Running a small company comes with many challenges, as you’re surely aware. For example, you might be dealing with fierce competition or have a limited budget to work with. However, as your goal is to reach a wide audience in order to grow your business, you need to focus on your marketing strategy. One important aspect here you cannot afford to overlook is SEO. Search engine optimization can help your business’s website rank higher on search engine results pages and make it easier for potential customers to find you. That being said, a small company should also focus on local SEO as their audience is probably the people living in the same town and not some overseas individuals.

With all that in mind, here are some tips that can help you create a winning local SEO content strategy.

Claim online business listings

The first thing that you need to do when developing your SEO content strategy is claiming online business listings. There are many business directory sites that you want to make the most of. For starters, Google My Business is a very useful service where you can add your name, physical address, phone number, website, and even photos of your brick-and-mortar store if you have one. This will give your business credibility and your company will appear in the search results with all the vital info that will make it easier for potential customers to find you. Other listings to update include Yelp, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Bing Places, among many others.

Target the right audience that is interested in your products/services

Something else you have to do is research your target audience. That means learning more about their habits and demographics. Moreover, you want to see what they are interested in and how you can appeal to them. As you’re focusing on the local customers and local SEO, you want to understand what your competitors are not offering and be the first to provide them with a solution to their problems.

Create unique content to post

No matter if you’re a purely online business or combine the online and brick-and-mortar approach, you want to have a quality website and include a blog where you can post a wide variety of unique content. From providing users with informational articles on how to renovate their bathroom to producing quality videos that would teach potential customers how to use your products, there are various kinds of content you can put out there. Moreover, in your blog posts, you want to include links that are relevant and lead to authority websites. However, as you’re targeting your local audience, you want to make it specific to the area you live in and make sure all the details are correct.

Research local keywords

If you understand SEO and are tackling it on your own, you’re probably aware of the importance of using the right keywords. When focusing on local SEO, using local keywords such as the name of your city, suburbs, and neighbouring towns can all bring you more customers. People tend to look up a product or service they need and simply type the place where they live into the search to find it more easily. This is the best way to pop up first on their result pages.

Look for the right people to work on your strategy

On the other hand, if you’re not sure how to handle SEO on your own, you might want to look for people that specialize in that kind of thing. For example, companies like True Recruit can help you find an employee with all the necessary skills and knowledge that will make your campaign successful. They can deal with everything from keywords to business listings. If you’d rather outsource, you can also get in touch with businesses that offer search engine optimization services.

Encourage customers to leave a review

Last but not least, you want to encourage customers to leave an online review of your business. This will not only be well-received by search engines, but potential customers are sure to appreciate it as well. As a matter of fact, people will look for online reviews after asking friends and family members for recommendations. By having high ratings and positive reviews, you are building trust among the locals and gaining authority in the field.

There are several steps to creating a successful local SEO content strategy. Make sure you don’t overlook anything important for the best results.