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On-page SEO is still very important, and this is probably even truer for local businesses than for general websites.

For starters, you'll need to decide on which keywords to target. While it's true that "long tail" keywords are becoming more important, and that Hummingbird is allowing Google to interpret queries better than before, keyword targeting is still a very important part of SEO. 5. Verify Your Business Listing in Google+


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You absolutely must get your business verified in Google+ in order to make sure that you show up in Google Maps properly, and to increase your chances of showing up in the search results. Social Media Examiner can walk you through this process. 6. Build Local Citations, and Ensure Consistency

Citations are huge when it comes to success with local SEO. A citation is when your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) are listed on the web. Citations from authoritative places help boost your visibility in Google Maps and local search results, and the more of these you have, the better you can expect to perform. In this way, they serve a role similar to links.

7. Earn Natural Reviews

Reviews are nearly as important as citations when it comes to your rankings in local search results, and they are clearly extremely important as far as converting skeptics into buyers. It's important to encourage your customers to publish reviews on Google+, as well as other business listings like Yelp, Super Pages, Foursquare, Urban Spoon, etc. 8. Social Media

While you do not necessarily need to fully invest yourself in all of these platforms, it's a good idea to at least set up profiles on not just Google+ but Face book, Foursquare, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tumblr, YouTube, Flicker, and Instagram.

Conclusion

Content marketing is by no means a must if you want your local business to succeed online. By switching the focus from content to usability and community, and understanding a few important things about how local SEO works, you can beat competitors who invest heavily in content.

Hopefully you learned something helpful today, and I'd appreciate it if you passed this along to somebody who could benefit from the knowledge. If you have anything to add, let me know in the comments.