5 Easy Ways to Boost Your Local SEO

If you run a business that has a physical address and wants to attract customers locally, local SEO is a must. Take the time to do some local search engine optimization in addition to any general SEO you’re already doing.

The good news? There are lots of free resources to help improve your local SEO. Whether you sell ice cream in small-town Massachusetts or sushi in Manhattan, here are five ways to gain more customers through local SEO.

Know What Good Local SEO Looks Like

Search for your business niche and location on the major search engines (e.g., “ice cream in Northampton, MA”). Where do you come up in the results? What do you notice about the top listing?

Make Sure Your Business’ Name, Address, and Phone Number Appear Across Your Website

Tell those search engines where they can find you! Note: Be careful to spell out your business’ name, address, and phone number the same way across the web.

Claim Your Business’ Local Listings on Google, Bing, and Yahoo

Follow the instructions carefully, and be sure to upload great photos. Be thorough and use correct grammar. Here’s how to claim your local listings:

• Google Places for Business


• Bing Places for Business


• Yahoo Local

Build Citations on Other Websites

Having more citations makes the search engine algorithms view your business’ listing more favorably. What’s a citation? It can be:

• a listing in an online business directory (local or for your business niche)


• a mention on any website or blog (local is probably better), even without a link

Whenever possible, ask to have these citations include your business name, address, and phone number.

Here are a few places to start:

• Yelp


• Express Update


• Neustar Localeze


• Insider Pages


• MerchantCircle

You might also:

• approach any (relevant) local bloggers about reviewing your business


• send press releases to local news sites (it’s always best to have some actual news to share)

Encourage Reviews

This is a biggie! Online reviews are essential to local SEO. The best way to gain more reviews is to ask your customers. How might you do that?

• Link to review sites from your Facebook page


• Put up signs in your business that feature review-site logos (e.g. Yelp)


• Ask for reviews in your email newsletter

With these five steps, you’ll be well on your way to stronger local SEO. If you have any additional tips or anecdotes to share, we’d love to hear them!

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