Do you have a local business in Northern Arizona? SEO is definitely something you best invest in since most consumers these days consult the search engines for everything from dining and shopping options to all sorts of professional services. Checking off several items on the SEO checklist won’t cut it, either. Your online marketing campaign has to be more thorough and you need to ensure that you take a holistic approach to local SEO in order to rank well.

When we say holistic, we mean that your efforts should cover the entire spectrum of local SEO best practices. Claiming your Google My Business listing is merely the beginning of everything. The following are just some of the other SEO-related tasks that need to be accomplished.

1. Quality link-building – Through the years and the regular algorithm tweaking done on the search engines, links remain an important factor in ranking. These days, however, you need to get good links, which means they have to be from trustworthy sites. In the local SEO arena, you can earn a quality link by participating in local events, donating to a local charity, or doing something newsworthy.
2. Consistent NAP – NAP refers to your business’ Name, Address, and Phone number. It has to remain consistent across your website, all your online assets, and the different online business listings. If you give more than one version of your NAP, the search engines will register two businesses, resulting in your link juice getting split.
3. Responsive website – By making your site mobile-friendly, you gain favor not only with users who have an easier time consulting your site on a smaller screen, but with the search engines as well. They prioritize mobile-friendly sites when displaying search results.
4. Engaging content – Interesting and helpful content has great potential to go viral by attracting links and social media shares. Popularity is definitely one of the signals search engines use to determine your site’s worthiness of a good ranking.

5. Positive reviews – Testimonials on your website are one thing; legitimate reviews posted elsewhere on the Internet, especially the online business listing sites, are another. It will definitely serve you well to see how you’re faring on Yelp. Remember as well that star ratings appear in local search results, so you should put a solid effort toward monitoring your reviews.

   There are other things you can do as well, but the above constitute a solid start. Search engines consider a sea of signals in their algorithm, so you need to cast your net far and wide. With a holistic approach, you can rest easy that you cover as many essential factors as possible.