Top SEO Tips for Local Businesses in 2016

2016 promises to be another great year for businesses, and online businesses are no exceptions. With more competition on the internet than ever before, local businesses need to get their 'Search Engine Optimization' (SEO) process done right.

Effective SEO would not only help online businesses gain recognition from search engines, but also ensure better business in the future. Here are the top SEO tips to follow for local businesses in 2016.

Going Mobile

There has been much emphasis on the development of mobile friendly websites in previous years. But in 2016, local businesses simply cannot afford to overlook the benefits of going mobile. According to forecasts, out of 3.2 billion people with internet access, 2 billion would access internet services through their mobile phones¹. This signals a major shift from desktops and laptops to handheld devices. In such a scenario, a local business without a mobile optimized website would miss out on a lot of business. April 2015’s Google update saw better rankings being given for websites with mobile versions. Going mobile was once considered a luxury for businesses, but today it is a necessity.

Investment in Content

Content has always been a major part of SEO. But somehow, it’s always been more about quantity than quality. But this trend is set to disappear in 2016, as local businesses are expected to invest in quality content writers. Securing a good rank on Google is almost impossible without quality content these days. The old habit of creating content and stuffing it with keywords is dying fast, with the focus being more on creating informative articles. According to statistics, most top ranked websites on Google, irrespective of industry, focus on writing huge pieces on a limited number of topics, with an average of 2000 words or more per topic².

Content needs to be spiced up as well. Gone are the days when people would read through line after line of boring text. With audio clips, images, GIFs, and videos, your content can be made more interesting than ever before.

Directory Company Listing

So you have just started your life as a restaurant owner, and apart from spreading the word on social media, you have not really done any promotion. In such a scenario, expect your restaurant to do average business. Directory companies such as Yelp are doing big business nowadays, and getting your restaurant listed through Yelp can yield a ton of business rewards for you in the future. The growth of directory companies is expected to rise above the dependence on Google, with Yelp itself registering an astounding 89 million monthly visitors on mobile.

Presence on Social Media

With so many social media platforms now a part of the mainstream, local businesses simply cannot afford to overlook this particular aspect of SEO. Facebook, Twitter, Quora, and a host of other websites are frequently used by millions of users on a daily basis, and without a profile of your business on these platforms, you would lose out on reaching to a large number of people. Most established businesses nowadays have a separate team to handle the social media marketing process. While it may be too early for local businesses to go down that road, having a basic presence on social media is absolutely vital for their success.

Customer Experience

You could put all your effort in listing your company with various directory companies, and managing social media profiles to reach out to large audiences. However, the aspect of SEO that truly makes a difference is how your customers take to your website. No matter what the year is, this particular tip is never going to change much. SEO professionals need to ensure that the website looks attractive and offers top notch functionality as well. Navigation should also be made easy for visitors. A poorly designed website has no chance of making a lasting impression.

The aforementioned SEO tips are sure to help businesses throughout 2016. In order to put them into practice, aspirants need to familiarize themselves with the relevant techniques through SEO training courses.

Sources:

1.        http://www.jeffbullas.com/2016/02/11/seo-local-businesses-2016-key-trends-tips/

1.        http://www.jeffbullas.com/2016/02/11/seo-local-businesses-2016-key-trends-tips/