As a small business owner, you've heard all the hype. You know you need an online presence to survive in today's technology-driven business world. Still, online marketing is a mystery to many small business owners. And local marketing is even more intimidating. Confusing as it may be, many small business owners, just like you, are often fooled into thinking they can do their local marketing SEO the same way national brands do.

What works for the national brands, works for the not for your local small business trying to outrank the local competition. It's hard for any business owner to understand the difference between right and wrong when it comes to local SEO marketing, as most of the information available is unclear and contradictory. Let's take a look at some of the myths behind successful SEO for local businesses.

• Link building is dead - This myth is everywhere today and stems primarily from Google's attempt to discourage unnatural links. Matt Cutts recently made a comment that people trying to build SEO should stop guest posting. However, there is nothing wrong with publishing valuable content in the form of guest posts. In fact, there are certain directories that every business should be on that are safe in the eyes of Google.
• Applying for a business directory boosts your SEO - Many local businesses feel that their SEO increases when they claim their business directories online. Yes, it is beneficial to submit your business, but it is not the only reason for improving search engine optimisation. There are many other factors that play a role in SEO marketing.
• Social media does not help with search engine optimisation - Social media or social search is all the rage these days. Companies that have discovered social media benefit from improved SEO marketing. Social media creates natural backlinks when users share your website and information with others on sites like Facebook and Twitter. The most important thing is that you post regularly, publish value-orientated content and actively participate in conversations.
• Domain names with keywords - The best thing to do with your domain name is to focus on the name of your company or brand. Adding keywords to your domain name usually doesn't provide SEO support, at least not anymore. It's the other SEO marketing activities that will promote you and help you get higher search results.
• Mobile is the same as desktop - Mobile search is the key to local SEO marketing. The majority of searches conducted on a mobile device are for local services and products. Ensuring that your website is ideally suited to mobile devices can have an impact on your rankings. If you have not yet considered a mobile platform for your business, you should do so.
• Contents are not relevant - Link building was once thought to be the only way to successful search engine optimisation, but with the changes to Google's algorithms, writing compelling content is becoming the preferred method in SEO marketing. As mentioned above, link building is still relevant, but investing in value-driven content for web pages, blog posts and more will bring you and your website more quality links and leads.
• Local pages are not required - At a minimum, you must include your city and state on your website to be included in local searches. Title tags, on-page citations and links should all clearly state where you are located. However, if you really want to improve your local SEO search rankings, you should create a separate local landing page for each niche of your business. These local landing pages will help you rank better for local search queries.
• All I need is basic SEO in order to be at the top of Google Local. You should know your local competition. If your industry is saturated with businesses like yours, it can be difficult, but not impossible, for you to appear at the top of local searches. You will need to invest heavily and consistently in various SEO measures to promote your business to new customers and improve your local search ranking.
• Photos and/or videos are not important - Multimedia can be beneficial in improving your local search rankings. Images and videos are often displayed as mixed adverts in Google search. Therefore, these multimedia elements can provide additional opportunities for your business to be found. If you think there's no way to incorporate photos or videos into your business marketing, think again. Let your imagination run wild - videos of work processes, photos of company events or other local events related to your service or product make excellent marketing material.
• Microsite and other domains that I own will benefit my search engine optimisation (SEO) - there is no point in neglecting your search engine optimisation (SEO). Search engines today are smart enough to know who a domain name is registered to, and setting up multiple domains and websites doesn't build up your main domain, it dilutes it. Also, many companies have been penalised by Google for running microsites with duplicate content. Focus on building your primary website!

There are many SEO marketing strategies, some of which were once considered mainstream. It's difficult for a business owner to keep up with the ever-evolving SEO strategies and practices. However, knowing which myths are out there and which are not can help you make more effective decisions for your SEO marketing campaigns. Regardless of whether you hire a professional to handle your SEO marketing or do it yourself, you should understand that SEO is about the overall experience for the user or searcher. If you take this into account, you will generate more leads and sales online. .

