When local SEO got started, it was more about how much of it you could do rather than how good it was. Long gone are the days when quantity outweighed quality. Today's local SEO efforts require you to take some stock in providing quality strategies in order to land the better ranking.
Search engines, just like users, have become smarter over the years, meaning that simple tasks that simply overwhelmed the system simply aren't good enough to get you to the top. Today's search engine algorithms know that users demand quality and have evolved to where they are now able to assess the quality of your website and your SEO efforts in order to rank you.
Here is what you need to know about quality local SEO so that you can focus your activities in the way that will elicit the best results.
The Most Powerful Local Directories
When local SEO first got started, the idea was to create a uniform presence across as many local business directories as possible. Now that there are literally millions of directories out there, it's important to focus your efforts on the ones that will provide you with the best bang for your effort.
You need to, of course, hit the big names like Google+ My Business, Yahoo! Business, Bing and others. Make sure that you complete your directory listings 100%, link back to all of your social media pages, add images and videos and more. Make sure that your NAP is consistent between them all and match it back with what is used on your website.
By the way, your social media profiles should also have the same NAP information. Your social media profiles are also directory listings, so you need to hit all the big ones here as well. Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest, and others.
Social Signals from Google+
There is no doubt that you know that Google is the gold standard for searches, but did you know that they are now taking over the social media sphere as well? Google does not use social signals from Facebook, Twitter or other external social media platforms to rank websites. But, they do use social signals. They do you're your overall popularity to gauge where to rank you, meaning that the more shares and retweets you get as an aggregate does matter. Google also has a social media platform Google+ that they do use social signals fro in order to rank you. This means that you need a Google+ profile that you are active on and asking others to +1 your content is a great way to gain clout with Google.
Link Potential From Social Sharing
Links are still king when it comes to boosting the position of your site. That's why gaining links through content distribution is a great thing. The best way to do this is through sharing through social channels. Social sharing is one of the most powerful ways to create links back to your website and move the needle quickly when it comes to ranking your website higher. Also, encouraging others to share your content will create valuable links.
Social Traffic Improves Site Metrics
Last but not least, be active with your followers on social media. This works in your favor in a number of ways. Interacting with clients creates an atmosphere of authority and a positive reputation, which lands you more followers. Secondly, it encourages the sharing of your content, which creates links. And lastly, it encourages click throughs and conversions, which is what we are all after. Social traffic is one of the most motivated elements of your website traffic and are usually the easiest to convert to sales, at least when you are doing social media right.
