9 Tips To Build Strong Raleigh Local SEO Business Strategies

Raleigh, North Carolina is well-known for its oak trees and great museums. But what about your business? It takes an excellent local search engine optimization (SEO) plan and the help of a smart Raleigh SEO company to stand out in your community and get people talking about your business.

This article discusses how these tips help with strong Raleigh local SEO strategies:

1. Appear in local directories.
2. Optimize GMB profile.
3. Create hyperlocal content.
4. Utilize local SEO keywords.
5. Add a map to your website.
6. Get backlinks and citations.
7. Analyze major competitors.
8. Optimize on-page elements.
9. Manage business reviews.

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

Let’s go!

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1. Appear in Local Directories

Google remains the top search engine world-wide today, but even it sometimes struggles to give you the information that you are seeking. In the context of local search, it has endless pages to offer in the results. This makes choices all the more confusing and difficult. 

Local searchers use other platforms besides Google (Yelp, Tripadvisor, and Airbnb) to narrow results down to a more manageable amount. The Raleigh Chamber is a fantastic example of making sure that your business listing appears in local directories. Not all (local) directories are free, so find the ones that fit your budget.

2. Optimize Your GMB Profile

Having profiles on local directories and social media is a plus, but a Google My Business (GMB) account is the single most important business profile that you need. A GMB account allows you to modify and  manage how your business information appears in Google and Google Maps. 

GMB makes it possible to customize your listing and accurately represent your brand by adding your logo, operating hours, email, website, phone number, location, and other details. It also serves as a place where customers can write about your business. Be sure to monitor and manage your business reviews to avoid possible damage from fake responses.

3. Create Hyperlocal Content

Local SEO strategies put you in front of your target markets — locals and people in the local area. However, to rank higher on local search results, search engines must know that your content is for that demographic or area. Locally focused, or hyperlocal, content is the answer.

The idea is to create content that directly serves the needs of people in the immediate area. For example, one of Raleigh’s key industries is professional and business services, which includes accounting firms. Any firm that wants to create hyperlocal content could write about local taxation.

4. Utilize Local SEO Keywords

Other than content specific to the local area (e.g., Raleigh tax computations), any successful Raleigh SEO company will tell you that local SEO keywords are high on the list of must-haves. It is not as simple as adding ‘Raleigh’ to keywords. It has to match local search behaviors.

A Raleigh accounting firm, for example, might use “Raleigh tax accountant” or “Raleigh tax rate” as keywords for content. That would allow it to create targeted content from different angles and for different concerns. Add the local SEO keywords in the meta tags for an even better rank on searches.

5. Add a Map to Your Website

Just because your business is local does not mean that people know how to find it, even if you give them your business’s full address. Embedding a map on your website removes all the hard work of finding your store or office. Walk-ins are more likely to happen if your location is readily available.

Embedding a map from services such as Google Maps and Apple Maps is straightforward, with complete, easy-to-follow guides to help you along the way. It is a small change compared to other local SEO strategies but is effective in helping people locate your business. 

6. Get Backlinks and Citations

Trust, authority, and leadership are key concepts in business. They become more crucial in local businesses where you have less competition but run a tighter race. Local businesses must work twice as hard as big brands to earn and keep their customers’ trust.

Backlinks and citations help bridge this gap by showing the trust you have earned from the authoritative figures in your area. Local news and radio hosts, bloggers, and influencers contribute to this, as do your business profiles and listings (especially on Google My Business).

7. Analyze Major Competitors

Every business has competitors, and Raleigh SEO company experts say they are an excellent source of information to build a strong local SEO strategy. Your business has its limits, but so do your competitors. Study them to learn the strategies that brought them success and see if they fit your business.

You can also improve and develop your own strategies. Take inspiration from their successes and learn from their failures. The keyword is “inspiration” because what works for them might not necessarily work for you. So, simply copying what they do is bound to fall short.

8. Optimize On-Page Elements

On-page elements are often the first parts of SEO that you optimize for local strategies. Using local SEO keywords, as mentioned above, is one of the most common ways to strengthen your business online. These elements are just as important for search engines as for people.

Your keywords, headlines, and content are important in SEO because they are among the key pieces of information that search engines use to understand the content. For example, aligning these with the same keyword makes your content, and who it is intended for, very obvious to Google.

9. Manage Business Reviews

Local businesses need support from the community to grow, not only in paying customers but also in building their reputations. People need to see real and verifiable proof that businesses are doing a great job in the areas of quality products, services, and customer service. 

Reviews, although not 100% reliable and accurate in some cases (like review bombing), constitute a significant source of social proof. Careful management of your reviews may lead to more traffic and better customer relationships. For bad reviews, respond and remain professional as you work through the problem with the person.

Summing Up

Local SEO is an essential strategy for Raleigh-area local businesses. A strong strategy lays the foundation for future growth. For instance, backlinks, citations, and business profiles help you establish a strong, recognizable brand for your Raleigh business.

Need help building a strong Raleigh local SEO strategy? Contact Digital Authority Partners (DAP) to learn how we can help.