How to "Jump" over returns not physically local

[ritabean1]

Hello,

I'm looking for advise on how to handle local SEO when up against companies who only have a virtual presence in a city, not a physical one.

For example, search returns for "career coaching cleveland" include all kinds of companies whose members offer virtual career coaching services all over the country. Returns for those types of companies state "Top 10 career coaches in Cleveland," but not a single coach lives in Cleveland.

I'm pretty new to SEO, but have the basics covered with a Google Business account and The SEO Framesork WordPress plugin.

Any advice or direction to a helpful resource much appreciated.

Many thanks, rita

 

[Joe Goldstein]

Larger sites like those can beat you when it comes to authority, but you can beat them when it comes to relevancy.

The first thing I would do is to try to get a couple of locally-relevant links. The local chamber of commerce, local charities or event sponsorships, and other local businesses are all fair game.

Next up, start working on a local resource. Maybe "the 10 best job fairs near Cleveland," local business resources, local networking events, etc. Basically just find a topic that fits with the career coach's brand and target market, and then check the search results to make sure that you can blow the best result out of the water. Once it's live, shop it around for links.

Finally, set up a tracking URL on your GMB's website listing. Give it a week or two, and then check search console to see which queries are driving impressions. It looks like a lot of those searches aren't going to trigger map packs, but once you have a better idea about which searches do trigger them, you'll be able to prioritize around those.

 

[ritabean1]

Wow, Joe, thanks for this speedy and helpful reply. Very nice. Excited to put your reco's into action.