Local SEO Manchester: How to appear in the Manchester Area.

The internet made the world into a ‘global village’, but that’s no reason to turn your back on your local customer base – here are five of our top tips for local SEO in Manchester.

1. Know the city

First of all, use your local knowledge – are your customers in Didsbury or Denton? Withington or Walkden? Narrowing down your location-based keyword list is the first step towards effective local SEO in Manchester and its surrounding area, however wide you choose to cast your net.

2. Microformat your address

If your address appears on your website (and it probably should) use microformats to tell the search engines that it is your address, and which line is your street, town and so on – microdata is a hugely useful way to pass information to the search engines, so embrace it.

3. Google Maps

Of course Google Maps is important for location-based web activity, and while it might not boost your search rankings directly, it’s worth making sure your listing is accurate, and that your pushpin is in the right place on the map.

4. Responsive web design

Many of your local customers might search for you from their mobile device while they’re nearby to your location – but thanks to Mobilegeddon, non-responsive websites are unlikely to rank as highly in mobile search results. Don’t risk being ‘missing’ when people search for you from round the corner.

5. Be contactable

So they’ve found your website, they’re in the area and they know your address – that doesn’t mean they know where you are. We’ve all got lost on our first visit to a friend’s house, and customers are no different, so be open to contact from anyone needing those last few directions to where you are.