In this article we are going to look at 7 of the best tips and advice for local SEO, specifically for small businesses. There are literally goldmines worth of leads that you can tap into with local organic search, and it’s the perfect solution for any small business to grow.

If you aren’t advertising in your small local markets you are leaving money on the table, it is that simple.  Without further ado here are 7 of the BEST tips and advice we here at Fade Digital believe will be of benefit to small businesses.

7 Local SEO Tips for Business

Inject Local Keywords
Here is something that should be obvious but many people still omit. You need to insert your city name many times throughout your web copy especially in conjunction with the product or services you are selling.

LSI Local Keywords
LSI keywords are those that represent another way of saying the same thing. You should work this into your copy on both the product and geographical level, finding different ways to describe your product or service, as well as including towns that are within driving distance from your home.

Local Directories
No matter what city or country you are in, there are bound to be some good local directories to submit to. Remember that the general rule of thumb here is quality over quantity. You want to submit your site to a select few regional and national directories, because getting listed can immensely help your local search ranking. There are also the added benefits of getting direct lead customers through these directory listings, because they themselves often have good rankings for keywords that your customers might find you through.

Follow your competitor’s clients/customers on Twitter
In this day and age, social media is completely intertwined with SEO and you can’t have one without the other. Having a strong presence on Twitter and Facebook are two of the main factors that contribute to social media’s contribution to your local rankings. Get involved on social media, follow and interact with people who are in your target demographic, and even follow people who are already following your competitors on twitter.

Don’t forget the other search engines
Sites like Bing and Yahoo are still driving traffic and they are just as easily turned into customers as anybody coming from Google. At the very least you should make sure your Bing Local Maps is complete and correct, as it will help your rankings and visibility on that search engine dramatically.

Google Places/Yahoo Local
Having your correct business information in all the correct places like Google Places and Yahoo Local will help your local rankings. You should also have all of your official business information down to the address and phone number in the domain registrar that holds your domain. The reason is because Google is highly suspected to use this information to rank local businesses on top of ones who do not have as much clear info for the user.

Focus your site on the regional and/or national markets that you are targeting
There is evidence that using a .ca domain name will help you rank better in Canadian cities, which happens by default and eliminates the need for using a Canadian hosting company. Even if you have a .com and hosted in another country, by careful wording of your site and laser focused SEO, you can still easily rank in local searches that will bring your business valuable new clients.

By following the above tips, you will be well on your way to getting free leads from organic search. Fade Digital has a vast array of experience in local SEO and understands how local search rankings work. Simply contact us for a quote to handle any of your local search concerns, big or small.