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What steps to learn proper local SEO?

by bsurb
14 replies
Good evening. Iv always wanted to start a digital marketing agency and finally willing to go the next step. Right now, I am running a brick and mortar print shop in my local town, working with pretty much just business owners. We have about 70,000 in our city and it's growing everyday. I have a small gist on how traditional SEO works and I am very well with managing websites and social accounts.

With the marketing agency, my intentions are to focus on a couple areas such as local SEO and web design instead of trying to offer a hundred different things.

Iv read a couple courses such as SEMRUSH and another course that i found online so I have a good understanding how local SEO works.

Can anybody recommend any courses or some type of learning material that will now help me put my local SEO into action? As far as performing the actual work? I understand there is plenty of material on Google however, I want to make sure when performing local SEO I am going in the proper order and not skipping around. I would like to work on my brick and mortar business and a couple other friends to build case studies so these would be great for me to get my feet wet.

I am willing to pay for useful information. Thank you all in advance!
#learn #local #proper #seo #steps
  • Profile picture of the author Jamell
    You need to get busy producing and networking .Don't over consume because you will confuse yourself and not produce any tangible results .

    There is so much to learn about SEO but if you learn 1 technique at a time and use that technique to enhance yourself and others your business will bloom .

    As long as you are learning and testing you should be good .
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    • Profile picture of the author sbrewingcompany
      Optimize for Google My Business.
      Engage on social media and add posts to Google My Business.
      Ensure your name, address, and phone number are consistent online.
      Optimize online directories and citations.
      Perform a local SEO audit.
      Improve your internal linking structure.
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  • Profile picture of the author savidge4
    Originally Posted by bsurb View Post

    Can anybody recommend any courses or some type of learning material that will now help me put my local SEO into action?
    The absolute divider between "SEO" and "Local SEO" is backlinks vs Citations. Understanding you want your NAP ( Name, Address, Phone number ) vs a link to your site is what it all comes down to.

    Some suggested reading:

    ( https://www.brightlocal.com/learn/lo...-is-local-seo/ ) the top dog source... just start reading and watching and reading more - its ALL there - IF I need answers this is where I go.

    ( https://whitespark.ca/ ) #2 on my list - Just hit the Resources tab and again read and watch.

    A suggested video.. is Gary Vaynerchuk's $1.80 Instagram Strategy ( you can easily look this up ) the basic principle - give your .02 90 times a day ( $1.80 ) applies across the board on any and every social outlet. We personally do maybe 10 to 15 per day per social platform... it takes consistency and time, but is very very effective over the long term - just believe in the process.

    Anything and everything you need to know is right there!

    Hope that Helps!
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  • Profile picture of the author RMRC
    Here is a local SEO checklist to help you step by step.

    Adding complete information to your Google Business Profile

    Verifying your locations

    Keeping your hours accurate and up-to-date

    Managing and responding to reviews

    Adding high-quality photos
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  • Profile picture of the author dee4d
    It is time you started a website for your business and try online sales.
    Do you have time to build and maintain a website?
    Why not concentrate on running your business as you outsource for services of the website.
    Just make sure you have control of the website, and do basic things by yourself.
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  • Profile picture of the author PlatinumPen
    I would suggest learning how to optimise your business listings - Google Business, Bing Places etc. For one or two locations, it's relatively straightforward, so a simple course on Skillshare or similar should suffice.

    The reason for this focus is that most local searches (search terms including an area) will bring up Google's local pack (map pack). Results in map pack are powered by listings.

    If you're working with a business with lots of locations, consider investing in a listing management platform like Yext. This will ensure that NAP details are consistent across all platforms, which is vital for local SEO.

