Using Local Resources to leverage your website
For many small businesses, a local online presence is key to success. When someone types in what they are searching for locally, for example “criminal attorney austin”, a list of local lawyers comes up on the page. If you are a criminal defense lawyer in Austin, you want to come up on page 1 for this search if you are interested in getting clients from the internet!
To establish your business as a local authority (and rank on page 1 for key terms related to your business), many different factors come into play. Website optimization, fresh content, incoming links and reviews all play a significant role in your rankings. Another factor, which is often overlooked, is local visibility.
Local visibility basically means that your website is tied in with other local websites and resources. It is thought that Google employs algorithms that look for these types of local relationships. If websites in your community are linking to your site, this signals that your site is important in this location for the services that you offer.
Local visibility is not as important as adding quality content or getting reviews of your business (reviews of your site on google places and other directories like yelp), so start there if you are looking to raise your internet profile. However, if you are already doing these things and want to take another step towards becoming a local authority site, here are some ways to increase your local visibility.
Get listed:
Your local Chamber of Commerce website for your area is a great place to get listed. Also search for local directories that may allow you to list for free. You can do a google search for “your city name + your business + directory” to find these resources (for example “Austin + Lawyer + Directory” )
Get the word out:
Contact your local newspaper about writing a free article for them. Most local papers are online now and your article will be available there. If possible, make sure the byline links back to your website, preferably with keyword rich text (you can ask them to link the phrase “Austin Defense Attorney” back to your site).
Speaking at a local campus can bring your message to a new audience as well as provide a link on the campus website back to your site. This is also useful because it will be a .edu backlink, which google regards very highly.
Connect with other Locals:
Leaving comments on other local blogs can provide links back to your site. If you build a relationship with the blogger you may also be able to write a guest post on their blog, bringing you more exposure and an opportunity for a high quality link.
Offering to write testimonials for your colleagues or other local businesses can also be a great way to get a link back to your site. They get a great testimonial and you get a great local link. While you are at it, offer to trade reviews in google places with the same testimonial.
These are just a few strategies to increase your local on-line visibility. Doing these things alone won’t get you high rankings, but combined with other techniques you will be pleasantly surprised at how they can help solidify high local rankings.
