“Don’t hassle me, I’m local.” This saying that appeared on Bob Wiley’s shirt in the classic movie “What About Bob?” makes me laugh every time I watch this comedy. And, while this shirt was a vain attempt to fit in with the locals, something tells me you’re trying to do the same! The only difference is you wouldn’t actually mind being “hassled”, at least from a business perspective.
You’ve heard time and time again about SEO and how important it is to the success of your business. But what about localized SEO? It makes sense to be able to hone in on your corner of the world wide web with all of today’s advanced technology. Although you may potentially get clients from Iceland looking to settle into your neck of the woods; chances are you’d rather reach the people that you’ll most likely be working with in the home buying or selling process on a daily basis.
So, how do you go about optimizing your website for local search? Jon Rognerud, founder of chaosmap.com, a search marketing firm focusing on SEO, recently gave the following tips for making sure your website gets local.
Begin with the Basics- Google Places is a great place to begin as listing your business is free and great for SEO. Enhancing your business on Google Places will allow visitors to get a map on where your business is located, driving directions, website information and much more. You’ll be able to track how many people have clicked on your business on as well as how many times users saw your real estate business as a result of their search! Yahoo! Local and Bing Local are very similar to Google Places, so you’ll want to be sure to set up an account on those sites as well!
Verify- It’s really important to make sure your business is showing up with the correct information in search engines and that you’re even listed! To check this, go to Google and type in your basic information (ex: Chicago, IL Real Estate Agent). Once you locate your business, you’ll want to check the information. If there is an issue, you’ll want to take action to make sure it gets corrected! If your business shows up on a search map in Google, you can click on it to see if it’s verified. You’ll notice an arrow pointing at “business owner”, which means it needs verification.
Get Listed in Local Directories- Yelp and Merchant Circle are great ways to become even more localized! These are great tools for driving traffic to your website! You may also have a local online newspaper, city website, etc... that will allow you to list your business. Getting on as many of these local sites as possible is great, just be sure to keep your profile updated and have the same formatting on all sites.
Ask For Reviews- Reviews can be a powerful tool, as noted in our previous blog “Raving Reviews.” Everyone wants to read what makes an agent special, what other people thought about the agent, why they should choose you, etc... There are many sites where you can be reviewed such as Yelp and Zillow. You can even go as far as getting references from the Better Business Bureau and your local chamber of commerce.
As you begin to think locally, keep in mind that any SEO is good for your business! Don’t stop blogging or creating that custom website just because you’ve listed your business on local sites. These are just a few tips for making sure you’re taking advantage of what’s directly in front of you to increase your local presence!
We don’t recommend getting a t-shirt made like Bob Wiley’s, but if you did; we’re pretty sure you’d want it to say, “Hassle Me! I’m Local!”
Allie Coyle
Marketing & Copywriting Coordinator
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