NYC SEO Company| Search Engine Optimization Tips For NYC Businesses
What you’ll learn about SEO from this article;
What is SEO and How can it help your business?
How Important Local SEO is for a NYC SEO Campaign
- Google My business Pages- How Important they are for SEO
On-Page SEO vs. Off-Page SEO: Two things your SEO Specialist should be proficient at
- What is Domain Authority, and How Important It Is For SEO
What Is SEO and How Can It Help Your Business?
SEO stands for search engine optimization. It is a method of structuring your website so that Google can easily find and index it. When SEO is done properly, your website can show up on page 1 of a search, making it easier for prospects to find you. Let’s say, for example, you are a personal injury lawyer in NYC. Having a website that is lacking in SEO attributes can mean your firm shows up on page 3 of a search: “No man’s land”. A skilled NYC SEO Specialist can help get your website ranked on page 1 of Google.
Let’s say you are a Personal Injury Attorney working in NYC and you are looking to improve your visibility on google.
You’ll definitely want to make Local SEO a priority, especially if you are not a national business. Brick and mortar, walk-in businesses = local SEO.
NYC SEO: Personal Injury Attorney Example
A pedestrian or cyclist gets hit by a car in Midtown Manhattan, westside. The ambulance takes them to the closest hospital: Mount Sinai West on 59th Street and 9th Ave. If the person is not in critical condition, say, if they only suffered some broken bones, they will have plenty of time while they recuperate in their hospital bed to use their cell phone. One of the things an injured person in a hospital might search for on their phone is a personal injury attorney. Great!
Will Your Firm show up on page 1 when someone searches for a personal injury attorney from Mount Sinai West Hospital?
The answer is it can, if you have good SEO in place.
NYC SEO: Another Version Of The Same Hospital Scenario
Let’s kick it up a notch. Let’s say the abovementioned pedestrian has been seriously injured in an auto accident in Midtown and is taken to Mount Sinai West. In this scenario, they are unable to use a phone. They may be incapacitated, or worse. So even though that person may not be searching Google for a personal injury attorney, one of their relatives may.
So How Can your Law Firm Show Up in Searches for More Than One Place, If You Only Have One Office Location?
There are several different ways your business can show up in searches conducted in more than one place, including ones that aren’t in close proximity to your physical location; by optimizing your GMB page and creating local pages on your website.
Now Here’s The Rub: Where Will They Search From??
A relative visiting their injured family member in a hospital can either search for a personal injury attorney right there, in the hospital, or they can wait until they get home. And let’s say “home” is in the Bronx. The Bronx will show a different search result than one performed in midtown. Google shows you listings closest to where you physically search from.
“The key is to show up in both places!
Google My Business Page Is Ground Zero For All Local SEO
The Google Maps Section at the top of page 1 of Google is “the land of milk and honey” for search results. Let’s put it this way, if you want your business to show up in the Maps Section, it better be optimized to the hilt, otherwise people will be wondering around the “Google desert” for the next 40 years searching for it!
And there are different methods to get your map listing to show up for different locations, but more on that later. For now, just remember, the Map Pac is the only game in town for local searches! Worth repeating…
The Map Pac Is The Only Game In Town When It Comes To Local Searches!
Considering that most searches are performed on mobile devices, the first screen that people see is the Map Pac when they do a local search. You may see an ad or two at the top of the map section, but after that there are three listings. This is arguably the most prime real estate on the web. The Promised Land.
You’ll want your GMB map listing to show up for as many high value keywords as possible.
A well optimized Google My Business Page can show up for more than one search term in more than one location. The trick is knowing how to optimize it properly. One way to do this is to include different search terms you’d like your business to be found for, in your services / offerings on your Google My Business page. Another way is to include them in your business description.
Create A Local Business Page For That Specific Area
So, if you are a personal injury attorney seeking clients near Roosevelt Hospital, your webpage should include the title Roosevelt Hospital, it should have references to local landmarks, and it should have backlinks from local businesses or publications. Also include a Google Map of the area around Roosevelt Hospital at the bottom of your page.
SEO NYC: Local Pages On Your Website
The next aspect of local SEO we’ll address is having local pages on your website. What does this mean? Simple. You will create separate pages on your website for different locations you’d like to get found in.
Let’s go back to the Roosevelt Hospital Personal Injury example. What if you want clients to find you in a search performed in or near the hospital, but your law firm is located in Queens, NY.?
On-Page SEO / Off-Page SEO
On-page SEO refers to the structure of your webpage; the placement of your keywords in the headers and paragraphs. It also includes keyword density.
The English version of “keyword density” means to have just the right proportion of keywords to other content on your page. Excessive keyword use can be considered “keyword stuffing” by google and may get your website penalized in the search results.
Another aspect of On=Page SEO is title and meta-description. This is the part of your website that shows up in a Google search- on Google’s page.
It is also referred to as a search snippet.
