Use geotargeting to get a slice of the SEO pie
Back when I was 14. I was a high school student by day, and SEO lackey by night. My weapon of choice was the much hated 'Doorway Pages' Back then, SEO was in its infancy. Even someone with little to no SEO experience could get a top ranking and start making some good money in a couple of weeks. Simply creating a 1 page, static HTML site with a little bit of content, stuffed full of keywords, hosted on a free host like the now defunct Geocities, and making sure the all important 'Click here to Enter' text was big a bold, was enough to secure a top Google ranking in a matter of weeks, and create a nice little money spinner.
People were creating thousands of these pages, some even with automated software, and getting great results for themselves mainly, as the SEO game was still in its infancy. Today, SEO has turned into a multi billion dollar professional industry. Everyone from Fortune 500 companies, to small cafe's on a local street corner, have realised the unlimited potential of reaching their audience online in today's competitive business environment, and are all fighting for a slice of the tasty SEO Pie.
With increased competitiveness comes the need to become more specific and targeted.
When the competition gets tougher, and those rubbish 'Doorway pages' stop working, we simply get smarter. Geographic specific searches are becoming increasingly used by consumers to find relevant goods and services close by to them. Geotargeting SEO can be done in the following ways:
Google Maps
Now getting big props in the Google search results, getting listed in Google maps is probably the most important aspect to successfully 'Geo SEO' your website. Make sure you are listed and you provide all the information a customer would ever need-and everything they don't yet know they need.
Search Positions
Get good rankings for your geographic area and keyword. Things like 'Carlton Plumber', 'Perth Website Design', is much better and realistic than targeting 'Plumber' or 'Website Designer' which would most likely draw leads from clients you could not service.
Geotargeting, or 'Geo SEO', is the way to go to see targeted results and traffic. Choose your competition wisely-don't complete for the thrill of battle.
James Richardson
Co-Founder
James is Co-Founder of Optimising who’s worked with everyone from national retailers and franchise groups to fast-growing eCommerce brands. He’s as interested in how AI engines send traffic as he is in old-fashioned rankings, and spends a lot of time testing how brands show up across search.
He started out running sports fan sites and early eCommerce stores, picked up a few senior sales and marketing roles at ASX-listed companies, then decided to build the kind of SEO agency he actually wanted to work at. Outside work, James is usually being out-negotiated by his three daughters, hosting very serious pretend tea parties, or supervising yet another cubby house build in the lounge room.
