Step 2: Local Keyword Research

Once we have a thorough understanding of the customers we need to be targeting, we perform extensive keyword research to find relevant keyword opportunities for your business.

When performing keyword research, we consider many factors, including the relevance of each keyword to your customers' wants and needs, the estimated monthly search volume (according to Google) of each keyword, the level of difficulty required for success with each keyword, and any current organic search traffic and analytics data that is available.

Step 3: On-Site Local SEO Audit

Part of Google's local algorithm are local signals on your website.  At the start of each campaign, we perform an in-depth audit of your website to make sure it is optimized for success.

We audit every single page on your website, focusing on both "normal" SEO best practices as well as local-specific techniques that assist our local SEO efforts, including local keyword targeting, proper placement of company contact information, Google maps links, rCard & hCard markup, site architecture, usability, and conversion.

Step 4: Locally-Focused Content Development

It's no secret that Google rewards targeted, high quality information in their search results.  Once we have your website's technical issues sorted out, we shift our focus towards your content.

We work through your website and ensure that every page on your domain has content that is well-focused on the keyword it is targeting, and providing high quality information that visitors will find useful.  For small businesses with more than one location, we usually create separate pages for each storefront as part of our local SEO  content strategy.

Step 5: Google & Bing Listing Optimization

One of the most important factors in Google and Bing's local search algorithms are your entries in their proprietary business listings.  We have the expertise to make sure your listings are optimized.

We make sure that all of our clients are claimed and verified in the listings.  Once we get our hands on the profiles, we fill them out with accurate, locally-targeted information about your business.  We know exactly which parts of the business listings that the search engines rely on for their rankings, and how to correctly optimize those areas to boost your rank.

Step 6: Citation Creation and Promotion

Citations are quite simply instances of your business' name, address, and place throughout the web.  Having a high volume of citations from relevant, authoritative sources can boost your business in the local rankings.

We rely on a wide variety of sources to generation citations for our clients.  Local business listing and review websites (such as Yelp or CitySearch) are the bread and butter of citation building, but we have a few other tricks up our sleeves, such as local directories, local blogs, data aggregators, niche directories and blogs, GPS data websites, and competitive citation research.

Step 7: Strategizing to Promote Positive Reviews

Attracting positive reviews is an essential part of the local SEO process.  Not only are positive reviews a great way to make your business stand out to customers, they are also a quality signal in Google's algorithm.

We work with your business to develop an intuitive, and effective way to attract and gather reviews.  The right solution might be asking for reviews on your website or via social media, or it might involve an e-mail blast to your customers asking for help.  Sometimes it is as simple as asking a few choice customers for a favor.  We find the right tactic and help propel your business to the top.

Step 8: Monitoring and Reporting

Although it is the last step on our list, monitoring and reporting takes place throughout every step of your local SEO campaign.  Our clients always understand our tactics, our progress, and our results.

We keep a close eye on our progress using many factors.  To track how effective our tactics have been, we monitor the local search engine rankings for our target keywords.  We also track the amount of organic search traffic your website receives from local keywords, as well as referral traffic from local directories and websites.  You're always aware of our results, and we're always accountable.