The Ultimate Local SEO Playbook for Atlanta Businesses by a Fractional CMO

One way businesses survive (and thrive) in the competitive city of Atlanta is through strong local SEO. For growing businesses, this may be new territory and even more difficult for hyper-competitive industries populated by established companies.

Here is where an Atlanta fractional CMO comes in and offers their expert SEO guidance. They can help implement effective SEO strategies that boost your brand’s online visibility. 

Digital Authority Partners (DAP) is an Atlanta digital marketing agency specializing in fractional CMO services. Here at DAP, our Atlanta FCMOs have the knowledge and expertise to guide your business’s local SEO journey.

It may take time to see results, especially for newer companies, but mastering SEO is far from impossible with the right steps, tools, and leadership. This guide covers five Atlanta SEO tips that help your business secure a spot at the top of Google’s search results.

Curious about what Atlanta fractional CMOs do? Check out this video!

5 Effective Atlanta SEO Tips from a Fractional CMO

SEO stands for search engine optimization and involves getting websites to the top of the search engine results page (SERP). Naturally, the higher a site appears on the SERP, the more people will see it and click on it when they search for something.

SEO is crucial for building your online presence and visibility. Let’s go over important Atlanta SEO tips designed to help you rank higher than your competitors.

1. Start with Local Keyword Research

Let’s say you just started a new laundry business in Atlanta and want to attract locals to your services. However, when a potential customer searches “laundry services in Atlanta,” the problem is that someone else’s business appears instead of yours.

How can you make your business stand out over your competitors?

A fractional CMO might suggest starting with keyword research that targets Atlanta. Keywords are words or phrases that online users type into search engines to find what they are looking for. In this case, when someone types “laundry service in Atlanta” into Google, naturally, many laundry businesses in Atlanta show up.

With the right research, you can find specific keywords that customers are searching for related to your services. It all starts with finding a primary or focus keyword to center your content around.

Let’s stick with the laundry example. Your primary keyword may be “laundry service.” You can use generic terms like this before going to longer, more specific ones like “laundry service in Atlanta,” also known as long-tail keywords.

Long tail keywords might look something like this:

• “nearby laundry services”
• “Atlanta laundry services”
• “affordable laundry service in Atlanta”
• “laundry services near me”
• “dry cleaning services in Atlanta”

Search volume is useful in determining how many people are searching for a specific keyword monthly. It is also helpful in determining the level of competition of that specific keyword.

For example, general terms like “laundry service” may have a higher search volume over location-based terms like “Atlanta laundry service” since the latter is specific to Atlanta.

High-volume keywords can be a double-edged sword. You know that these keywords are in demand, but it also means higher competition. To find the balance, look for the keywords with a low keyword difficulty.

Keyword difficulty represents the percentage of how easy or difficult it is for a keyword to rank. A good estimate for easy keywords would be from 0% to around 30%.

It is also important to consider the intent of the keywords. There is always a reason someone searches for something on Google, and you want your keywords to reflect intentions that align with your offerings and business goals. Compile your list of keywords and run searches to see which rank for which. (Take note of the intent behind the keyword, as well.)

2. Optimize Your Google Business Profile

Remember when we had to use a phonebook and manually search for businesses?

Well, Google Business Profile (GBP) offers users a similar way to find companies relevant to their search queries. All they have to do is search the respective niche, and several business names will appear near the top of the SERP in what is known as the “3-pack.”

However, those with a complete Google Business Profile have the advantage. After all, how can Google recommend your company if it is not registered in GBP?

Having a fleshed-out Google Business Profile (previously known as Google My Business) is crucial for SEO because it allows your business to appear in the 3-pack. It also provides users with your name, address, and contact information. One of the best parts is that it is free and guarantees increased online visibility.

Let’s break down the steps to get your Google Business Profile up and running.

Step 1: Create Your Profile

You can easily sign in using your Google account. Select “Create a profile” and enter your business name and category.

Supply your business address after that, which allows customers to find you on Google Maps with the click of a button. Add your phone number and website (if any) and click Verify.

Google will verify your business through a postcard sent to your business address or over a phone call, SMS text, or email.

Step 2: Optimize Your Google Business Profile Listing

You have just filled out the basic details of your business, but that is just the bare minimum. You can strengthen your listing by adding more relevant information.

