How to maximise your local SEO

Here in Exeter, the impact of local SEO is already clear to see. With the growth in people claiming their business on Google My Business , reviews on Google Maps and online directories such as Yell , the marketplace has never been more competitive.

And let’s be honest, no pond is that small anymore. With the web, anyone can be doing business across the globe without too much trouble. But for local businesses and franchises, local SEO has never been more important.

Google

We’d always recommend getting started on the big search engines first.

Google has now made it lot easier to add your business. To get started, simply visit: Google My Business.

Whilst you’re there it’s also worth adding your business on Bing too. You can do this here. A surprising number of users still use Bing to make regular searches. In fact, Bing has a 21% share of the search engine market.

It may sound obvious but remember to add accurate information. If you start adding different addresses into different websites, for example, you could confuse search engines; meaning you lose places in the search results.

If you have a number of business locations, then you can add them to Google in bulk – find more details here. In ‘Google My Business’ you can click the blue + box in the bottom right-hand corner to ‘Import locations from file’.

Source: Google My Business

Local Listings

In the UK there are four main online directories that influence where you appear in local search results – e.g. ‘website developers Exeter’. They include Factual , Central Index , Foursquare and Thomson local ( Moz Local ).

The first thing to do is to make sure you have a listing on each of these platforms – here’s where you can do it:

-Central Index – listings management (paid service)

-Factual – update / add business

-Foursquare – claim your business

-Moz Local – check your presence

Again, make sure your listings are accurate – double check spellings and the way you’ve used your brand name.

Other directories

Although the directories listed above are considered to be the most influential, it’s worth adding your business to directories in your local area.

In Exeter and Devon, for example you could try using Exeter.co.uk. So, we would list ourselves as QuayClick - Exeter web design agency.

Tripadvisor

If you’re in the travel industry, it’s very important to claim your business on Tripadvisor too. This will allow you to update your profile with up-to-date information about your business.

A regular stream of reviews (positive reviews), can also be good for enhancing your search results – both on Google and within Tripadvisor. It’s worthwhile encouraging satisfied customers to leave a review on your website.

 

Join the conversation

 

Last but not least, let’s not forget social media. It’s a directory but there’s no doubt that regular social media activity can be beneficial for your business too. After all, ‘ Social Media Channels Are Search Engines, Too ’ according to Chloe Mason Gray at Kissmetrics . Essentially people use Twitter to search for things they’re looking for, including businesses.

 

In Devon, there are a number of location-based hashtags that can get you noticed, including:

 

- #Devon

 

- #devonhour

 

- #Devonlife

 

If you’re feeling brave you can also try using your own hashtags and see if they catch on. For more on using hashtags why not check out our hashtag master class.

 

Getting help with your local SEO

SEO helps get you noticed - it's why companies invest time and money in blogging, establishing backlinks through third party listings, posting on social media and crafting keyword-rich web content. However, it can be difficult to know where to start and creating content that ranks well with search engines but is also engaging and appealing to website visitors takes practice. At QuayClick, we're an Exeter web design agency and our staff have both SEO expertise and experience of producing web copy that works. If you'd like to get some help in making your business stand out locally, then get in touch with us to tell us about your business and what you'd like to achieve.