If you own a service & repair business, you know how important it is to reach out to more customers. You are good at doing the work but if you, or your SEO service provider, is not using the right marketing tactics you won’t stand out. A glance at a local business directory or online listings will show dozens, if not hundreds of service & repair providers. In a competitive market like Houston TX it can be overwhelming.
Local SEO is your answer. Because your potential customers are increasingly making their purchase decisions based on the information they’re researching online. If your business doesn’t have much of a presence on Google or Bing, and your sites are buried somewhere deep in the search results, potential customers won’t find you.
Here are some SEO tips that can use yourself, or to check your SEO service provider:
Is Your Google My Business Page Optimized?
If you do your own marketing & don’t have a Google My Business page, then this is the place to start. If you pay an SEO service provider & don’t have one, it time to look for a new Houston SEO company. It’s nearly impossible for your business to be found without one.
To get started, claim or add your business to Google My Business. Set up and optimize your page with as much accuracy as possible. And, while you’re at it, make sure to add the following info:
- A clear description of your business and services
- The category to which your services/products belong
- A business address that’s consistent across all local and internet directories
- A working local phone number
- Specific hours of operation
Is Your Name Address & Phone (NAP) Consistent Everywhere?
Your NAP or Name, Address, Phone Number should be consistent on all local directories, listings, and even social pages. Not just the info, but also the way they are written, styled and formatted should be the same. For example, if you have York Street on one site and York St. on another, that is not good.
Maintaining correct NAP information across the web is a key factor for a successful local SEO campaign. But, it’s not a one-time affair. Every time you change your business address or phone number, you need to go back and update your listings. Your SEO service provider should be able to give you an exact readout for this.
While it may sound pretty obvious that NAP needs to be accurate and constantly updated for customers to find you, you’d be surprised to know that most business owners have no idea how many different ways they show up online.
Are Target Keywords & Phrases Set-Up For “Local” SEO?
If you’re targeting local customers, you need to build your keyword research around local SEO. This requires a combination of industry-related keywords & your geographic locations. “Auto repair Houston,” “Auto repair company in Houston”, for example, are some potential keywords for an auto repair business operating in Houston TX.
Besides, geo-specific keywords, your SEO service provider should have a well thought out long-tailed keywords strategy. This is because one of the big trends we’re seeing in local SEO is the increasing popularity of voice search. Last year, Google reported that 20% of all mobile queries were voice searches.
So, what are long-tailed keywords? These are keywords people typically use during a voice search. For example, if someone was searching for home remodeling services in Houston via text, they would simply type “home remodeling Houston.” But for a voice search, people tend to use phrases they would normally use while speaking, such as “Which is the best home remodeling service in Houston?”
This basically means you need to start creating content that’s based on user intent and answers the questions your customers are asking.
Is Your Website Content Local Optimized?
After selecting the right keywords to target, it’s time to optimize the pages. The most important thing to remember while using keywords in your content is to not over do it. Keyword stuffing not only annoys the heck out of your website visitors, but it could even get your site penalized.
Other places your keyword phrases (and geo-specific) keywords should be used.
- Title Tag
- H1 Tag
- Your URL
- Image ALT Attributes
Do You Have Service Pages for Important Services?
If your business serves more than one location, or has branches in other locations, it’s a great idea to create unique service pages for each location. This way you can market your services in a more targeted manner. However, the content on each local service page should be unique. If search engines detect duplicate information across local service pages, it can hurt your site’s rankings. This is why it’s a good idea to ask your SEO service provider what percentage of your website content is “duplicate content”.
Do You Have Enough Inbound Links?
High-quality backlinks to your domain can have a huge impact on your organic and local search rankings. In fact, a recent Moz survey has revealed inbound links to be the top factor in local SEO performance. Your local SEO service provider should be able to tell you how many inbound links you have. And what they are doing to find more…
Is Your Website Mobile Optimized?
If your website is not mobile optimized, put this at the top of your list. Surveys show that 60% of customers are more likely to contact a local business with an optimized mobile design. Clearly, failing to give your customers a better mobile experience could result in lost business.
Also, we all know about Google’s love for mobile-responsive sites. But, the search giant is now pushing its mobile-friendly card even further. According to Search Engine Land, “Google is rolling out a new mobile-first index. This means Google will create and rank its search listings based on the mobile version of content, even for listings that are shown to desktop users.”
SEO Service Provider Conclusions
This list provides a good starting point to check your own local SEO. Or as a good way to check if you are getting your monies worth from you SEO service provider. ProEngage Local is a local only SEO services provider. If you have any question or need help, call us today (832) 857-0065.