If you are a local business whose main audience is people in your area, then it is important to make sure they can find your business easily on search engines.

Advertising with keywords on Google and Bing is the easy option, but with advertising usually comes a cost, and there is a free way to make sure you are seen in local searches - search engine optimisation a.k.a SEO!

We’ve talked about how to get started with SEO in a number of our previous blogs, however local SEO is a bit different. Gone are the days when you can just insert a bunch of keywords and meta tags everywhere and then build links on random sites. Now a days its all about relevant information and getting good backlinks!

Keep on reading for some handy tips on how to localise your SEO…

• Contact Details: First things first, to make sure you are appearing in local searches it is important to make sure your contact details are the same across your website and other websites you are listed on. Keeping everything consistent is important so that search engines can read it better and rank you accordingly. If you have changed your address recently, make sure to update it across your website and other platforms as well.
• Get Listed: online directories are a great way to be found by a wider audience and is a great for SEO purposes. There are different types of directories, general ones such as Yell, Qype and Thomson Local, or more industry specific ones. Both of which should not be ignored. You can find directories with a simple search, or you can also ask your customers or see who your competitors are using. Once you have found out which ones to use, submit your details. Make sure you are submitting the same details as other directories and on your website (remember the first point!).
• Google My Business: If you have searched for a specific business, you probably have noticed the box to the right side that contains all the business information, including reviews and pictures. To get this, you will need to register for Google My Business. By registering you will have the chance of appearing in local searches. Much like submitting details for directories, it is simple to do. Make sure all details are correct so they can verify you, and let Google know if you serve customers at your address, at their address or both. This will determine how you show up in Google maps.
• Bing Places: The same as Google My Business, but for Bing search engines. While it is not as popular it is still the second most popular search engine and definitely worth using.
• Yelp: getting listed on Yelp is great to be listed on as it is used by Apple Maps, so it is great to target Apple iPhone or iPad users.
• Customer Reviews: encourage your customers to leave reviews for you on various websites, including Google My Business and directories like Yelp or Qype. Having more reviews can help boost your status as search engines will see you has reputable. Getting reviews can be easy as well, you can share it on your social media or include it in post purchase emails.

All of these are great ways to help you optimise your local SEO and help customers that are local to you find you. What’s more is that they are easy to implement as well, they may take a bit of time but if you set aside a day to focus on them you can get your local SEO up to scratch!

For more help on SEO and how to get started, check out our previous blogs:

• Choosing a domain name for SEO
• Picking the right keyword
• Content writing for SEO
• Polish your code for SEO
• Measuring your SEO
• Other SEO tips