3 Simple Tips to Improve Your Online Visibility
Small business owners rarely have the time or money to do their own marketing. As we know, doing a Google SERP doesn’t always produce the results we want to see and sorting through those results can take time, which also adds up.
There are TONS of articles on the internet regarding increasing traffic to your website and producing the results you want, and all of them talk about SEO. Yes, we can talk about that all day, and we do! However, I am here to give you some super easy, manageable tips to get you out of the gate.
Here are some quick and easy tips to maximize your business presence online.
Google My Business
Make sure you optimize and utilize this free tool by Google. Many businesses don’t realize how complex this tool can be, or maybe they do know it and then decide not to address that.
Setup “Google My Business” Listing
In order to begin, you must have “Google My Business” setup properly if you want to show up in Google Maps. This is where you create and control your Google Maps listing. Establish your listing and ensure your listing is up to date and accurate. Having a detailed profile improves your chances of ranking in the maps area.
- Have you included images of your work?
- Do you have a current description of your business and services?
- Ensure your address and contact information are valid. If you do not have a public physical address, that is acceptable. You can join “Google My Business” using your personal address and request that your address remain hidden.
- Choose your area by specifying a radius around your present city or by naming the cities and towns you serve.
- Most importantly, include a link to your website so that they may discover more about your services.
Use “Google My Business” Tools
This may sound apparent, but “Google My Business” contains a variety of options that you may not be aware of.
Did you know you can share specials and update your company listing?
Create posts to keep your potential clients informed about what’s going on in your company and how you can work together.
Set a reminder to follow up with customers and clients, requesting feedback in the form of a Google review. Creating a personalized email template makes the procedure much easier. Copy and paste the email, make any necessary changes, and then send it. Done!
Google wants to see active users, which are those that consistently update and use their platform.
There is a great Google Business Profile Action program that helps you with step-by-step instructions at optimizing your profile and is free to use for 30 days.
Optimize Your Website for Local Keywords
I see this kind of mistake all the time. If you own a local business, your website should advertise your location.
Make your city or state stand out. Make sure the Google Maps locations match those on your website.
They should mirror one another.
If you list services on Google Maps, make sure you also mention them on your website.
Google analyzes your website content to decide which keywords cause your Google Business listing to appear.
Directory Listings
If you want your business to rank better on social media, directory listings are a quick and easy way to do it. It’s additionally simple to sign up for listings online. Online directories can help your local SEO quite a bit by making it easier for potential customers to find your business, increasing your online profile, and making you more visible in your area. And they give you backlinks to your site which can help it rank higher in search engines.
Remember that some directories are for specific industries.
For example:
ABC of WI is a Wisconsin Member Director for Construction. It is a comprehensive guide of quality builders and contractors.
Zagat is a more exclusive restaurant review site that offers window stickers and other materials to let diners know that restaurant is on this site.
Salonguru is a totally free salon listings directory from the world leader in Salon Marketing Online.
Fabric is a fashion business directory. This directory is good to find local businesses and to submit your own business on the directory. Simply become a member.
There are thousands of business directories where you can list your company. I developed a short list that can be used by any business. Regardless of your industry or target market, you can submit your company to the directories below. To make this list, the directory required to be classified as General.
When adding your company’s listing to a directory, ensure that it includes the essential information:
- Consistent NAP. If you add or update your business on numerous business listing sites, please be sure to provide the same information in each directory.
- Provide a link to your website. Backlinks, also known as inbound links, are critical to your company website’s Domain Rating. Consider including a tracking link at the end of this URL so you can observe how much traffic your website receives from business directories that link to it.
- A company description. Make sure you have a detailed description of your business that reflects your organization’s mission, culture, and values.
- Multimedia. Give company searchers a visual representation of your organization by uploading a photo or video of your office, workers, or regular business operations.
- Google Business Profile (I mentioned this earlier)
- Better Business Bureau
- Hotfrog
- Merchant Circle
- EZLocal
- eLocal
- Manta
- Foursquare
- Yellow Pages
Join a Chamber
Joining your local Chamber of Commerce may not be the first thing that comes to mind when looking at search engine optimization (SEO) solutions. However, your Chamber of Commerce supports small businesses and can provide opportunities for networking and obtaining backlinks to your website, as well as creating credibility.
Joining your Chamber of Commerce may provide you with SEO benefits for a comparatively low annual fee. Here are a few ways that becoming a member could improve your SEO ROI.
Make connections through networking
One great way to make business connections and get to know other workers is to join your Chamber of Commerce. You might even be able to work together with another member or get recommendations from other members.
You might be able to help another business and your own at the same time during this process. Like, you could form a relationship with them so that they link to your site or send people to your business.
If you’re a member of your local Chamber of Commerce, you might also be able to get online press news, like if you do volunteer work in the community. This is good for your SEO.
Get a better return on your money
If your business is small and doesn’t have a lot of money to spend on ads, the Chamber of Commerce may be the cheapest way for you to network. But for the price, it might give you a better return on your money than some SEO work.
Joining your Chamber of Commerce can help you market your business better and meet people you can work with on marketing and leads. You can use this advertising to get the word out about your business since people use the Chamber of Commerce to find goods and services online.
The annual fee to join the Chamber of Commerce is usually between $300 and $400, which is less than other business networking sites.
In conclusion Getting more people to visit your website and making yourself more visible can take a long time and be difficult. Even though I know it takes work, time, and money in the end, it’s worth it. With these tips, you can start getting more people to see your business online right away. By following these easy steps, you will see that your online exposure will improve a great deal.
Shelly Iverson, Shelly’s Social Media
https://www.shelleyssocialmedia.com/