Anticipated Trends in Local SEO for 2015: A Strategic Shift for Businesses
In 2014, many local businesses faced challenges due to budget constraints and ineffective ad spend, leading to lackluster ROI metrics. As we step into 2015, a significant shift is expected, with small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) increasingly focusing on mobile rankings. To achieve this, businesses are gearing up to optimize their SEO strategy for mobile traffic, leveraging automated mobile search software, responsive website design, dedicated mobile apps, intelligent mobile user experience (UX) tactics, and locally optimized landing pages.
This proactive approach not only aims to drive measurable ROI for businesses with multiple locations but also seeks to enhance their visibility on social platforms. By prioritizing genuine customer reviews, businesses aim to improve their local listings. Notably, Google has introduced a “mobile-friendly” notation in mobile search results, but the upcoming search engine algorithm updates are expected to place a greater emphasis on citations and reviews to enhance rankings in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
As highlighted by Searchenginewatch, an increasing number of searches—nearly 46%—are conducted exclusively on mobile devices for product research. This shift underscores the imperative nature of local SEO optimization for ecommerce businesses and product-based companies.
To accelerate local SEO success in 2015, businesses are urged to adopt the following best practices:
- Ensure all local profiles are up-to-date, including major social media platforms (especially Google+, Facebook, and LinkedIn) and local business directories (e.g., Google My Business, Yelp, TripAdvisor).
- Verify that critical information such as your name, address, phone number, and offered services/products is correct, precise, up-to-date, and consistent across all digital entities.
- Develop a comprehensive, long-term local SEO strategy that emphasizes rankings based on your local position.
- Participate in local events in areas with potential for sales growth, engaging more with the local community through brand mentions and content marketing (e.g., writing blog posts, press releases, and news updates).
- Generate quality inbound traffic by earning links from local news or community sites.
- Establish a robust social media presence by sharing valuable content relevant to your business.
These practices aim to align businesses with the predicted trends in internet marketing for the fiscal year 2015. For those seeking assistance with online marketing campaigns, our team of intelligent digital marketers and SEO consultants is currently accepting projects for the current fiscal year. Contact us to request a quote and take advantage of exclusive discounts available until February 2015. Wishing you success in your endeavors!