Off-page SEO refers to, for the most part, backlinks to your website. Backlinks from high domain authority websites help your website’s domain authority increase. A higher domain authority directly correlates to your website’s ranking ability
Of course, as an attorney, you won’t be doing any of this, but at least you will have a roadmap to check against your SEO’s work, to see if they are actually doing anything for you… and the hard-earned dollars you are doling out each month for their services.
SEO NYC: Here’s Another Example Of How To Rank Locally For NYC
This time let’s use an Orthopedic Surgeon as an example. An Orthopedist that has an office on the 6th Ave. and 50th. Street.
An Orthopedic Surgeon in Midtown Manhattan, has to pull out all the stops when they are trying to rank well in Google searches. You are up against heavy competition from other surgeons in the area, as well as hospitals. Hospital For Special Surgery is a Behemoth in this field. Don’t look at them as your competition- you’ll go blind. Look at HSS as a model for what you should be doing, at least in part.
Whoever shows up first on page 1 must be doing something right!
SEO NYC: Orthopedic Surgeon Midtown Manhattan
Getting back to HSS: you don’t have to compete with them. You just have to show up near them, so that the people who are seeking out an individual Orthopedic Surgeon, rather than a hospital, will find you.
Now let’s get back to optimizing your website for local searches if you are an Orthopedic Surgeon with an office at 50th and 6th. You might choose to get found for the search term “Orthopedic Surgeon Midtown West”. One way to start off your SEO journey would be to search this term and see what other surgeons show up for it, and see what the successful ones are doing. You will emulate the best aspects of their campaigns.
Keyword Research: You’d Better Do It!
Use a tool like ubersuggest to find out the best keywords for your niche. You do this because your perception of the terms people use to search for your business may be different than the ones they actually use. Surpise, surpise! At least if you use a keyword tool, you can see the actual amount of searches performed each month for each phrase.
Make references to local businesses and landmarks on your webpage, wherever practical and appropriate. An example of this might be if your office sees patients from Radio City Hall, like the Rockettes. You can mention this and mention that your office is conveniently located near Radio City.
Also mention places nearby that complement your business, for example; parking garages and places to eat before or after a patient’s visit.
Adding this information to your local webpage sends a message to google that you are a force to be reckoned with in the neighborhood. Each signal you send to google regarding your location or legitimacy, increases your authority. Your “SEO Stocks” are rising!
Of course, any points you can glean from the above attorney SEO example will also be effective for this application.
But How Can I get My Google Business Page To Show Up in the Map Pac for different Locations?
For one, start off by optimizing your GMB page for the area closest to your physical location. You can expand outward from there. If your office is in midtown, and you want to rank for other areas, include terms in your business description like; “serving Chelsea and Grammercy Park”. You can post events and special offerings to those locations as well on your GMB page.
Another way to help your Google Business page get more traffic is by posting new pictures on it. Photos on your GMB page can get a lot of views. While people are looking at your photos, some will meander over to the rest of your page and may even click through to your website.
Consider your Google Business Page as a Second Website – Really!
Some people are even of the opinion that showing up in the Map Pac is more important for their business than showing up in organic searches. Either way, showing up on page one should be your goal for your website and your GMB page.
Make yourself bulletproof in the searches by having local pages on your site AND having a GMB page that covers different locations.
NYC SEO: Directory Listings
Directory listings are an absolute must if you want to show up at the top of local results. Since each one contains your address, this is one more way to send a signal to Google of where you are located. These signals tell google you are a legitimate business with a solid, local standing in the community.
Yelp, while controversial when it comes to hiding positive reviews, is nonetheless a good directory to be listed in. It includes your address and phone number, and, on the off-hand chance someone leaves you a 5 Star Review there and it sticks, people will see it and visit your website. Google considers traffic to your website a major ranking signal. Include links on your webpage to your Yelp listing as well as your GMB page.
Yellow Pages… yes, I said it! It’s true, nobody looks at them, so what’s the deal? The deal is, when you list your business in Yellow Pages- you can get over 100 backlinks to your website. Each link is a signal, however small. So even if people aren’t looking- Google is.
Use Engaging Images and Video Will Bring Your Page To Life!
Google counts the time people spend on your website as a ranking factor. It makes sense, doesn’t it? If your website provides relevant information to a visitor’s search, they will stay on it longer to learn more. One of the best ways to keep a person on your website is to have them watch a video that is posted there. It doesn’t matter if the video is hosted on Youtube, as long as people can click on it from your site. Think about it: what would you rather do, read or watch a video?
SEO New York City : Blog Posts Can Help Get Your Message Out there
Make sure you keep up with your blog. If you are busy, hire someone. If you want great search results, you can’t be a slacker. Put out at least one new blog post each week, post it on your social media pages and send it out to people on your email list. When they click on the link to your post, it increases your traffic. Every little bit counts when your competition is bringing their “A” Game.
If you need help with any aspect of your SEO or Web Design, please reach out. We’re here to help you get found. https://iDesignYours.com