These days, blogging is an essential part of marketing for any business – and that includes local businesses. That is why you should try to increase your local SEO rank with blogging. This can help you to increase your businesses visibility in search engine rankings. And the higher your business ranks, the more likely people are to find it.
Of course, blogging is only part of the equation – you also need to make sure that your blog posts are well-written and informative. But if you can combine great content with strategic blogging, you’ll be well on your way to increasing your local business’s online visibility.
How do you increase your local SEO rank with blogging?
First of all, you should have a website, and hopefully you have a small degree of understanding about SEO. If you do not, check out this article on how to go about learning the basics of SEO.
It is generally easier to rank organically for local search terms than for search terms on a national scale.
If you have a web administrator, simply ask them to make sure all of the steps listed in that post are taken care of. They may have done some or all of this already depending on who you hired to manage your website.
Once you have a decent grasp on some of those factors for setting up your website, you can get to work.
The next step is to start creating content. This could be in the form of blog posts, infographics, videos, and even photos. Whatever form it takes, make sure that your content is high quality and informative. You should also include local keywords in your content to help improve your ranking for those searches.
What to blog about?
Well, it depends on your business. Let’s go over some ideas you could write on depending on your business.
Lawyer: Blog about recent cases you’ve won, how to pick a good lawyer, or changes in the law.
Mechanic: You could write about do-it-yourself car repairs, common car problems in your area, or new technologies in the automotive industry.
Accountant: Write about small business taxes, personal finance tips, or changes in tax law.
Restaurant: You could blog about new menu items, cooking tips, or food trends.
Hair Salon: Discuss new hair styles, hair care tips, or changes in the industry, and show pictures of recent cuts you have done.
Dentist or healthcare provider: Blog about dental care tips, new technology in the industry, or changes in insurance.
Plumber: You could write about do-it-yourself plumbing tips, recent projects you’ve completed, or new technology in the industry.
HVAC: Share energy saving tips, new technology in the industry, or changes in regulation.
Pest Control: Post pictures of infestations you have removed, post about different pests to watch out for in the area, how to prevent infestations, or new technology in the industry.
The truth is that you are the expert in your field, and you need to help Google figure that out. Writing blog posts and adding content to your blog helps them to see that. They use AI learning to scan your website and then it ranks you accordingly. If you have a blog with great content, Google will see that and rank you higher.
So, write about anything and everything you do in great detail. Especially for services or products you want to sell more of.
Of course, this is not an overnight process and it takes time to see results. But if you are consistent with your blogging and add new content regularly, you will start to see your local SEO ranking improve. And as your ranking improves, so will the visibility of your local business.
“I don’t want to give away all of my secrets, then people will do it themselves.”
This is actually not the right way to think about things. Giving away your “secrets” might result in *some people trying to take care of their problems themselves.
However, most people don’t want to change their own oil, cut their own hair, or perform their own vasectomy. Additionally, you will be getting seen by more potential customers because of your efforts. So, any amount that decide to do it on their own will likely be outweighed by those who choose to use your services.
By writing blog posts about how to do things, what to be aware of, or how to prevent problems, you are actually helping people to understand what it is that you do and why they need your services. Many people may even try it on their own and fail, realizing they need your help after all.
You are establishing yourself as an expert in your field. And when people are looking for someone to help them with a problem, they want to hire an expert.
So, don’t be afraid to give away your secrets. The more helpful information you can provide, the more likely people are to seek out your services when they need them.
Here’s some more tips for writing your blog: