It seems like everything is going local these days. After decades of shipping produce all around the country, local farming co-ops are popping up everywhere you look. It’s cool to “buy local.” In fact, it seems like the closer something is made to where it is sold, the more hip it is. As usual the Internet is no exception to this. The popularity of review sites have helped search engines (namely Google and Bing) notice this trend, and they are starting emphasize websites associated with your “local area.”
Most businesses still haven’t brought their focus back to their own communities, which means NOW is the time for you to start thinking local for your business and get ahead of the curve.
How do I “think” local for my company’s SEO?
Actually, “localizing” your website is quite a bit easier than it sounds. If your site has a blog, write about things that are going on in your community that you can relate to your business (if you don’t have a blog, you really, really should!). For example, if you run a marketing business, talk about some of the local companies you are working with (be sure to include where you are working with them), or a cool marketing piece you saw for a local concert. The point is just to talk about your community.
Additionally, to grab one of the coveted spots that search engines are leaving open for localized results, you are going to need links. While the words you use are important to any SEO effort, links are still what makes the SEO world go ‘round. In the case of localized SEO, you are going to want “local” links (shocking, right?). Start with the low hanging fruit, like building a Yelp page and optimizing your Google places page. Then move on to getting links from local organizations you are apart of, like your chamber of commerce, the high school whose football team you sponsored, and local news organizations. Keep in mind you should never PAY for a link directly, but if you get one as a result of a sponsorship like the one mentioned above, that’s generally okay.
The important point here is, no matter how big you are or how many customers you have, it’s critical you remember where you came from and stay involved in your local community. Not just for the SEO benefits, but for the business benefits as well. You never know who might be looking for what you offer, right in your own neck of the woods.
Have a story to share about bringing your SEO efforts back home or questions about how exactly you should go about planting the seeds of success in your own backyard? Let us know in the comments section below or visit Bad Rhino Local Marketing.
