Best way to optimize a website for local search today?

[JimMartinSF]

A real estate agent client has had a website for years, which he optimized to position himself as a national real estate expert (to get more TV and media exposure). Now he wants to be found for a more local real estate term, such as Westchester ny real estate.

Should he add a page to his site that's focused on Westchester real estate, or would Google view that as spammy? Should he update older blog posts with relevant, useful content about Westchester? Any best practices and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[JimMartinSF]

Thanks Katarina! Really appreciate your thoughtful response. Jim

[Katarina-Borovska]

Hi there,

Yes, definitely!  Don't forget to update not just content, but also titles, H1's and other H's - so Google can index them with the local info. Also, make sure you update your contact details and use identical details for all social accounts and directories. You can add a new article that is more location focused and add a map. Don't forget Google My Business - optimise it and make sure you have your website link there.

If you are coming with fresh content, I would recommend researching long-tail keywords or the most frequent search queries via Keyword Planner. Try multiplying keyword lists, i.e. generic terms x location (town, area, state etc.). This should give you a good idea, and I would start there. Publish regularly. All this will work for you!

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Katarina