In Small Business SEO Part 1, we discussed how to make sure your website is equipped and ready to be utilized to generate traffic for your business. If you missed this post, you can find it here.

We will also be talking through some Search Engine Optimization (SEO) terms in this post. If you are unfamiliar with these terms, or would like a refresher, check out our SEO Glossary with the button below.

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Local Intent

Now that we have your website ready, we can get started on the nuts and bolts. When users go to Google or another search engine to look for services, the results will come back with a mixture of paid, local and national results. Both Google and Bing utilize your location to deliver relevant local results OVER less relevant national results.  Search engines now bias toward local results.  For most queries, search engines assume the searcher has a “local intent”.

For instance, if you are searching for a Pet Groomer, links to pet groomers in your town will come up before links to a pet groomer 500 miles away. This is great for the user, and provides a super opportunity for your website to be found. How do we go about making sure your website is in those results?

Places Registration

First, make sure you are taking advantage of local search mapping tools such as Google Places and Bing Local. These directories marry search results in with a map indicator to help the searcher find what they are looking for quickly and easily. If your business has been around for a while, you may already be entered into these directories – but it will be an automated entry that lacks detail. Both have a method to “claim your business” and let Google and Bing know that this is your business, and here are more details you wish to add. If you aren’t in them, register. This is the first step to making sure you are found in local searches.

Site Titles

The next one, while fairly easy, is often overlooked. Make mention of your city or town’s name, or other geographical indicator in the text on your website. Also make sure to put such references in your title. For instance, a Pet Groomer in Knoxville, TN would be wise to have a site title such as “Knoxville Pet Grooming | Your One-Stop Pet Care Center”. This ties the business geographically with Knoxville, and ensures that if someone searches Google for “Knoxville Pet Grooming”, they have a greater chance of making the results list.

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If you have more questions about Small Business SEO Strategies or would like to know more about our affordable small business seo packages and services, find out more here.

In the next installment of Small Business SEO, we will dig deeper into attracting specific kinds of visitors by selecting the right keywords.