People in Victoria search for products and services in Victoria. Local SEO strategy targets these geographically specific search queries through on-page and off-page optimization. Local SEO will improve your website’s rankings for important product or service keywords in conjunction with your city or town name.
Why is Local SEO important?
Local SEO is important for brick and mortar shops and professional services that want to attract search engine traffic. In Google, most location specific search queries trigger the “Places” local business and map listings on the search engine results pages (SERPs). These local business listings usually dominate page one results.
Is Local SEO right for your business
If your website sells products to customers from other provinces or the USA, then local SEO may not be for you. On-page Local SEO requires specifying a single geographic location if it’s going to be effective. Seeing references to “Victoria, BC” in your headlines, for example, may turn American visitors away. A great way to target international and local visitors is to build out a secondary geo-targeted website. This will allow you to engage with your local community freely and optimize your site for Local search engine results.
How to get a Google+ Local Page?
First and foremost – you need a Google account. Google is currently in the process of rolling out a new services dashboard called Google My Business. This allows local businesses and brands alike to view metrics and listings options within a new unified dashboard. You need a physical business address to have a Google+ Local Page. They are designed for businesses that serve a specific geographic location – so they are perfect for restaurants, lawyers, plumbers and other local services. If you don’t have a business address or storefront, Google My Business will funnel you toward the Google+ Page creation option.
Setting up a Google+ Local page
The process begins with telling Google whether your business has a storefront where customers come to you – or whether you service customers in a set geographic area at their location. You then input your company name or address and select it from a dropdown menu. Google gets data from third party listings as well as it’s own services, so your business may be in the list. If your address or company name is not in the list, you will be asked to submit your business name, address and phone number in following fields.
Verification
Google then needs to verify your business information. You can choose to have a postcard mailed to you or complete the verification by phone. Either option will give you a number that must then be input into a confirmation field in your Google dashboard.
How Google+ Local works for your customers: a video
Sizing up the local competition for SEO
Certain industries are more competitive than others simply because there is more search traffic available. Businesses in highly competitive industries often include internet marketing and SEO in their customer acquisition strategies and have thus established a degree of authority in their local niche.
Prior to our initial consultation with you, we will do a little digging into the SEO landscape of your local market. This will help us gauge the level of local competition that you face and design an SEO strategy to help you compete.