Local SEO Series - Part 2 of 3

On page optimization is the process of changing or “tweaking” elements of pages of a web site to achieve top performance. Performance is measured in an increase in the amount of visitors that view your web site. The first step for on page optimization for local search is to develop a list of geographical terms that are relevant to your company’s location. This list would include terms such as counties, schools, cities, nicknames for cities, and landmarks. Armed with this list, create a paragraph that answers the who, what, why, and where of your business.

Who are you and how long have you been in business?
What does your company produce or sell?
Why should I choose your company instead of your competitors?
Where is your company located and what geographical area does it service?

The following is an example of before and after local search optimization techniques that have been applied to text found on a typical “About Us” or “Contact Us” page for a fictional bakery.

Before:
The Red Hen Bakery is located at 1315 Paramount Pkwy, Batavia, IL.

After:
Located in Batavia, IL, The Ren Hen Bakery has created delicious pies, wedding cakes, and cookies at our Fox Valley location since 1976. Situated between Kane and DuPage counties, our bakery is just 10 minutes north of I-88 (Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway).
Our complete street address is 1315 Paramount Parkway; the closest cross street is Schuler Drive.

If you’re coming from the “Windy City” of Chicago, take I-88 west to the Farnsworth exit. Head north on Farnsworth for three miles. Take a right on Hubbard and travel east for approximately a half a mile. Turn left on Paramount Pkwy and travel about a half a mile. Our store is on the west side of the road and ample free parking is available on the south side of the building.

Your goal is to write in a style that is helpful for online users and is keyword dense for search engines to index and subsequently help your site to rank higher in the search engines for local search terms.

Use this same list of geographically relevant keywords in different page elements of your web site. The most important part of each page to apply this technique is the title. The title tag is that part of the page that is displayed at the top of the visitor’s browser. The text shown in the title tag is also what potential visitors see if your site appears in the results of a search engine query. It’s that reason that the title has to be crafted as carefully as a headline for an ad. It has to be compelling and informative enough that the visitor is motivated to click on the link to visit your site. Studies have shown that the ideal spot to have the keyword appear is at the beginning of the string of text that makes up the title. Since placing a geographical keyword at the beginning of the title may look odd, incorporate it in a natural position as close to the left as possible. For example, the following title, “For delicious wedding cakes & birthday cakes for the Batavia, IL area, visit The Red Hen Bakery,” is more effective than the following, “Batavia, IL – Wedding Cakes, Cupcakes, and Birthday Cakes - The Red Hen Bakery.”

Another page element to optimize for better local search engine rankings is the description meta tag. This is a short paragraph that is hidden from view on the Web page, but is seen and indexed by search engine spiders. This text is often displayed in the search engine results page along with the title. The same concept applies to the description meta tag as the title tag. Write a compelling statement that convinces someone scanning the results that they should click on the link to your site. Google displays a maximum of 150 characters, so plan your description carefully or you’ll run the risk of having the most important part not being seen by a potential customer.

Each page of your site should include company contact information. This should include street address, city, state, phone number with area code, fax number, and email address. If your site contains this as a graphic, the search engines will not be able see and index this information; it must be in a text format. Change the format on each page to rank well for the abbreviated and non-abbreviated form of the state where your business is located. For example, Illinois is abbreviated as IL or ILL; to rank well for this state all three variations should be used.

An example of good local search optimization can be seen at www.fleckensteins.com, the web site of Fleckenstein’s Bakery. The index page or home page has the name of the town the bakery is located in as well as the names of the surrounding communities. That information is in the title tag and the meta tag. The full street address, phone numbers, and operating hours are all in text toward the top of that page. The result is that their site appears on the first page of Google if someone types in one of those fifteen town names and the word “bakery” in the search box.

According to the vice president Fleckenstein’s Bakery, Ray Fleckenstein,

“We created the site in 1998 and it has been very effective for us. The site’s primary purpose is an informational tool for potential customers. The bridal market is where we see most of the leads coming from via the web site. Brides often search the Internet for wedding cake bakeries, so if they are from our area, they find us.”

Local SEO Series:
Part 1 of 3: Local Search Engine Optimization - Introduction
Part 2 of 3: Local Search Engine Optimization - On Page Techniques
Part 3 of 3: Local Search Engine Optimization - Off Page Techniques