While ranking higher for search engine optimization on local keywords is a bit easier, though still a challenge with Google Panda and Penguin, there are still necessary actions to accomplish to get there. There are also some great local seo tools to help with the process in both saving time and great features.
Some are free and some also vary in cost, from affordable to pricey. Do a little research and try a few out to give you a head start and edge on your competition. Or if too time consuming, your local or high ranking seo company can help get you toward the top of your local search.
Here are a few key tools to help:
* Determining local keywords and adwords:
A great website to help you determine what the best keywords and terms are for your local seo can be found at 5minutesite.com. This free site will help you narrow down the best keywords by specific parameters.
* Best location (citation) to list your business:
Whitespark has provided a free version and paid for extra features in determining the best locations to list their business for better local search rankings. This tool will allow up to 245 citations and a great organizational tool for tracking purposes.
* Local Search Rank Checker:
Brightlocal has developed an application to track Google Local, Bing Local and Yahoo Local search to analyze your business’ rankings. The tool also tracks 4 other search results for local, organic, directory search, and secondary searches. This can track up to 100 keywords and generate reports on a weekly or monthly basis. Services start at $9.99/month but can get started for a free 30 day trial to test out the site and features.
* Google Places Category:
If looking to enlarge your local seo territory, this tool will help categorize your keywords into different groupings. This is a very basic tool but… free. New categories and alternative keywords are also produced by this tool.
* SEnuke XCr System:
This tool has just been released within the last several days. While the last updates of Google Panda and Penguin have made some local seo tools outdates and not effective, this new system is designed around this. Senuke XCr offers several features which are designed to strengthen the link building process and to create only authority links. Also includes a 14-day free trial to test out this tool.
If you have found other local seo tools and willing to share, we would love to hear from you on our social media pages here: Google+, Facebook or Twitter.
Swish Digital: Digital Marketing Agency USA, SEO