{"id":8198,"date":"2014-11-26T14:36:05","date_gmt":"2014-11-26T14:36:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sanctuarymg.com\/academy\/?p=8198"},"modified":"2023-09-18T08:36:40","modified_gmt":"2023-09-18T12:36:40","slug":"local-search-tactics-phase-6-enterprise-specific-local-seo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sanctuarymg.com\/academy\/seo\/local-search-tactics-phase-6-enterprise-specific-local-seo\/","title":{"rendered":"Local Search Tactics Phase 6: Enterprise Specific Local SEO"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Phase 6 of our Massive Guide to Local Search Tactics<\/a> we look at special challenges related to working with larger companies. The following are just a few suggestions to help you get started with SEO<\/a> at the enterprise level.<\/p>\n

Befriend the IT Department<\/h2>\n

When working at the enterprise level, you\u2019ll often find that getting things done can be hard due to the tight control of important things like\u2026 updating pages on the website! So do what you can to become friends with the people in IT that might control things that the company considers \u201ctechnical\u201d.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll find that making friends and gaining the trust of people in IT will show that you\u2019re not a threat to their job and you\u2019re trustworthy enough to get FTP access and their CMS to make simple updates and improvements to pages.<\/p>\n

This may sound like a given since you\u2019ve been hired to help them with their SEO, but many times IT can have final say over the marketing department (believe it or not). IT people can be controlling, territorial and even threatened by your requests to step into their world. So do your best to gain their trust first. Buy some lunches and\/or beers and show that you\u2019re not a threat and that you actually have the knowledge needed to not \u201cbreak\u201d anything on the website.<\/p>\n

Cooperation – Many Hands Make Light Work<\/h2>\n

For larger companies, you might be working with hundreds or even thousands of individual locations. This can obviously be a challenge for multiple \"Local<\/a>reasons.<\/p>\n

First, there\u2019s simply a lot to do. Just planning how you\u2019re going to claim and optimize the basics for several hundred locations could take months or years depending on the budget available.<\/p>\n

Second, most local SEO companies such as ours are not large organizations. So we\u2019re essentially David taking on Goliath. We\u2019re essentially a few individuals taking on a mountain of work.<\/p>\n

So for this reason, consider what you can do to leverage all of your available resources.<\/p>\n

Consider properly planning what needs to be done and then outsourcing the time consuming work to reliable and affordable freelancers.<\/p>\n

Consider what resources you can tap into at the company. Is there a secretary at each location that can follow some simple instructions and chip away at a task over the course of a month?<\/p>\n

Can tasks be given to management at each location so they have ownership over their own local marketing? Detailing specific tasks, working closely with them, following up and proofing their work can ensure that things get done right and in a timely manner.<\/p>\n

Cross-link Nearby Locations with Geo-Anchor Text<\/h2>\n

Internal linking is important on your website to show that content is related and to help readers find related content. Building these \u201chubs\u201d of information is a core usability and SEO best practice.<\/p>\n

The same tactic makes sense for building hubs related to corporate locations in a geographic area. It can show the search engines that the company is a force to be reckoned with in the local area and it can help users find optional locations that fit their needs.<\/p>\n

Most of all it helps the search engines to see that this company is an important service provider within that state or city and that it should be shown prominently. (In theory)<\/p>\n

Learn That Less is More<\/h2>\n

You\u2019ll find that when you\u2019re dealing with companies that are larger in size, the work you can do can be extremely limited and slow unless it\u2019s your full time job to manage their local presence online. You\u2019ll also find that many competitors are not even doing the basics.<\/p>\n

So the best thing to do is to keep your efforts focused and make sure that you\u2019re not worrying about making huge leaps and bounds. Take small but solid steps over time and you\u2019ll find that you\u2019re actually making huge leaps and bounds over your competition.<\/p>\n