The more information customers have about your business, the better. In this step, you can supply additional details like:

• Type of services you offer
• Business hours
• Photos of your business (Building interior or exterior)
• Services areas (if any)
• Company descriptions
• Reviews (if any)

These additional details add legitimacy to your business. Remember to keep these details consistent and updated across all platforms. 

Step 3: Claim Your Google Business Profile through Google Maps

You must claim your business for it to reflect on Google Maps. Simply go to Google Maps and enter your business name. 

From the Business Profile, select “Claim this business” and then “I own or manage this business.” Google will then verify your account, which could take a few days.

Once you are verified, you are all set!

3. Create Locally Relevant Content

Our Atlanta SEO tips also include creating local content to supplement your brand with additional information that is helpful to customers in your area.

When you create and promote useful, relevant content that directly answers the questions or addresses the concerns of your target audience, people will start to see value in your brand, be convinced of your trustworthiness and expertise, and ultimately choose your services.

Furthermore, local content makes you look more credible to Google, resulting in increased rankings and higher search volume.

Take this whole article, for example.

This SEO guide is one of the many pieces of content that we have written to try to rank for the keyword “fractional CMO in Atlanta.” Since SEO is included in a fractional CMO’s scope of work, it’s considered related to the subject matter of the main keyword. Therefore, Google ranks it higher for being relevant.

Regardless of your business, you can create locally relevant content to boost your authority in your area. Listed below are some common types of locally relevant content.

Local Blog Posts

Blog posts are among the most common and effective ways to drive traffic to your business. These blog posts can cover anything in Atlanta, from news to event coverage.

It is also ideal to write blog posts relevant to your niche. For example, if you run an Atlanta laundry service, you can supply your website with helpful laundry tips, product recommendations, and other related topics.

Customer Reviews

Reviews are great for your brand because they help establish trust in the community. After all, people are more likely to choose your brand if they hear positive feedback from previous customers.

You can include these reviews and testimonials on your website or your Google Business Profile to seem even more legitimate. Because these reviews came from locals themselves, it is easier for other people in Atlanta to trust them, which is ideal for business.

4. Have Strong Link Building

Link building is an essential SEO tactic that earns backlinks for your site. Strong backlinks mean higher authority and more traffic for your company. Link building is also an opportunity for two or more site owners to collaborate and mutually benefit from each other’s links.

Think of backlinks as seals of approval from other websites. Having an external website link back to one of your own pages shows that that other page deemed your site authoritative enough to link to it.

The same principle applies the other way around. When you add links to your webpage that lead to high-quality sites, it makes yours look more credible and supplies the reader with additional helpful information.

Google measures link building by the number of links and the domain authority of your external links. Ideally, you want to link to websites with a high domain rating.

You want to avoid adding too many links to your page because Google will read this as spamming, which may result in your site getting penalized or getting knocked off the search results—also known as deindexing.

5. Generate and Manage Customer Reviews

Similar to links, reviews also act as seals of approval (or disapproval) from customers. As previously mentioned, you can add reviews to your Google Business Profile or company website to seem more credible, thus boosting SEO rankings.

It is good practice to ask customers to leave reviews after purchasing or using your services. It gives insight into what you did well and how you can improve. You can also ask customers to send reviews through email or social media. 

However, you will not always meet a customer’s expectations, and that’s okay! A business that responds well to negative feedback is more reputable than one that only acknowledges positive feedback.

When faced with negative reviews, approach the situation professionally by thanking the customer for choosing your business and acknowledging your shortcomings. Don’t forget to mention the active measures to prevent the issue from happening again.

Master Local SEO With an Atlanta Fractional CMO

Is your organization ready to improve its rankings? Looking for more Atlanta SEO tips? Whether it’s your first time working with SEO or your 50th, call in the experts! 

A fractional CMO works for you on a part-time contract basis, meaning you don’t need to pay for insurance, benefits, or a full-time salary. Full-time salaried CMOs earn about six figures a year, making the fractional CMO hourly rate much more affordable for growing businesses. 

Get the same advice they give their Fortune 500 company clients at a slice of the cost. You can’t go wrong with our talented pool of FCMOs.