In business, PR and marketing are often kept separate. They’ll have different budgets and different responsibilities. However, combining PR and local SEO strategies can have a hugely positive impact on your business.
What is local SEO?
Local SEO focuses on getting your brand to the top of search engines for local searches. According to Social Media Today, almost 50 percent of Google searches are for those looking for local services and products.
How to improve and integrate local SEO
There are several elements that make up local SEO: Link building, Google Business reviews, personalization, behavioral patterns, and on page optimization. In terms of combining PR with local SEO, on-page optimization is the best option.
Here are the top ways to combine your PR and local SEO:
On page optimization
Optimizing your web pages for local searches is a great way to combine the two strategies. If you’re not sure how to incorporate local search SEO into your small business marketing strategy, you might want to speak to a marketing agency like 42 North Marketing to help.
On page optimization includes structuring your content with H1 tags and ensuring your meta-descriptions are up to scratch.
It’s also a good idea to make sure your business is set up correctly on Google with the name, address, and phone number. That way, those that do search for your business have a way of visiting or contacting you.
You could also set up different pages to focus on different locations you work in and use the name of your city in landing pages and titles.
Finally, you can incorporate simple but important keywords into your page content so that buyers can find what they’re looking for through search. Use the Keyword Planner by Google to help.
Link building
Building links is probably the best way you can use your PR efforts to improve your SEO. Google is always looking to provide users the best options, and link building can help build your authority and relevance when targeting certain keywords.
Other websites linking back to your site is a good way to tell Google, ‘I know my stuff, and others know I know my stuff’. The more relevant and high-quality backlinks you gain, the more credible your site seems.
If you want to ensure you’re ticking all the boxes for localizing your SEO, it’s a good idea to gain links from local blogs and media outlets. All of this can be done through guest posting, content sharing, or simply asking!
Google My Business
If you’ve ever noticed that other businesses pop up on Google with their number, address, and reviews, it means they’re properly set up on Google My Business (GMB).
Setting yourself up is quite easy, but remember to add keywords into the title of your business account.
The second step to using GMB for local SEO is to focus on gaining those all-important reviews. You need to make sure the reviews you’re earning are high quality. Google also takes notice of keywords in reviews, so longer-form reviews are much better than single-word answers.
Gaining positive reviews can be difficult, as most people are more likely to review a bad experience than a good one. However, if you can create a review strategy, it can do wonders for your business online.
