By: Fabiola Grosshan
Submitted: 2010-06-23 03:20:44 | Word Count: 399
San Diego is not only one of the most visited tourist destinations in the country, but also the home to a dynamic small business community. As top search engines like Google and Bing begin to put a higher emphasis on local search results, San Diego web design and SEO firms have started to grow exponentially. SEO stands for search engine optimization involves many variables; SEO strategies are designed to give your business’s website higher visibility in search results pages whenever someone in your target audience searches for keywords related to your industry or field. Local SEO works in the same way, with special emphasis on geo-modifiers and tags.
Relevant Keywords
[ advertisement ]
Local keywords can be placed into two basic groups: brand names and general business categories. If you have a strong brand name that is unique and has good customer base, as a keyword it will function effectively. But if you’re trying to expand your audience, you’ll have to start targeting your local industry keywords. Geo-modifiers can be added to industry keywords easily, as in “SEO Phoenix,” “Pacific Beach Mexican restaurants,” or “San Diego IT”, etc. These simple, industry + geo-modifier keywords tend to be highly competitive within the local SEO pool, however, which is why many companies for SEO in San Diego recommend that their clients diversify their keywords, targeting smaller niches where competition isn’t as high. The danger one must avoid here, however, is getting TOO long-tailed with your keywords. For example, “Pacific Beach Mexican restaurant with breakfast burritos,” will not likely garner much attention from Google.
Know Your Target Audience
It’s difficult to start looking for keywords before you know who your target audience is, and this is especially the case when you’re talking about local SEO. A lot of research is needed to figure out what your customers want and what keywords they’re typically using when they’re searching for your products (or products similar/related to yours) online. In terms of getting an idea for a keyword’s search volume, the Google Adwords Keyword tool is invaluable. You can find it here: https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal. Once you’ve generated a good list of target keywords, you can begin updating your website and online content so that it fits your SEO campaign.
