Local search optimisation in search engines such as Google and Bing is very important these days especially when people are using mobile devices when and out about to find Local Businesses and Services. Making sure your business is listed correctly for local search is important to ensure you can be found on Google maps and that your competitors are not ahead of you in local rankings.
Search engines use a number of factors to rank websites, but there are some basic Local SEO tips which you can easily do to keep things moving in the right direction. Here at SEO Consultant Hampshire I have put together 5 Basic Local SEO Hampshire Tips for all Hampshire based businesses to implement.
Google Places
If you run a local business in Hampshire one of the best Local SEO tips you can implement is listing your business and website under Google Places. It takes about 10 minutes to process and it will give you a free listing under specific categories ensuring your business is listed correctly on Google Maps and can be found through specific local keyword searches. This is essential these days, however, it won’t guarantee you first place in local searches.
Yell.com
Good old yellow pages! Gone are the days when yellow pages was the number one source for finding local businesses when at home. These days some people still use the yellow book, but in fact Yell.com still ranks quite highly in local search engines and they offer a free listing for businesses on the website. You can even optimise your yell.com profile with keywords and a free website link, Facebook page link and Twitter page link so this is still a must for appearing highly in local searches. Although to be featured at the top of Yell.com searches you will need to pay. When optimised correctly you will be surprised how many clicks through from Yell.com you will get for free!
Yelp.co.uk
Another local business directory which ranks quite well in search engines and provides another free web link is Yelp.co.uk. Not quite as good as yell.com, but still worth ten minutes of your time to build your profile and create another back link to your site.
Social Media
As we all know Social Media is a big part of all our lives these days so it is important that your businesses is listed on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and Pinterest as standard. Sometimes social media profiles will actually rank very highly especially if you don’t yet have a website. If people are searching for your business by name they may well come across your social media profile first in search engines. All the social media profiles provide free web links and it gives you the chance to interactive with customers locally online.
Website SEO
This part of Local SEO can go very deep and can require ongoing work. But, if you have a website and you want to rank locally for searches then ensuring your website is labelled correctly on specific pages for your area is extremely important. For example, if you are in Hampshire or in Southampton then you will need to make sure that your pages are correctly optimised for search engines to pick up your desired local keywords.
Good Luck with your 5 Basic Local SEO Hampshire Tips!
About the Author
Adam Silveston is an SEO Consultant based in Hampshire. I provide Internet Marketing & SEO Consultancy Services to Hampshire based businesses. If you would like to get in touch with me please use the Contact Page or alternatively you can sign up to my SEO Newsletter for tips by email.