There’s nothing worse than building a shiny new website, putting in countless hours of hard work getting your branding just right, and even paying for DIY optimization tools, only to find that your competitors are still outranking you in the Google search results.
It can make you feel like you’re failing and that everything you’re doing is in vain. However, there’s no need to feel frustrated – you just need a real SEO strategy. And we’ve got you covered.
In this post, we’ll cover everything you need to know to rank higher on Google and take your local SEO game to the next level.
What You Can Do To Get Found On Google and Blow the Competition Out of the Water
Fortunately, there are some concrete ways that your business can get found on Google and really best your competition!
Take Advantage of Your Google My Business Listing
Every business knows that being on Google is everything. Whether you’re creating content, running Google ads, or doing keyword research, it seems like a never-ending battle. However, many businesses either neglect or don’t know the potential of optimizing their Google My Business (GMB) listing.
Google My Business has been around since 2014. It’s essentially a virtual business card hosted directly on Google’s search engine. The best part about setting up a GMB listing is it’s 100% free.
Some of the key benefits of optimizing your GMB profile are:
- More visibility on search and Google Maps
- Direct messaging with potential customers
- Adding menu items (restaurants, bars, etc.)
- Customer reviews
- Detailed product posts
Optimizing your GMB listing can take time, but all of your efforts will pay off heavily. Ensure you add as much information as possible about your business and include some relevant keywords in your posts.
Use Web Directories to Boost Your SEO Efforts
Some internet marketers believe that web directories are outdated. Web directories used to be the holy grail in the early days of SEO. Putting your business on sites like Yellow Pages and Yahoo would work wonders for your website. Now, it’s no longer the silver bullet it once was. However, numerous directory websites still have a ton of value and can increase your chances of ranking higher on Google.
Web directories initially helped consumers find local results. In the early days of Google, typing in “Chinese food in town” might congregate search results from all around the country. Local directories were put in place to help filter out search results and provide searchers with relevant businesses in their area. Now, Google has its own massive database of local businesses and relies less on other sources of information.
There are still a good amount of web directories that are still very useful for this depending on your industry. Some of the sites to consider are:
- ChamberOfCommerce.com
- TripAdvisor
- Yellow Pages
- Yelp
- Merchant Circle
- Better Business Bureau (BBB)
- Nextdoor
- And more
On-Page and Off-Page SEO Optimization
If you’re not an SEO expert, looking at on-page and off-page SEO from the surface can be quite intimidating. However, both tactics are surprisingly straightforward once you grasp the basics. In essence, on-page SEO means all of the things you can control on your website. Off-page SEO counts as the efforts you put in to improve the rankings of your website.
Some examples of on-page SEO are:
- Writing out title tags and meta descriptions.
- Producing educational and quality content for your blog
- Making sure your site’s load times are fast
- Making your website user-friendly
Off-page SEO includes:
- Reaching out to influencers in your industry for shout-outs.
- Networking on social media
- Getting backlinks (see below)
- Getting mentions from big brands
Both SEO strategies are necessary for a successful SEO campaign. On-page tactics will increase your site’s overall quality, where off-page will build you more authority and exposure in your niche.
Obtain Ethical Backlinks
A backlink is just a business term for any link that goes from one website to another. You may notice a few links sprinkled throughout articles you read online, typically directing you to authoritative sites to support a claim or other related articles.
Google’s search engine loves backlinks as they play a vital role in improving their algorithm. If a popular blog or website links to another article, chances are numerous blogs are going to link back to that post. As a result, Google will recognize the post as a valuable source.
So, that means the more backlinks, the better right? Well, not exactly. Google can easily recognize bad backlinks. The consequences of using unscrupulous backlinking services can have your website taken off the Google search engine, which is the equivalent of killing your website.
Whenever you’re reaching out for backlinks, always check the company you’re using provides legitimate link-building services to avoid any trouble. Keep in mind that building backlinks won’t happen overnight. The process usually takes time, but the rewards are well worth the wait.
Make Sure Your Content Is Top-Notch
Google intends to provide its users with the best content possible. Therefore, they’re going to push the pages that offer the most value within a specific search query. One way to ensure you’re staying ahead of the competition is to make sure your content is educational, accurate, and engaging.
That said, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel to be successful. You can get inspiration from related pages that are already ranking well on Google and use those insights for your content.
Whenever creating content, always keep the people’s search intent in mind. In other words, why are they turning to Google in the first place, and how can you answer their questions? One trick is to scroll through the ‘People Also Asked” section of the Google search results to see what related queries people are already searching for.
Start Outranking Your Competitors Today!
If you’re looking to beat the competition, but you aren’t an SEO wiz, hiring an expert can help kickstart your progress. FineTuned Digital offers cutting-edge SEO tactics for a wide range of industries that helps businesses increase their exposure, following, and revenue.
Our experts can walk you through the entire SEO process to ensure you’re doing everything in your power to rank higher on the search results. With over 20 years of localized marketing experience, we know everything it takes to succeed in the ever-evolving game of Google SEO.
We offer a free strategy session to analyze your current SEO strategy and consult you on where you can make improvements. Reach out to our team today to claim your free analysis and consultation!
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