Local SEO Lakewood, CO

As a business owner, you’ve probably heard about SEO or local SEO when looking around for information on marketing. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and this refers to the essential elements your site must have in order to rank well in search results. In other words, SEO helps your site get found on search engines like Google, Bing, etc. The main difference between traditional SEO and local SEO is that local SEO is geared toward ranking for search terms that include a location, such as “Dentist Lakewood.” Local SEO, or local search as it is sometimes referred to, is a powerful tool for businesses because it puts your business right in front of your target customer at the exact time they are looking for your services. The great thing about local search is that when you rank locally, you show up in the Google Maps results. On both mobile and desktop searches, Google Maps listings take up a significant amount of space on the search results page. Take a look at the example map below. Do you think if you were a dentist in Lakewood and you were ranking in the maps that this would drive more leads to your business? Of course it would, and that’s why it’s so powerful.

So How Exactly Does Local SEO Work?

When a person starts a search, they type in a phrase or string of words in relation to what they need. For example, if someone wants to look up a good dentist in their area, they may enter “Dentist in Lakewood.” The search engine, such as Google, then produces a number of results related to that query. The goal of local search is to show up at the top of these results so your potential customers can find you easily. The way search results are sorted depends on a few different factors. Search engines use different algorithms and other “rules” to rank your site. When you make sure your website abides by these rules, it means that it has a better chance of ranking higher. With Google, there are essentially three ways you can rank. You can get on the first page with paid ads, you can get ranked in Maps (one of our favorite options), or you can get ranked in the organic search results. With local search, we like to ensure that your business gets ranked in Maps and in organic search results. But, if it’s beneficial and cost-effective, we will also get you set up with paid advertising as well.

How Do I Get Ranked in Google with SEO?

What kind of methods can you use to implement SEO the right way? One is to make sure that your content contains the proper keywords. Think carefully about what you believe people might search for when looking for your products or services. Research is necessary because you need to know if certain keywords are too obscure, or if there are so many results already that ranking will not be possible until your website becomes more popular.

You can’t rank just because you have the right keywords on your page a bunch of times. There is a certain density that you have to work with, generally just a keyword or two per every few hundred words. You can actually hurt your ranking if you don’t pay attention to the density, so use a keyword checker before submitting any new content to your website.

When you pick out a URL for your website, you need to make sure it has a good keyword in it related to your company. For instance, if you have a company in New York that sells bikes, it would be helpful to have a site that was located at bikesinNY.com or somewhere with a similar phrase in the name. Site URLs are actually looked at by Google and other search engines, so don’t make them random words or numbers.

How Can I Hire an SEO Expert in Lakewood?

There are two types of SEO techniques that can be used to get sites ranked: black hat and white hate methods. Black hat methods are those that go against the rules Google and other search engines have in place. These should be avoided at all costs because if you get caught, your site could be eliminated from all search results, penalized by search engines, and other unwelcome consequences. If anyone tells you they can make your website famous online with black hat methods, go somewhere else. You want to be sure you’ll always have a legit ranking that is not in danger. White hat methods, on the other hand, are those that are completed in accordance with search engine rules and guidelines.

To hire an SEO expert, it will take some dedicated research. They need to be carefully examined before you contact them. An agency or whomever you work with should have a website with some links on it to past work. Anyone on the internet can claim to be an expert but only a few people can actually back it up. You should ask right away to see some proof in the form of links and/or reviews. Try to find recent proof of the work they’ve done, too, since SEO algorithms change frequently.

Your search engine results for the keywords you’ve picked out must be monitored on a regular basis. If you notice that there are rankings that are going down quickly or that there are other issues like traffic falling overnight, you need to fix them as soon as possible. The majority of problems when it comes to SEO are related to the search engine updating the way it sorts its results. They may change the algorithm in some way, and if you aren’t paying attention, you won’t know until you see your ranking fall significantly.

With your content, you’re going to have to keep it updated if you want to keep up with the rankings. When you perform an internet search, the results will include mostly updated pages that have been added to or at least altered a little recently. If Google detects that you’ve been keeping up with your site and it meets other criteria they have set up, it will fare better than if you just started it and gave up a year or two ago. It can be hard to keep up with new posts, but to solve that problem you can hire people to create your content for you.

Do some searches for your competition and see what they have been up to so you can keep up with them. If you notice that new trends are going on in your industry, stay on top of them by writing your own posts related to what is going on. Sometimes it’s best if you have a blog or at least a news section on your homepage. When creating content, don’t just copy it from someone else. Search engines look for duplicate content and if your site has material copied from another website, your ranking will go down. Eventually, you want your site to be an authority with information that you can’t find anywhere else. The fresher the content is, the more likely you are to rank well.

There are a lot of people who have used local SEO to their benefit and, as a result, have become very successful because of it. You have to double check what you’ve learned and make sure that you take your time applying everything. After all is said and done, as long you stick with proper SEO techniques and keep your website updated, you’ll see more and more visitors. Sometimes there are other factors that come into play, but this is a good way to get started ranking your website and bringing more customers to your business.