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One Expert’s Local SEO Tips for Helping Clients Rank on Page One
Updated: May 29
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A lot of people can design websites for fun. Yet, not everyone can build high-performing sites that deliver on the stated business goals of their clients. Jordan Beynon has risen to the challenge, though.
Over the past two years, the web designer and SEO expert has successfully executed multiple local SEO campaigns. His work has generated greater visibility for his clients, plus well-earned credentials that Jordan can use to attract new customers.
It’s that mix of expertise and proven results that made us want to sit down and learn from him. Below, he shares three case studies about implementing local SEO for small business clients, and the strategies and tips you need to know for how to do local SEO - and see the impact.
Meet Jordan Beynon, local SEO expert
Jordan got his start with Wix after the agency he works at full-time switched over to using the platform. He quickly took note of its high impact: That company is now able to produce websites at a much faster rate and at a more affordable price point to their clients.
Watching those results, Jordan took it upon himself to learn more about Wix and its capabilities. Eventually, he opened his own freelance web design business on the side, called Fourhands Designs, followed by an SEO consultancy. Because his primary agency focuses exclusively on the dentistry industry, he saw the opportunity to use his spare time to build websites and devise marketing strategies for clients coming from other fields.
What is local seo and why is it important for your clients
Let’s start by quickly reviewing why local SEO is so important. When working with a client whose business has a physical location, your SEO strategy should include exposing this information to Google.
That’s because geo-targeted content generally fares better on the SERPs (search engine results pages). It’s all a part of Google’s continued effort to tailor their suggestions to a user’s location.
When you get your client ranking higher on the SERPs, organic traffic really has a chance to show off its might. It’s the ideal domino reaction for you and your client: A more prominent placement on Google usually captures the attention of more web visitors. And an increase in interest can translate into a higher conversion rate for the client.
To set this sequence into motion, pay attention to these major local SEO ranking factors:
· External linking: Placing links to your client’s site on external pages builds up its domain authority, and creates more virtual pathways to lead visitors back there. Achieve this by submitting your client’s site to online directories, starting off with Google My Business. Also open accounts for them on social media channels and place links to the website in their bios.
· NAP (name, address, and phone number): This information improves a search engine’s understanding of your client’s business, making it easier to know when it would be a relevant result to display. Do so by publishing these basics every place where your client has an online presence, making sure to keep the details consistent throughout. Other examples of helpful categories to include are: opening hours, a Google map section of the website, and directions to the physical space. Prominently displaying a client’s NAP also makes it so simple for web visitors to find the essential information they need to reach your client. With those details in hand, they can take a big step along the road to becoming a customer.
· On-page SEO: Help Google help their users who are looking for local solutions. Add the geographic location of your client’s business to the metadata (SEO titles and descriptions) of various pages on their site, so the search engine knows to associate it with a specific area. While the homepage is the main focus, most other pages are suitable for this kind of optimization, as well.
Keeping these tips in mind, let’s dive into the three local SEO case studies of clients Jordan has worked with. We’ll break down the challenge, the strategy, and the results he was able to achieve for each of these local businesses.
Local SEO case study #1: Marketpreneurs
The background: This London-based customer acquisition agency already had a Wix website for a good year or so before Jordan came on board. The client had created the website himself, and had written an impressive collection of blog posts over that time. We’re talking about over 150 pieces of unique content.
The challenge: To get Marketpreneurs to rank competitively on Google for its keywords:
· ‘Customer acquisition agency in London’
· ‘Customer acquisition agency London’
· ‘Customer acquisition agency’
At the end of January 2019, before the project began, Marketprenuers wasn’t ranking in the top one hundred for a single one of them. Jordan was up against a visibility problem.
The strategy: Jordan has his own personal 28-point checklist of optimizations that he breaks out for all projects like this one. With that roadmap in mind, he went about reviewing each factor and implementing any needed changes.
He placed special emphasis on improving the website’s speed, knowing how a faster loading time could positively impact the site’s SEO.
Because the client had already produced so much content, there was no need for a big overhaul. Instead, Jordan collaborated with the client to identify some new pages to add to the website, in addition to fine-tuning the SEO of what already existed, with an emphasis on the homepage.
The results: Within a month of Jordan’s intervention, Marketprenuer saw some major shifts in how it was ranking for their keywords.
· ‘Customer acquisition agency in London’ was at position four.
· ‘Customer acquisition agency London’ was at position ten.