    Best wishes,
    PP
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  • Profile picture of the author Claire Koch
    I don't know why this isn't in the local section but OK! It isn't learning seo that is the problem its the waiting period that happens in between and believe me you would lose a client fast over that if you don't preface your offer with the fact that it is not instant rewards. You can easily learn SEO if you are one who can handle the other aspects of it.

    i think savage gave you the best answer for offpage but you also have to add keywords in the website, make sure you have an H1 title tag on there as well among other things. But yeah its citations that make the huge difference. You don't need a paid course you need to learn how to do citations or outsource that and what is onpage seo.
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    • Profile picture of the author savidge4
      Originally Posted by Claire Koch View Post

      i think savage gave you the best answer for offpage but you also have to add keywords in the website, make sure you have an H1 title tag on there as well among other things. But yeah its citations that make the huge difference. You don't need a paid course you need to learn how to do citations or outsource that and what is onpage seo.
      What gets real interesting in the Local SEO spectrum...you really dont need a website. If the idea is to get the customer into the store OR to call - you want to be in the 3 pack because Directions and Call is right there - AND super trackable.

      The same principles apply with Facebook ads that are location targeted for a specific city / zipcode. You can land them right to your facebook page that has Directions and Call functions right there. Again no website needed.

      For me as someone that specializes in Local business' a website is a place holder far more so than an avenue of traffic. As an example. someone types in a bsuienss name directly in Google. they will get website information in Serps...BUT to the right is the panelwith that specific bsuiness' information ( Directions or Call ) and THAT panel will get 10 to 1 clicks over serp website page clicks.

      Websites In the Local SEO spectrum are VALIDATION Its the business profile that is doing the heavy lifting.

      If you spend any amount of time reading through Brightlocal or Whitespark..the term "H1" is nowhere to be found as being helpful in "Local SEO"
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  • Profile picture of the author stiger1
    Here is my suggestion below.

    1. The first step to learning proper local SEO is to figure out what keywords are most relevant to your business. You can do this by thinking about what terms people would use to search for your business online.

    2. Once you have a good list of relevant keywords, the next step is to make sure your website is optimized for those keywords. This means using the keywords in the right places on your website, such as in the titles and tags of your web pages.

    3. Read articles or books about local SEO. This will give you a good foundation of knowledge about the subject.

    4. Talk to people who are experts in local SEO. They can give you tips and tricks that they have learned over the years.

    5. Experiment with different techniques. Try different things and see what works best for your business.
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  • Profile picture of the author onroadz tours
    If you are running a business and are looking to increase your visibility in your local community, then you need to focus on local SEO. There are a number of steps you can take to learn proper local SEO and improve your ranking in local search results.
    1). Bookmarking
    2). Directory
    3). local bussiness listing
    4). Classified submission
    5). Image submission
    6). Blog and Article Submission
    7). Fourm Submission
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  • Profile picture of the author Akashkumar1
    Local SEO is a strategy to help businesses gain more visibility in local search results. It helps customers easily discover, evaluate, and contact local businesses to serve their needs
    Steps:
    A Google My Business listing
    Engage on social media
    Perform a local SEO audit
    Optimize Your Content
    Off Page Seo
    On-Page Seo
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Trex
    Since more business are registering on Google My Business so it is important for every business owner to learn strategies to perform effective Local SEO to beat their competitors in Local Market.
    My Main Expertise was Onpage and Offpage only but then recently I started Learning Local SEO, I watched videos on youtube but the information there was not enough so one my friend recommended me to search courses on Udemy and it helped alot as well.

    So my recommendations are to first watch introductory videos on Youtube and after you know the basic steps and think you can do it then you should go for a paid course on Udemy with most number of Reviews.

    I hope you will this information useful. Good Luck with your Learning!
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  • Profile picture of the author shivam wgs
    Start With A Website. Your website is the primary testing ground for your local SEO strategy.
    Learn SEO Tools.
    Optimize Your Content.
    Try Your Hand At Off-Site SEO
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  • Profile picture of the author Surbhi Chauhan
    1. Claim Your Business Listings
    2. Add Location Pages to Your Website
    3. Improve NAP Consistency
    4. Update All Things Google My Business
    5. Attain Reviews
    6. Create Local Content
    7. Take Advantage of Google AdWords Keyword Planner
    8. Acquire Backlinks from Partners and Sponsorships
    9. Conduct Local Link Building
    10. Utilize Social Media Platforms
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