Local SEO is way more than just ranking for keywords. At its core, search engine optimization is about establishing your brand online and helping your business connect with the right leads at the right time. With so many different tactics and strategies factored into your SEO success, brand building must be at the top of the list!
Effective search engine optimization will do more than just ensure you rank for keywords and that your site is indexed correctly. It has the power to build and grow your brand as well. As Google continues to create an algorithm that is more and more focused on the user, building your search strategy around your local brand is essential. Below are 4 ways for you to grow your local brand using SEO best practices.
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#1. Brand Focused Site Links
Have you goggled your brand name recently? Hopefully you’re ranked in the first spo. If not you have a number of other things to fix asap! If you do rank in that first spot you will most likely have a list of other pages below to direct users to more targeted content. Check these out and make sure they are the pages that best reflect your local brand. If not you can prioritize the links shown by demoting the less important pages using site links. Do this until you’ve reached your desired results.
#2. Schema Markup
This is all about speaking in the native language of Google and other crawlers. This is what they ask for so give it to them. Using schema will help your local branding efforts greatly.
#3. Brand Image ALT Tags
Image alt tags are a great way to build your brand and let search engines know more about your business. Most searches yield image results so it just makes sense to add your brand name to logos and other important images to ensure they rank when your business is being searched for.
To learn more about all the on-page SEO factors you need to address, check out our free checklist!Â
#4. Local Listing Management
Having consistency on all the major local listing sites has major implications. Is your business name and description correct? Are they optimized to boost your visability to potential leads? This process can be very time consuming. To help make it easier we have a free scan tool you can use to see how your business is doing in this area.
When looking at the above list many of the suggestions are nothing new to those using SEO best practices. The main difference is shifting your focus to add more brand keywords. By embracing and using these tips you will improve your local brand and also help users connect with your brand when searching for services online.
