BLOG SEARCH
Local SEO – 5 strategies to get started
by Jason Nuss ~ May 21st, 2013
We’ve recently had the opportunity and privilege to work with several local companies here in the Portland Metro area to help improve their local SEO results. In our 3+ years of business, the opportunity to work with truly local companies has only presented itself a handful of times. Local SEO has similarities to the ‘general’ SEO play but also has some very distinct differences. Here are 5 strategies we’re implementing for each of our clients right out of the gate.
1. Create and target a location based keyword list, which in our case includes phrasing utilizing Portland, Beaverton, Tigard, etc. We’ll include these in titles, content, metadata, and site interlinking in as natural and organic a way as possible. We want to target keywords for better Google ranking but we want to write our content for our users. It’s a fine balancing act.
2. Create location based landing pages within our client’s site for each unique physical address where our clients are doing business. Making sure that NAP (name, address, phone) are listed exactly the same across all location pages is very important. We’ll use our location based keyword list to rewrite metadata, content, titles, alt attributes, and links.
3. Make sure our clients have Google+ Pages that link to their location pages. If you want to be recognized by Google what better way than to use their tools and social networks? This is a very important step…but more importantly we’re linking back to our location pages from our Google+ Page.
4. Find relevant local directories and make sure our clients are listed there. Are there associations, chambers, reviews sites (claim your business), that we can be listed on? The key here is to try to get LOCAL, same city address, as our client’s locations. Basically, this is local link building. We’ll also see if we can get links from our client’s local customers and partners, keeping in mind that a link from a Portland based site to our Portland location page is best.
5. Add local images and testimonials on each location based landing page that we create. Include an image of the office, the staff, and the work environment. Use location based keywords in the alt attributes for each image. Include testimonials that are from customers that are specific to that location, and give a link, if possible, to that customer. Maybe they will reciprocate the link.
Bonus strategy:
6. "Geo-tagging, check-in.” We plan to setup our clients so their locations will be geo-tagged on social networks. This might come in the form of incentives to customers who check-in. "Be entered to win a cool prize by checking in at our location." This will create social buzz and activity lending more authority to your local presence.
These are just a sample of the activities we’ll be doing to start our local search engine optimization effort for our clients. Are you a local business that has experience in ranking well in local search? What strategies worked best for you? We’d love to hear from you.
The Effects of Content Integration on your Homepage
by Chuck Swanson ~ April 18th, 2013
Last June we undertook a website overhaul that resulted in us placing our blog content on our homepage. This isn’t revolutionary by any stretch, but we wanted to showcase a fresh stream of content relevant to what we do as an agency; I mean after all, isn’t that what site visitors (and… ahem… Google too) want?
Search Engine Optimization and Content Marketing – The Same Thing? YES!
by Jason Nuss ~ April 5th, 2013
Over the past couple of years Google has implemented a number of algorithm changes (Panda and Penguin) that have helped blur the lines between search engine optimization (SEO) and content marketing. And that’s a good thing! When I first started optimizing websites back in the day it was more science and less art; link building and keyword density ratios made for a rather scientific approach to constructing and optimizing sites for search. This has all changed and frankly we have Google to thank!
SEO Best Practices for Website Migrations
by Chuck Swanson ~ January 31st, 2013
It happens to almost every company out there that has a web presence… the site upgrade. Only I use the word upgrade cautiously, because while the graphics and imagery, maybe even the user experience, might be a step up from your old site at the end of the day people need to find you; likely on a search engine.
Outsourcing SEO Overseas: The Right Way to Do It
by Chuck Swanson ~ January 16th, 2013
I was recently reading Brick Marketing’s blog – SEO Firms in India: Are They Any Good? – and it got me thinking. Digital C4 uses an India-based service provider for our back-end SEO-related services and we couldn’t be happier with the service, results, effort, and thoroughness of what they deliver. But that said how we went about forging this relationship is most likely MUCH different than how most do it.
SEO
Our two search engine optimization offerings include a comprehensive, ongoing SEO effort that encompasses an on-page and off-page concerted effort as well as a one-time SEO effort that focuses solely on your website property.
Our comprehensive SEO approach encompasses research and analysis of competition and keywords, the optimization of your main website pages, the optimization of content rich, dynamic content (think blogs, videos, etc.), and a robust off-page strategy that builds links and establishes directory presence.
Our one-time SEO solution focuses solely on the first three and leaves off-page efforts to your in-house team.
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