Many of the ERP VARs and technology partners we work with provide their implementation and support services in a local area. Sure, you may have a handful of customers across the country or around the world. But if you’re like most, you have a high concentration of customers within driving distance of your office(s).
Yet many of those same ERP partners are nowhere to be found when you do a Google search on [your product expertise] combined with [your geography]. For instance:
“Sage 100 Support New York”
“Dynamics GP Training Chicago”
“SAP ByDesign Los Angeles”
Did you know that 73% of all online activity is related to local search?
While searches like “Sage 300 ERP Support Toronto” may not send huge volumes of traffic to your site, the handful of people that do find you with that search are highly targeted and probably need your help.
Here are 6 simple things you can do today to improve local search results for your website.
1. Set Up A Google+ Business Page
If there’s only one thingyou follow through with on this list, do this now!
Go and set up a Google+ Business Listing
If you have an established business, chances are that your company is already listed and was automatically migrated from the old Google Places directory. If Google already has a listing for your business, you’ll need to claim ownership via verification call or postcard (with PIN number) from Google.
If there isn’t an established profile and you need to set up a new Google+ Business Listing, you’ll have to establish a personal Google+ profile first. Then, you can set up a new business page/listing.
Once your listing is set up or officially claimed, be sure to complete your company’s listing by adding a link to your website, categories, photos, and a keyword optimized description.
By adding or claiming a Google+ Business Listing, you’ll have a far better chance of ranking in local search results, sometimes even above the organic search results. We’ve seen it happen time and again for our clients so go do this as soon as you’re done reading the rest of this post.
2. Local Directory Listings
While it’s vital to have your business listed on Google+ Local for Business (being that Google dominates search), it certainly doesn’t hurt to have your business listed on other reputable directories like Bing Local, Yahoo! Local, and Yelp.
And remember that consistency is important so be sure to use the same local address and phone number across all directories. In fact to see how your business is listed across the major online directories, go to: http://getlisted.org
Last, be sure to include your website URL because each new listing provides one more backlink to your website (backlinks are good for SEO). Be sure to check out our blog entry SEO Backlink Building Using Free Online Directories for more information on backlinks and for a list of the top free online directories.
3. Get Listed on Top Sage Resellers
Get your company listed on Top Sage Resellers, an online directory created for Sage Partners and designed to put your business on the local search map immediately. Every partner listed on the Top Sage Resellers website appears on the first page of Google for their chosen Sage product and local region.
Go to www.top-sage-resellers.com for more information.
4. Add Local Address & Phone Number to Every Page
Adding a local address and phone number to your website is an easy way to boost your local search ranking. Many companies place this information in the website header or footer to ensure it adds a little local SEO juice to every page.
Google recommends using a phone number with a local area code that matches the location of your business (and your Google+ business listing), rather than an out-of-area cell phone or toll-free number.
5. Embed a Google Map
Embed a Google Map on your Contact Us page to help visitors, and more importantly the Google Bots, find and verify your business location. Simply head over to Google Maps, type in your address, generate the HTML code, and place the code on your website.
6. Localize Title Tags
If you really want to crank up the local SEO juice of your website, you can add your location to the title tags on your home page and any other product-oriented pages.
Not sure what title tags are or how to optimize them for SEO? Here’s a good resource: Back to Basics – How to Write Title Tags for SEO
Now It’s Your Turn
There you have it … 6 simple ways to improve your local search rankings.
If you need personalized recommendations for your specific website or business, check out our GoogleJuice SEO Website Audit.
Got some other tips to share?
Feel free to leave a comment below and let us know what local search tactics are working for you.
