Local SEO Techniques to Grow Your Business - Search Engines - SE Positioning

With the rate the internet is growing, there seems to be no stopping the growth of the amount of local searches. You are about to learn about a few SEO techniques that will take you far in this business.

Having quality content on your site is the first requirement if you want to rank well. What is the purpose of doing search engine optimization? So that your website attracts targeted visitors. If you expect people to surf your site and purchase your products, you have to give them helpful material that matches their interests. You can't expect most of your visitors to go through every sentence of your content, as most people will go over it quickly, scanning it. So if you want to be sure that people read certain information, highlight it or use bullet points to call their attention to it. You can even use pictures as an aid to achieve this. While you want to use your main keywords, don't use them too much, as the search engines may penalize you for this.

When you're targeting local sites listing services such as Yahoo! Local, Bing Local and Google Places, you should first start off by logging into them and claiming your profile. All it takes to claim your profile on these sites is to verify your basic information with a phone call. This doesn't take much time but it will definitely give you an edge over the others who haven't done it. By including photos of yourself or your business on these local site listings, you enhance your reputation, as people feel more positive and trusting when they see an image. Try to find the best pictures you have handy and upload them, so people have something to see when they find your listing. You want to portray your business as impressively as possible, so you should use quality pictures, though they don't have to be perfect.

Another way to get ranked well locally is to get backlinks from well established local websites, which the search engines consider important. The most beneficial sites to get links from are those that are popular and well respected, such as the local BBB (Better Business Bureau) or Chamber of Commerce in your area. Search engines can give you more ideas along these lines, so simply type in the name of your city plus "directory of businesses" or the like. This should give you enough websites to target and get listed with. It doesn't take much time to find such sites, so make sure you're putting in the effort in this area.

All in all, these SEO tips can take you far as long as you use them.