Local SEO

Local SEO often refers to localizing your content to your target area. For example, if you operate in the Grand Rapids area, you don’t necessarily want clients contacting you for services if they live in New York. Minimizing the search location within your area means that clients are easily able to find your services within range and you’re readily able to provide them because of the short distance. This also means that you’re more likely to get clients contacting you locally, rather than branching out to surrounding areas for the same services.

Area Code SEO

Area code SEO is done based on your area code where you’re located, or the area codes that you serve specifically. When you decide to include area codes in your SEO, you’re narrowing down the service proximity that you’re able to serve and therefore welcoming clients from those area codes to contact you for services. This helps reduce unnecessary or spam traffic to your website, as well as falsely lead clients to your website if you’re not within their reach for potential services. Area code SEO is recommended for businesses that operate in larger cities which can include several area codes for surrounding suburbs as well.

Target Location

Your target location is directly linked to where you operate or where you’d like to receive the most business. Grand Rapids, for example, is large enough to encompass suburbs and surrounding towns, as well as those in the city for success sales or reach. If you’re operating in a smaller town or larger metropolitan area, you’ll want to see where most of your existing business comes from or research how you’ll be able to provide services to other areas if you’re planning on expanding your reach.

Keywords

Using keywords is one of the most important steps to having successful SEO. Keywords are specific words or phrases that have been researched regarding your niche and are often the phrases that clients type into search engines when attempting to connect to you. They keywords they type in are then linked to the same or similar keywords found in your online content. For example, if you’re a coffee shop operating in Grand Rapids, you’ll want keywords such as “Coffee Shops in Grand Rapids” to appear on your webpage, versus just the word coffee shop, as sometimes this can lead to searches that are too broad. Bidding on keywords and phrases that are more specific is often cheaper and more efficient in connecting clients to your page, rather than words like “coffee,” or “Grand Rapids.”

Local Traffic

To drive in or generate local traffic, you’ll want to establish your target location, define your keywords, and optimize your content. Strategic bidding on the right keywords in specific areas can easily connect clients to you and push your website’s ranking to the top of the list when generating searches on a search engine. When your website is pushed to the top of the search results, clients are more likely to click through to your website, as the top results are viewed as reliable and convenient, compared to searching through pages and pages of content to find a trusted service.