Local SEO for Your Consulting Business: How to Get More Leads from Local Organic Searches

Consulting is a business of educating and assisting others—it would only make sense that you need a little assistance yourself when it comes to local SEO. And since you’re not one to shy away from asking for help, you’ve come in search of the best SEO tips and practices to step up your local rankings and get your consulting firm listed locally in as many places as possible. 

For starters, it helps to understand the premise and process behind local SEO, as well as what it can do for your business, no matter what business you’re in. Local optimization is about finding the right keywords, yes, but it’s also about taking the time to build a strong, authoritative reputation within your community and your industry. Case in point—one of the best practices for local SEO is to build links with other reputable companies. In the case of consulting, it could be the types of companies that you consult with, partners or industry peers, or anyone else that could lend credibility to your operation. 

Link building for reputation points

We’ll start with this one since we already kind of led with it in the intro. You should network with others in the consulting industry, clients and industries that you work with, and others who can help you grow your business and reputation. Quality is more valuable than quantity here, so make sure that you’re getting good links, not just getting listed wherever you can. 

You can share your links or link back to others’ sites or material, creating a shared network of resources. It’s also a good idea to connect with these companies on social media and let Google know that you’re serious about being seen as a local authority in your line of work. 

Keyword research

You’ll need to add another level of keyword research to your marketing strategy. In addition to standard keywords, you’ll also need to perform a search for local keywords and see what terms people are using to search for consultants in their area. You can’t just put a location with an existing keyword and call it local SEO. Google frowns on that, even when you happen to hit the mark with a high-ranking keyword. 

Do your research. Choose your keywords carefully. Then, you’ll be ready for the next step. 

Optimize your existing content

Search optimization doesn’t mean that you have to create a whole new website and presence online. There’s a lot that you can do to edit and tweak your existing content so that you can rank higher in local search results without having to create any new content at all. Take the time to do a full SEO audit of your website and your off-page SEO (any other listings or instances of your business online) and see where things currently stand. Make the changes a part of your SEO strategy and then decide what to scrap, what to add, and how to wrap it all up for Google to rank higher than ever before. 

Standardize your citations (NAP)

Your name, address, and phone number play a much bigger role in your optimization efforts than you might realize. Namely, if you’ve got different listings everywhere, Google is going to deduct points because of the lack of consistency. From your website to your blog to your Google business page, it all has to be consistent, down to the last abbreviation. Choose a standardized format and stick with it. Make sure that it’s used on all of your listings, including your website, forums, and other areas where you have an online presence. 

Ask for testimonials and reviews

There’s a good chance that you’ll get reviews and testimonials without requesting them. If you do your job well (or not-so-well), people are going to remember it and want to talk about it. The Internet is a great place for anyone to unload how much they *love* or *loathe* a particular business based on their own experience. You will want to monitor all of your reviews and ratings for quality and address negative issues right away. 

Consider implementing some type of rewards program or incentive plan to encourage your former clients and others to post reviews on your behalf. Make sure that they’re legitimate and authentic, though, because that counts for more than quantity. Google wants to be sure that your consulting firm is the absolute best local resource. Make sure that your feedback showcases that. 

Get social and get engaged

It’s not enough to have a good website and a solid SEO strategy. You also have to be connecting with your audience in a way that works for them. This is where social media can come into play. You can set up profiles on all the major social networks and find your following, create posts to share, curate other content, and do all kinds of stuff. You can even have one-on-one interactions with your potential clients, giving them the chance to see just how reputable and authoritative you are before they even become a customer. 

Speaking of engagement, what are you doing with all those leads?

Once you rebuild your SEO strategy and take the time to optimize for local search, the leads are going to start coming in and you could lose them if you’re not ready. Be prepared with a 24/7 answering service when you partner with Smith.ai, and you’ll also enjoy access to virtual receptionists who can handle all kinds of lead intake, scheduling, and other needs. 

Still planning your marketing and outreach? The dedicated agents here at Smith.ai can assist with outreach campaigns and outbound sales and support, too. Plus, we’ll collaborate with you to create a strategy to manage it all so that you never miss a single opportunity. To learn more, schedule a consultation to discuss what the 24/7 virtual receptionists at Smith.ai can do for your business, or reach out to us at hello@smith.ai.

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