Six Helpful Tips to Improve Local SEO Rankings

Let's Face it, getting a good ranking on the search engines is much more difficult than it was ten years ago. With the explosion of social media and the ever-evolving search algorithms, how is anybody supposed to easily represent themselves in the online world? If you suspect that you are having a hard time reaching your online audience, maybe it is time to re-assess the core elements of search engine optimization (SEO). The following list names some important components and some handy tips that may just help your jump-start your website's SEO and improve your search rankings in your target market.

1. Localized Keywords - Keyword research is of the utmost importance these days. Your site may be doing poorly in search results due to a lack of specific keywords. General keywords are not going to be very helpful to you in local search when they have all been locked down by large firms with millions of dollars for SEO budget. Do yourself a favor and research the proper keywords for your local market. Specificity is on your side.

2. Google+ Local - Claiming your business on your own Google+ Local page is shown to dramatically increase your local SEO efforts. This is as easy as claiming your business page, confirming the URL, and making sure the phone number, address, and any other relevant information is filled out properly.

3. Competitive Backlink Research - Be sure to investigate the Web profiles of your competitors to see if you have missed any link-building opportunities. There are many ways in which you can simply copy the link profiles of your competitors to help raise your profile on the major search engines. Just make sure you link to websites that make sense for your self-storage operation.

4. Narrow Down your PPC Caampaign - Try testing out different phrases with a pay-per-click (PPC) campaign and switch keywords when appropriate. Depending on where you are locally, you may have missed a keyword that could bring you all sorts of Web traffic. PPC campaigns are relatively inexpensive and much quicker when it comes to determining key phrases that will be successful for you in organic search listings.

5. Google's Disavow Tool - If you have noticed your traffic is down a little, you should check out your own backlink profile. If you see it’s filled with junk links, you should use the Google Disavow tool to get rid of all bad links within your profile. These shady links can cause Google to punish your website. Removing these poor quality sites will help keep your site looking respectable in the eyes of Google and the other major Search Engines.

6. Customer Review Sites - It’s a good idea to encourage customers to review your business on major review sites. Using sites like Yelp, Yahoo Local, Google+ and other major social media platforms helps with search engines and brand awareness. The major search engines also take note of the attention customers give your Facebook and Twitter profiles. Encourage conversation on your social media pages and make sure to link to them.

All of the major search engines are constantly changing and evolving, which means you need to keep close to the pulse and be aware of any major changes to how the rankings work. Monitor your search rankings and determine where the rules may have changed if you find that your strategy is good but your ranking is suffering. SEO is a long-term discipline; do not be frustrated with short-term fluctuations in your search rankings. Aim for consistency within your local market, and you will see a rise in traffic as well as business.