between pages. Remember that the client does not have much time on his hands. He wants quick results. Otherwise, he has options up his sleeve. The speed of the website is important. Slow loading websites are not at all popular among clients.
The security of the website is essential. There are occasions where the client might have to use your website for paying for your services. Therefore, security becomes an important issue. Tying up with a strong and secure payment gateway is necessary. The banks insist on your website to be on a secure host server. Therefore, opting for a HTTPS server is any day better than a HTTP server.
The Homepage is the First Impression
The first impression is usually the last one as well. Hence, it is imperative that you have an impressive home page and landing page. The Home page should be such that it should induce the prospective client to browse further. You do not want your client to exit from the home page. You would like your client to go on until the payments page and complete the deal. Having an attractive home page is the first step towards ensuring this objective.
Customers have a very short attention span. Engaging the attention of the customer is important.
Service Page should have Compelling Content
In SEO, content is the ultimate. Compelling content can create an active interest in your client to browse further and learn more. You can engage the service of professionals to write good content for each of your services. One of the most important aspects is to update the content on a regular basis. No one likes to read stale news. The content should be informative and useful to the client.
Make intelligent use of keywords, both primary and secondary. Google pays great attention to keywords.
Use FAQ Page to your Advantage
Clients can have various doubts about the goods and services on offer. Use your FAQ page to clarify such doubts. Your experience should come in handy. Include as many questions as possible. Provide suggestions and advice that can be of tremendous value to your clients. Link up to your services pages with intelligent use of keywords.
Have an informative Blog page
Blogs are great for effective SEO. They are as good as reviews are. You can engage your clients and have interactive sessions with them. This can go a long way in improving your SEO rankings.
Guest bloggers and influencers can play a great role in popularizing your website. This is one of the best ways to offer backlinks to other important websites and seek from them as well.
Sharing information is important. Your customers should know what to expect from you. These blogs can go a long way in establishing these aspects.
One of the best ways of engaging audience is to include DIY tips. Encourage people to post their comments and offer suggestions. It is very important to respond to the suggestions as well.
This page should have links to your various social media accounts. One can never ignore the contribution of social media in online marketing.
Recap
Local SEO is any day more important than any other aspect in online marketing. It is very important to project your business in an attractive manner. Of course, providing valuable service to your clients in very important, Local SEO gives you the opportunity to do so. Let us have a quick recap of how to build an effective local SEO strategy.
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Have your own GMB
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Do effective marketing of your services
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Have a visually appealing website
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Keyword research in more important than anything else
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Optimize your keywords
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Have a secure website
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Your home page should be inviting
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Provide valuable information in your Services page
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Have an informative FAQ page
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Exchange valuable information using blogs
Final thoughts
This article should have clarified a lot of doubts you had in mind when you started to set up a website. A great SEO is necessary for success in business. Effective SEO brings you in the limelight and makes you visible to your customers. Do your homework right and ensure that you rank high on the SERP.
