Creating a Winning SEO Strategy for Local Chicago Businesses

Creating a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy from scratch is hard work, and it becomes more challenging when making one for a local business. You can hire a Chicago SEO agency to simplify everything or study their methods and learn to apply them yourself.

This guide lists seven essential steps to help you make a winning local Chicago SEO strategy:

1. Start with local SEO and build from there.

2. Create content that people find valuable.

3. Set up profiles and keep NAP consistent.

4. Lay out a link-building plan to get views.

5. Set website user experience as a priority.

6. Optimize your website plan for marketing.

7. Make branding part of your SEO strategy.

There’s a lot to discuss, so get ready to take notes.

Let’s go!

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7 Steps for Developing Your Own Local Chicago SEO Strategy

An SEO strategy is geared towards bringing you closer to potential customers by making your website (content, products, and services) easy to find. Essentially, SEO is a pertinent way of making your business visible online. Everything you do through SEO is for that reason.

For example, every Chicago SEO agency can tell you that high-quality content is one of the top factors needed for the best SEO. Google even implemented an experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) quality rating system to ensure it indexes and shows quality content.

Besides E-E-A-T, other fundamental SEO principles and concepts include user experience (UX) and the customer’s journey (or sales funnel, you decide). You get to see how these and more contribute to making an effective and functional SEO strategy for your local Chicago business.

     1. Start with Local SEO and Build from There

Lately, Chicago SEO agency tips have made a steady push towards more local SEO strategies. While this concept is not new, there are several good reasons to begin SEO at home. Here are a few that should definitely impact your perspective and strategic decisions moving forward:

1. Local SEO allows you to tap into the demographic that impacts your business the most.
2. Starting with small successes greatly matters in SEO because a big payoff is never quick.
3. Scaling is a challenge, even for large corporations, so start locally.

     2. Create Content that People Find Valuable

More than local strategies, content is the most recommended investment in building an effective and efficient small business SEO plan. It is also one of the most complex aspects of it, thanks to the customer’s journey, keyword research, and semantic search all playing key roles in success.

Here are a few simple ways to get started with a high-quality content strategy for the best SEO:

1. Learn as much as you can about effective keyword use (e.g., optimize semantic search).
2. Match your writing style to your target market. Remember, write for humans first.
3. Prioritize content that has value for your readers, not over-optimizing for search engines.

     3. Set up Profiles and Keep NAP Consistent

SEO is all about increasing reach, so naturally, you should include setting up business profiles in your strategy. Most larger platforms, such as Google My Business, are easy to create and maintain. The difficulty is in remembering to keep information up-to-date.

This is why name, address, and phone number (NAP) consistency is a major enough issue for SEO agencies to offer managing business profiles as a service. The number one tip to make this a simpler task is to always keep organized. That way, you know what does and does not need updating.

     4. Lay Out a Link Building Plan to Get Views

While getting paid for exposure is not a fair or lucrative business deal, there is a lot to say about getting mentions and links for your business. The authority of E-E-A-T refers to how reliable you are as a source of information. Think about it: Do people find your content useful enough to link to it?

You need backlinks because they are a quantifiable and qualifiable measure of your content’s value for search engines and people. Link-building strategies are diverse for this reason. For instance, PR outreach is a great way to get high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites.

     5. Set Website User Experience as a Priority

SEO does not stop at content, though. Your website itself is another key player in an excellent SEO strategy because of the user experience (UX). For the most part, customers encounter your business in one of two ways: either in person (your store) or online (your website or social media).

If a person finds your website frustrating to use, they could easily turn from being a lead to leaving your business forever. If possible, work with an experienced web designer or UX expert to ensure that your website offers a smooth UX. Aim to keep customers satisfied, not frustrated.

     6. Optimize Your Website Plan for Marketing

Nearly everything on your website can be repurposed or optimized for marketing. For example, you can easily turn content into fantastic lead magnets in paid advertising campaigns or post about local community events you attended. Everything can have a positive purpose.

Create content that connects back to your brand, products, or services. This is all part of the sales funnel mentioned earlier, which is about convincing people to become customers. Allow people to make subtle connections between you, their problems, and the solutions they want or need.

     7. Make Branding Part of Your SEO Strategy

Positive branding and a good reputation should be other items on your SEO checklist. Most people overlook or underestimate the power of these two concepts to their own detriment, but you should not. Set yourself apart by showing your business’s values and personality.

For instance, work with charities around Chicago to show how you feel about your local community. However, do it from a place of genuinely wanting to help. Almost anything can become an opportunity for branding, but that should be an afterthought for you.

Summing Up

Creating an SEO strategy takes a lot of work, but it is not impossible. You do need the right advice to get started. A Chicago SEO agency is usually the right place to go because they have services or sound advice that can help. 

Every SEO strategy differs according to who makes it and based on the needs of the business, but starting with local SEO is always a good choice. In fact, it is highly recommended that small businesses start in their area. Building relationships is another SEO strategy that works well.

Need help creating a winning SEO strategy for your Chicago business? Contact Digital Authority Partners (DAP) to learn how we can help.