· Customer acquisition agency’ was at position thirteen.
When we spoke, at the end of March 2019, Jordan performed a search on the query, 'customer acquisition agency in London.' There Marketprenuers was, at the acclaimed position zero.
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As of April 2019, a little over one year later, Marketpreneurs is ranking in position zero for their keyword, ‘customer acquisition agency in London.’
Local SEO case study #2: The Jar
The background: When The Jar, a healthy vending machine provider, first approached Jordan, they had no online presence whatsoever. After a year of working with him, they are now outfitted with their own new website - and an impressive SEO record.
The challenge: Moving The Jar from having zero online presence to identifying their keywords and getting them to rank high on Google.
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Back in March 2018, before Jordan began his SEO efforts, the first page of Google results for the query ‘Healthy vending London’ displayed no mention of The Jar.
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A March 2019 Google Maps listing for search term ‘Healthy vending machines London.’
The strategy: Jordan first advised them to submit their business to Google My Business, and then start gathering customer reviews on Google. These actions would serve two purposes. First, they would alert the search engine to The Jar’s presence. Second, they would give the business authority - always a valuable factor for good SEO.
While their website might not be huge, Jordan underscored that it was about “getting the right content in the right places.” With that strategic move, he could still propel the site to top performance levels.
Jordan initially focused on the phase ‘Healthy vending London.’ Once this was achieved, he optimized for ‘Healthy vending machines London.’
The results: After one year of working together with Jordan, the The Jar went from having nothing online to being in position one on the SERP for ‘Healthy vending machines London’ and ‘Healthy vending London.’ Take it straight from the client:
"Fourhands Designs created us an online presence, which, within less than six months, provided us enquiries worth ten times our initial investment." - Yuri, The Jar
Jordan continues to provide ongoing SEO services in the form of bespoke blog creation and distribution, in coordination with his team of copywriters. He meets with The Jar once a month to look at the analytics, discuss the growth they see, and make tweaks and changes as needed.
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By May 2019, The Jar was appearing on the first page of the SERPs for search term ‘Healthy vending London.’
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SERP for query ‘Healthy vending machines London’ in May 2019.
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A May 2019 Google Maps listing for search term ‘Healthy vending machines London.’
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May 2019 Google Maps listing of The Jar boasts a full business profile, complete with their hours of operation, a contact phone number, and a link to their website.
Local SEO case study #3: Phoenix Eye Wing Tsun Association
The background: Phoenix Eye Wing Tsun Association (PEWTA) is a wing tsun martial arts school. The Association was formed in 2018 when several individual schools in London - each with their own website - decided to unite and create one organization.
With that merger, they contacted Jordan to build a new umbrella website to match. Part of that process was redirecting all of the old URLs to the new address, in a way that passed on the historical SEO value of the old domains.
The challenge: Establishing an online presence for an association that didn’t exist before.
The strategy: Jordan has approached PEWTA’s local SEO in two stages.
First up was ensuring they appear for a search of their name. As Jordan always advises his clients:
“You have to be ranking on page one for your brand. If someone says, ‘You should check out these guys,’ and then they can’t find you on Google, that’s never a good start. Your priority needs to be appearing for your brand.”
“You have to be ranking on page one for your brand."
After seeing positive results on that front, it was time to expand PEWTA’s keyword reach to ‘Wing Tsun in London.’
The results: The first stage is already a success. Between his on-site optimization and submitting the business to relevant listings and directories, Jordan’s client is dominating page one for their brand, ‘Phoenix Eye Wing Tsun.’
There’s good news coming out of the second stage, as well. The Association is ranking in position three for ‘Wing Tsun in London.’ Because a lot of the websites listed above it have been around for longer, they have the added benefit of authority over time. But that’s something that the recently-launched PEWTA site will soon come to rival.
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As of May 2019, PEWTA is dominating page one for the brand, seen by searching ‘Phoenix Eye Wing Tsun.’
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By May 2019, PEWTA was appearing in the local pack display and position two for ‘Wing Tsun in London.’
As Jordan says, “I don’t just do website design. It’s more than that. It’s online growth, visibility, and how to market the business. The website is an extension of the business. It needs to convert the traffic that views it.”
“The website is an extension of the business.”
This is the holistic approach he brings to each of his projects, collaborating with his clients to ensure strong local business SEO is a cornerstone of their work together. In his words: “It’s more than just a pretty website.”
