This Podcast Is Episode Number 420, And It's About Optimizing Your Construction Business Website for Local Searches   For most construction businesses, increasing sales during this time will be very beneficial and may provide some much-needed cash flow relief.    Local search engine optimization (SEO) is an integral part of any online marketing strategy for traditional businesses which serve a specific geographical area.   Local SEO works in much the same way as standard SEO, although some significant differences are considered. Taking the time and trouble to optimize your website for local is essential since about a fifth of desktop queries and more than half of mobile searches have local intent.    To capitalize on this fact, you'll need to make sure that your website appears in local searches. Fortunately, local SEO is somewhat more straightforward than regular SEO, which is significant because it is less competitive.   The first step to optimize for local searches is to include your regional keywords, such as the name of your town or city or any other areas which your business services, in the following areas of your website: Your website URLs (particularly for landing pages) Page titles  Meta titles and descriptions  h1 and h2 HTML heading tags Throughout the content of your site, provided it is relevant and done sparingly Any local business should also have a footer that appears on every page of their website. The footer should contain your address, postal code, and phone number. All information must be identical to any other online listings you have either on social networks or local directories. You should also provide a link to your Google Local listing. Another critical element of local SEO is to have appropriate landing pages. Your landing pages should include keywords and phrases referring to your business's location or service area - be careful not to overdo it since Google will penalize sites for over-optimization.  Construction businesses with multiple service areas should ideally have separate landing pages for each one so that people will still find you in Google when carrying out local searches. Each of your landing pages should provide relevant content, including information specific to the particular service area it applies to. Other Online Resources for Local SEO   Optimizing your website is only one part of the local SEO process. There are many other critical online resources which businesses should use to increase traffic and raise awareness. The most important ones, which any local company should use, include the following: Google My Business (GMB). It is a free tool that allows you to promote your business profile and business website on Google Search and Maps. Even if you don't have your website, the most crucial resource for local businesses is GMB. Claiming and verifying your business's listing on GMB will help enormously in your efforts to appear in local search results. Bing Places. Microsoft's version of GMB might not be as popular, but it is still too important to ignore. It works in much the same way, allowing you to claim and verify your business's physical location and have it appear in Bing Maps and on mobile devices running the Windows Phone operating system. Yelp. Yelp is an online urban guide providing local business listings. Yelp recently replaced the relatively unsuccessful Apple Maps app for iPhones and iPads, and these devices now use data from Yelp to display local information with their included mapping apps. Given the enormous popularity of iPhones, the advantages of getting listed on Yelp should be obvious. Foursquare. The number one location-based social media website, Foursquare, allows users to find local businesses quickly and 'check in' to specific locations. Setting up a profile on Foursquare is a quick and straightforward process that will also help you in your local SEO efforts. Local SEO is mainly...