Search Engine Optimization Questions

There are several key technical components of a website that impact search engine ranking. When we update or create a website we ensure that the common SEO components are included to make your site ready for the search engines to scan or crawl your site. These include such items as Page Title, Page Description, ALT text for images and schema.

Based on the users IP address, search engines have a good idea where users are located. Unless the user is purposely hiding their IP address (e.g. using a Virtual Private Network or VPN), search engines will often provide results that are “local” to the user or the user’s specific request. Many searches for products and services now include a map. Google uses neural matching to help it understand a query and tie it to a local business regardless of keywords and information included in the business name and description. This means it’s important to use and align all the information that search engines use to understand your business.

Learn more about local SEO ranking factors from MOZ

The most important aspect of local search is having your business and its location on the web. Google offers Google My Business as a convenient way for local business to be found in search results even if they don’t have a website. If your business has a website that includes your business address, you may also appear in a local search. It’s important that your business listings across the web (e.g. on Google My Business, Bing Places, Yelp and other directories) and your website all have the same information (e.g. address, phone, web address, hours, etc.) to avoid confusion and help ensure the critical information is displayed in the search results.

First, ensure your key business information (e.g. physical address, phone, hours, web address, etc.) is consistent across all directories. Include this same information on your website and include a local business schema, if your web platform doesn’t automatically provide this.

Google, Bing and Yahoo have developed a methodology of structured data to assist websites in telling search engines what the webpage is about. This structured data is called schema. Local search schema helps search engines understand exactly what type of business you are. Today there about 30 different classifications for local business (e.g. Dentists, Doctors, Self Storage, etc.). Our focus on technical SEO helps ensure you have the right schema for your business.

Yes, we will help ensure your listings are accurate and up to date. We help ensure our clients have direct access to their listings and understand how to update them on an ongoing basis. Many of clients  provide us access to their listings as contributors, so we can help, if needed.