As a small business owner, you've heard all the hype. You know you need an online presence to survive in today's technology-driven business world. Still, online marketing is a mystery to many small business owners. And local marketing is even more intimidating. Confusing as it may be, many small business owners, just like you, are often fooled into thinking they can do their local marketing SEO the same way national brands do.

What works for the national brands, works for the not for your local small business trying to outrank the local competition. It's hard for any business owner to understand the difference between right and wrong when it comes to local SEO marketing, as most of the information available is unclear and contradictory. Let's take a look at some of the myths behind successful SEO for local businesses.

• Link building is dead - This myth is everywhere today and stems primarily from Google's attempt to discourage unnatural links. Matt Cutts recently made a comment that people trying to build SEO should stop guest posting. However, there is nothing wrong with publishing valuable content in the form of guest posts. In fact, there are certain directories that every business should be on that are safe in the eyes of Google.
• Applying for a business directory boosts your SEO - Many local businesses feel that their SEO increases when they claim their business directories online. Yes, it is beneficial to submit your business, but it is not the only reason for improving search engine optimisation. There are many other factors that play a role in SEO marketing.
• Social media does not help with search engine optimisation - Social media or social search is all the rage these days. Companies that have discovered social media benefit from improved SEO marketing. Social media creates natural backlinks when users share your website and information with others on sites like Facebook and Twitter. The most important thing is that you post regularly, publish value-orientated content and actively participate in conversations.
• Domain names with keywords - The best thing to do with your domain name is to focus on the name of your company or brand. Adding keywords to your domain name usually doesn't provide SEO support, at least not anymore. It's the other SEO marketing activities that will promote you and help you get higher search results.
• Mobile is the same as desktop - Mobile search is the key to local SEO marketing. The majority of searches conducted on a mobile device are for local services and products. Ensuring that your website is ideally suited to mobile devices can have an impact on your rankings. If you have not yet considered a mobile platform for your business, you should do so.
• Contents are not relevant - Link building was once thought to be the only way to successful search engine optimisation, but with the changes to Google's algorithms, writing compelling content is becoming the preferred method in SEO marketing. As mentioned above, link building is still relevant, but investing in value-driven content for web pages, blog posts and more will bring you and your website more quality links and leads.
• Local pages are not required - At a minimum, you must include your city and state on your website to be included in local searches. Title tags, on-page citations and links should all clearly state where you are located. However, if you really want to improve your local SEO search rankings, you should create a separate local landing page for each niche of your business. These local landing pages will help you rank better for local search queries.
• All I need is basic SEO in order to be at the top of Google Local. You should know your local competition. If your industry is saturated with businesses like yours, it can be difficult, but not impossible, for you to appear at the top of local searches. You will need to invest heavily and consistently in various SEO measures to promote your business to new customers and improve your local search ranking.
• Photos and/or videos are not important - Multimedia can be beneficial in improving your local search rankings. Images and videos are often displayed as mixed adverts in Google search. Therefore, these multimedia elements can provide additional opportunities for your business to be found. If you think there's no way to incorporate photos or videos into your business marketing, think again. Let your imagination run wild - videos of work processes, photos of company events or other local events related to your service or product make excellent marketing material.
• Microsite and other domains that I own will benefit my search engine optimisation (SEO) - there is no point in neglecting your search engine optimisation (SEO). Search engines today are smart enough to know who a domain name is registered to, and setting up multiple domains and websites doesn't build up your main domain, it dilutes it. Also, many companies have been penalised by Google for running microsites with duplicate content. Focus on building your primary website!

There are many SEO marketing strategies, some of which were once considered mainstream. It's difficult for a business owner to keep up with the ever-evolving SEO strategies and practices. However, knowing which myths are out there and which are not can help you make more effective decisions for your SEO marketing campaigns. Regardless of whether you hire a professional to handle your SEO marketing or do it yourself, you should understand that SEO is about the overall experience for the user or searcher. If you take this into account, you will generate more leads and sales online. .