How to Write Local SEO Optimized Content.
If you’re a local business owner, then you know the importance of being found online. In fact, 78% of consumers use Google to find local businesses. So if your company isn’t showing up in search results, it’s going to be very hard for potential customers to find you. That’s why so many small business owners are investing in SEO-optimized content—and with good reason! By creating high-quality content that actually helps users solve their problems (instead of only talking about how awesome your products or services are), you’ll improve your chances of ranking higher in Google searches and attracting more leads. Here is an easy guide on how to write SEO optimized content:
Invest in a Content Management System (CMS)
A content management system (CMS) is a platform that allows you to manage, organize, and publish your website’s content. Some CMS platforms include WordPress and Drupal.
If you have the technical know-how to use a CMS on your own, great! However, if not—or if you have an existing site that doesn’t support one—you can hire someone who knows what they’re doing. It may seem like an unnecessary expense but it will save you time and frustration in the long run because it will help ensure that your SEO-optimized content is being published consistently across all of your pages.
When deciding which CMS is right for you, consider how many people need access to manage the site (and whether or not those people are familiar with using a CMS). That way, everyone can contribute without needing their own login credentials.
Create a Local SEO-friendly Website
To optimize your site for local SEO, you’ll need to use a CMS that is optimized for local SEO. Here are the most common ones:
- WordPress
- Drupal
- Joomla!
If you don’t have access to one of those, there are some free alternatives that can help with local search optimization:
Do you want to rank in local search? Then use a local domain name. If your business is based in Los Angeles, then get a .LA domain. If it’s New York, get a .NYC domain. It’s that easy! If you have multiple locations, you should also include the city name in your URL to make it SEO-friendly. For example:
Choose a Local Domain Name
Choosing a domain name is the first step in creating an optimized website. It’s important to select a domain name that is short and easy to remember, relevant to your business, not taken by another site, and easy to spell and pronounce.
The best way to avoid these issues is by purchasing your own local domain name (e.g., [yourbusinessname].com) rather than using one that is provided by your web hosting company.
If you’re like most people, you’ll need help coming up with a domain name. Fortunately, there are tools available online that can generate ideas for your site. Check out these resources to get started.
List Your Business on Google My Business
My Business is a great tool for local businesses to use. It’s easy to set up and use. It’s free and it helps you connect with customers, which is what we all want in the end, right? My Business also helps customers find you, which means it builds your online presence, which in turn helps grow your business. So if you haven’t already started using this awesome platform, do yourself a favor by taking advantage of these benefits today!
To get started with My Business, you’ll need an email address, website URL (if available), and Google account. If you already have these things set up, then great! Just go ahead and sign in. If not, don’t worry – follow the steps below to create a free account.
Create Location-Specific Landing Pages
“Landing pages are the most important pages on your website”
—Andrew Fox, local SEO expert
In an ideal world, all of your visitors would land on a landing page optimized for their location. In reality, fewer than 30% of people do this. If you want to attract more customers from specific locations, you need to create localized landing pages for each city or region and make sure that these pages rank high in search results. If a user searches “best pizza in New York City” and lands on your site instead of Yelp’s NYC page (because yours ranks higher), they’ll be happy that they were able to find what they were looking for right away and won’t leave your site as soon as they see the phone number in the top left corner!
Claim Your Location in Google Posts
You may have heard of Google Posts, a new tool that allows businesses to create and publish posts directly to Google. If you haven’t already, it’s time to get on board!
Google Posts is a great way to promote your business because it allows you to insert your brand name into content that appears in search results (like news articles). The more people see your name, the more they think of you when they need something like a product or service. And if they think of you first, they’re more likely to reach out and contact you rather than another competitor.
Google Posts also gives businesses the opportunity to share their own content on Google Search results pages—which can increase visibility for blogs and websites alike. This tool gets even better when used with other tools such as AdWords and Analytics so that you can track how many clicks come from each piece of content as well as which ones convert best through sales leads or signups for services like custom packages designed specifically for those customers who want something special tailored just for them!
Add Detailed Information to Your Google My Business Profile
- Add a physical address.
- Provide a phone number.
- Provide a website.
- Describe your business in the “About Us” section of your Google My Business profile, including information about its purpose, target audience, and leadership team. Don’t forget to add this description to all relevant social media profiles as well!
- List products and services that you provide (again: don’t be shy!). If you’re an e-commerce site, include product category pages with descriptions of each item listed on them; if not, list the items on individual pages instead (but make sure they have product descriptions). In addition to these categories/pages detailing what customers should expect from your business or website—including any available discounts—you should also make sure they know what they can expect during their visit by providing an hours-of-operation list as well as amenities such as parking availability at any given location (if applicable).
Create High-Quality Content That Connects With Users’ Needs and Interests.
First, understand that writing for your audience is the first step in local SEO optimized content creation. There are a lot of people out there who think they can just write the same types of articles they used to write and then throw in some keywords and viola! their site will be discovered by Google. Don’t do that; write for your audience instead.
Writing for users means focusing on what they want and need—not simply what you want them to read or know about you or your business. This means asking yourself questions like “What do my readers care about?” or “How will I help them? What value am I providing with this piece of content?” If those questions don’t come naturally when writing an article, it may be time to rethink its purpose altogether (or at least try again).
Follow these Steps for SEO optimized Content.
You will need a CMS (Content Management System) to keep your local SEO optimized content organized and easily accessible.
A local domain name is also important, as this will help users understand that you are a local business.
You should create location-specific landing pages for each city or state you have an office in, so that people can find the most relevant information about the services offered by your company.
Claiming your business on Google Posts helps to ensure that it shows up in search results when someone searches for reviews of your business on Google+. This can be an effective way to get more online visibility among potential customers who are looking for information before they buy something from you!
Conclusion
Now that you know how to create SEO optimized content, you can write your own blog posts, articles and social media posts.