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

Although there are a lot of resources that make it easy for tutors to work online, some are still trying to build a local business and provide one-on-one tutoring for people who need it. Local tutoring is also important because of the varying educational requirements from one state to the next. In any case, if you’re trying to promote your local tutoring business, you’re not alone. Fortunately, you also won’t have to invest a lot of money into the process unless you choose to hire help along the way. 

Most of the local SEO efforts that will be discussed below are things that anyone can take on, so long as they’re well-versed in SEO and digital marketing. If you don’t have the means to do it in-house, make sure that you outsource to SEO experts who can guarantee that your optimization efforts will get the results that you deserve. 

Audit and optimize your existing content

The good news is that if you’ve already got a website, blog, or online profiles elsewhere, you don’t have to completely start over. Take the time to review all of the content that’s out there, including what’s on your website and what is elsewhere online (social media, business directories, etc.). Check for keywords and optimize the pages or listings appropriately. Use tags, headers, and other fields to maximize keyword use when you can. 

You may find during this process that you’ve got content that just needs to be tossed and redone. That’s fine, too, but don’t default to that. Go over everything and see what you can continue to use or tweak a little to improve so that you’re not building a brand new website, resource library, and online presence when you are working on local SEO. 

Engage with your reviews 

Reviews are a big part of local business. They’re also very popular among those looking for tutoring or other educational resources for themselves or their children. Make sure that you have a process for going over your reviews, monitoring them both on your website and off, and responding to any negative reviews or concerns immediately so that people can see that you care about your clients and your business. 

If you don’t have the time to spend keeping up with your reviews, designate the task to someone in the organization who is capable of providing a reputable voice and interacting with people in a professional, yet personable manner. 

Do keyword research

As a tutor, you understand that processes and methodologies exist for a reason. Thus, you’ll understand the importance when we tell you that you have to do your keyword research. You can’t just assume that local optimization means that you can use “Houston tutor” or “tutors in Houston, TX” as keywords and get results. 

Those probably are high-ranking keywords. However, there’s a method to keyword research and picking the right terms and phrases for your content and it’s there for a reason. Don’t jump to conclusions. Do your homework with keyword research tools and know that you’re going to get results. 

Network and build links 

In the world of tutoring, it will do wonders for your business to network with schools, educational resources, and other learning organizations. The more relationships you can build with quality organizations, the more reputable you’ll appear as a business. Take the time to consider what kind of educational organizations or professionals you can benefit from partnering with and make sure that you’re getting quality links, not just sharing links with anyone who will take (and give) them. 

Check your listings

One thing that Google pays close attention to is the consistency of your name, address, and phone number on various sites, including your website. The idea is that you should have one single way to write out your name, address, phone number, and other contact information. You should use this format everywhere. Something as simple as changing “Boulevard” to “Blvd” could impact your rankings seriously and you might not even realize it. Choose a listing that you like. Stick with it and use it everywhere. 

What does local optimization do?

While the obvious benefit of local optimization comes in ranking higher in local searches, there’s a lot more to it than that. Keywords are great, but they’re a mere fraction of the SEO puzzle these days. What matters more than keywords, and more than most of the rest of your strategy? 

Reputation. 

Plain and simple, Google and friends do not want to see black-hat SEO tactics and will not endorse companies that utilize those tactics. If a local business is to be reputable enough to be recommended by Google, it needs to have an authoritative presence, consistent and professional online listings, and relationships with other reputable brands or organizations in related fields of work. 

That’s the “secret” to local SEO. It’s far more about your reputation management than it is about keywords, content, or anything else. Make sure that you create a balance in all of these areas to make the most of your optimization efforts. That way, you’ll have a dynamic, well-rounded strategy for search engine optimization that includes local SEO and guarantees that you’ll be seen as a trustworthy source for tutoring and rank accordingly. 

While you’re building reputation, who’s fielding the new leads?

You’ve got enough on your plate with running a business and trying to build your SEO strategy. However, if you step up your marketing game, you’ll also need to step up your systems, like having a 24/7 answering service on hand. The virtual receptionists at Smith.ai can deliver that, and they can also assist with lead intake, appointment scheduling, and so much more. 

Still working on your marketing efforts? Ask about our assistance with outreach campaigns and outbound sales support. And of course, it all comes with a custom-tailored strategy to deliver exactly what you need in the way of local SEO. To learn more, schedule a consultation to discuss how the 24/7 virtual receptionists at Smith.ai can help your tutoring business, or send us a message at hello@smith.ai. 

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