Most business owners know about basic local SEO tactics such as signing up for Google places and sites such as Yelp and Angie's List, asking clients for reviews and using content marketing to target specific demographics. However, there are plenty of other uncommon yet effective local SEO tactics that are left untried simply because company owners don't know about them, aren't sure how to use them or don't have the time to implement them. Here are some tactics you may want to consider to help your company stand out from the competition.

Sign up for Bing Places for Business

Bing is not nearly as powerful as Google but its market share of search engine queries does come to nearly 8%. That means that millions of people use the website every single day. You can sign up your business on Bing Places for Business free of charge; what is more, the site offers a number of great benefits to business owners who do so, including the ability to manage multiple listings simultaneously.

Make Sure Your Address is Identical on Every Single Site

Your business address must be identical on every single site you sign up your business on. If, for instance, you use the abbreviation such as St. or Ln (for Street or Lane) on some sites, keep this abbreviation the same on every single site you sign up for.

Sponsor Local Meetup Events

Meetup.com is a site that makes it possible for people who share the same interests, hobbies or ideas to get together. Many of these get-togethers need sponsors and it is not hard to find events that could use financial help and then have your business provide the needed sponsorship. Doing so will not only generate goodwill in the community but also get you an automatic backlink from a prestigious website. Meetup.com has gotten nearly 42 million visits in January 2018 alone and its country, global and category rank are all on the rise.

Join the Local Chamber of Commerce

If you are not already a member of your city's Chamber of Commerce, now is the time to join. Doing so will get you a free backlink; what is more, it will also give you access to great offline networking opportunities that could enable you to expand and promote your business in new ways.

Optimize Your Site for Voice Search

Voice search is growing in popularity and it is not hard to see why. Instead of having to type in your search query, you can now tell Alexa, Siri, Google or some other, similar program what you are looking for.

It is important to note that many of these searches are for local businesses. If you want to get found on these searches you will need to not only optimize your site for voice search but also make sure there is no doubt as to where your business is located.

Other Uncommon yet Effective Local SEO Tactics

Following are some more uncommon yet effective local SEO tactics that are well worth a look:

  • Make sure your site can be found on Baidu if you want to reach a Chinese demographic. The website accounts for more than 10% of all search engine queries and is the dominant website in Mainland China.
  • Use case studies to not only showcase your leadership role in your industry but also reach local clients. Local case studies show you know your city well and are interested in providing only the best products and/or services to your local area.
  • Get in local newspapers, magazines and other publications. You can do this by signing up for HARO or organizing a local charitable event.
  • Add videos to your local pages. People who view your videos will inadvertently boost your site's retention rate, showing Google that people are interested in you and what you have to offer.

These uncommon yet effective local SEO tactics will help you boost your website's standing not only now but also in the future. While it does take time to use these tactics, the results can be more than worth it as they will enable you to reach people you would not have come into contact with otherwise.

At the same time, you don't have to go it alone when trying out uncommon yet effective local SEO tactics. Brandgy specializes in local SEO, offering services such as local SEO marketing plans, content creation and marketing plans and offsite online marketing services. Our services are available in various price points to make it easy for any business owner to get the help he or she needs at a reasonable price. Get in touch with us to discover how our customized services can enable you to reach more people than ever before.