Chicago is famed for its towering skyscrapers, architectural marvels, and diverse cuisines. The bustling metropolis also boasts a thriving economy, which makes it a preeminent investment destination in the United States. Recent statistics estimate that the City of Chicago has over 100,000 licensed businesses across multiple industries, such as manufacturing, hospitality, and transportation.
However, with so many companies jostling for a controlling share of Chicago’s market, success lies in implementing ingenious digital marketing techniques. Below are the top five online marketing strategies that Chicago-based search engine optimization (SEO) agencies use to spur business growth.
1. Content Marketing
Content is the bedrock of nearly all digital marketing techniques. So, it’s unsurprising that any chicago seo agency you’ll come across has some content marketing strategy in place.
Content marketing entails creating SEO-focused articles that drive the right traffic to a website. The overarching goal is to ramp up revenue generation by propelling the site higher up on search engine result pages (SERPs).
E-commerce platforms with impressive rankings on SERPs are more discoverable by search engines. Online shoppers searching for relevant products and services will likely click on the first few pages that pop up on search engines.
One unique fact about content marketing is that it’s informative and promotional. That’s especially true for sponsored blogs, which can be up to 90% educational and only 10% advertising.
Besides, many Chicago SEO firms have since diversified from traditional article-based or blog-style content marketing methods. These companies now implement other effective content marketing strategies, including video blogging (vlogging) and podcasting.
2. Keyword Research
Keyword research and content marketing are inseparable. That’s because online users typically search for relevant keywords before landing on a website or blog.
The difference between the two digital marketing techniques is that keyword research primarily entails discovering niche-specific words and formulating marketing strategies around such words.
Your Chicago SEO specialist would ideally use a keyword research tool to discover the commonly used keywords in your industry. The company would then devise ingenious methods to outrank your competitors for those keywords.
Assume you run an antique jewelry store in Chicago and are trying to boost your business’s online visibility. Upon researching relevant keywords, your SEO agency discovers that most Chicago-based jewelers rank for the keyword “antique jewelry store.’
The firm may choose to optimize your e-commerce store for a long-tail keyword like “affordable antique jewelry store in Chicago.” This ensures your store pops up higher on SERPs for other relevant search terms, such as “affordable jewelry” or “antique jewelry store in Chicago.”
3. Link Building
It’s impossible to discuss the best SEO strategies for spurring business growth without referencing link building.
Link building involves getting high-authority websites to link back to your site. This SEO technique may prove as effective as content marketing if adequately undertaken.
Multiple links from authority blogs point to your website, which lends credence to the site’s credibility. That’s especially true if the URLs meet the minimum quality threshold.
Several parameters are used to gauge a link’s quality. At the very least, the link must come from an authority domain in your niche. It would be unrealistic to have multiple backlinks from totally irrelevant blogs.
Link insertion techniques also vary from one SEO company to another. Some firms prefer subtle brand mentions, while others direct readers to your products and services.
4. On-Page SEO
On-page or on-site SEO is exactly what the word implies. This SEO technique optimizes individual web pages and their content for human users and search engines.
Internal linking is a common on-page SEO strategy used by Chicago SEO companies.
Unlike link building, where third-party websites incorporate links into their content that lead back to your ecommerce store, internal linking involves linking to a product or article on a different page within the same website.
Site load speed is yet another on-page SEO worth paying attention to.
Any Chicago SEO company worth its salt should understand that slow website load speeds translate to high bounce rates. Therefore, they should take the necessary measures to optimize your site’s load speed across multiple devices, including desktops and mobile phones.
5. Local SEO
The fact that you’re targeting the greater Chicago market makes it necessary to engage a digital marketing company experienced in local SEO methods.
First, the agency must optimize your ecommerce store for Google My Business (GMB).
GMP is a free tool by Google that lets you determine how your business appears on Google Search and Maps.
Among the perks you can unlock with GMB include creating product listings, posting your company’s address, and accepting online orders. The tool is particularly effective for brick-and-mortar stores.
Local SEO may also encompass social media optimization. Your Chicago SEO specialist might recommend some tips to engage with your social media followers and possibly convert them into leads.
Final Word
Working with an SEO specialist in Chicago is essential to tapping into the city’s thriving economy. However, in-depth research and due diligence are paramount when searching for the right SEO agency.
Begin with a local SEO company well-versed in Chicago’s economic landscape. You’ll also do well to engage a firm with a proven track record. That entails asking for a list of their past clients. Most importantly, choose a Chicago SEO agency that is happy to perform free audits before issuing you a custom quote.
