Enhancing your online visibility to increase business from local searches is known as local SEO. Many search engines are used for these queries, but local SEO is mostly concerned with Google users. optimization.
Why does local search engine optimization matter?
Since many people use search engines to find local companies, local SEO is crucial.
In actuality, as per Google:
Location-related searches account for 30% of all mobile searches.
When using mobile devices to look for something nearby, 78% of users visit the business within a day.
To put it briefly, clients are looking for your company online. You’re throwing away money if you don’t show up.
Local SEO ranking factors
As you may remember, there are two ways to rank in local search engine optimization; thus, it’s a two-sided game. The map pack is the first, and the “regular” organic results are the second.
Depending on where you want to rank, different ranking parameters apply; however, some are crucial for both.
- Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business)
A free tool called Google My Business assists nearby companies in managing their Google listings. With your company name, address, phone number, hours, reviews, website, and more, that listing is what appears on Google Search and Google Maps.
Register and fill out as much information as you can about your shop. Make sure everything is correct on your listing, including the hours, add images, and reply to feedback. Along with management advice, this Search Engine Journal article has all the information you need for both claiming and validating your listing.
- Claim your listing in additional important directories.
Listing your company in every directory you could find used to be advantageous. However, other ranking indicators are now given more weight in Google’s algorithm. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t list your business in a few significant directories relevant to your sector; these still have some authority and are frequently seen as a mark of credibility by prospective clients.
These are just a handful of the business directories you may want to check out. Depending on your target market, line of business, and merchandise, select the following:
Places on Bing
Look it up.
Using TripAdvisor
Maps for Apple
Advisor for Homes
MarriageWire
The Angie’s List
Ensuring the accuracy of the data you enter for your company is crucial for every listing. Name, hours, location, website, and so on are all included in this. Additionally, be sure to update it everywhere if something changes.
- Modify the keywords you want to target.
The terms that you want local customers searching for your business to find you for are known as keywords. Currently, you may be focusing on more general terms such as “family-friendly resort,” “vintage books,” or “craft beer.” However, you would use phrases like “best family-friendly resort in Smith County,” “vintage books for sale in St. Paul,” or “craft brewery in Louisville” to narrow the focus of those keywords to your local area.
How can you choose the best keywords for your company? Strike a balance between terms that searchers are using and ones that you can potentially rank for.
Once the appropriate keywords have been chosen, organically include them on your website. Use them logically, like you would in a conversation with a friend or coworker, as opposed to jamming them in anywhere you can.
Adding these new keywords to page titles, meta descriptions, and content created especially for your area is a wonderful way to incorporate them, even though you probably don’t want to completely alter your SEO strategy to account for them.
- Compose content relevant to your field.
You might already produce excellent material regularly, such as blog entries, videos, eBooks, etc. In such a case, good luck with your start! One of the best methods to demonstrate to Google (and potential clients) that you are an authority on a subject is through content.
However, you should also change the subjects you write about as you concentrate on local SEO. Which queries are unique to your location and are asked by customers? You may write about plants that are unique to your area and when they are harvested, for instance, if you offer gardening supplies. You may provide a directory of the top dog parks in your community if you offer personalized dog collars.
Do you recall the local keywords we discussed previously? It’s time to organically include them in your blog entries now.
- Pay attention to reviews.
Because reviews are a great way to gauge the quality of your company and products, search engines love to see them. Of course, their advantages go beyond local SEO, since prospective clients consult reviews before choosing a restaurant or store.
However, what is the best way to obtain reviews? To begin with, never give money for reviews. Not only can search engines decipher your plan with ease, but you’ll also lose the trust of your customers.
Prioritize obtaining Google reviews before expanding to the other local directories you have registered with, such as TripAdvisor or Yelp. React to as many evaluations as you can, handle dissatisfied consumers with professionalism and kindness, and modify your business procedures as necessary.
Asking for reviews is the best approach to obtaining them on the Internet. Put up a sign outside your business, put an insert in the box of your products, or include a review request in your transactional emails.
- Create local links.
In essence, a reliable source recommending your website to Google is a business referral. In general, building quality backlinks is a smart SEO tactic, and local SEO is no exception.
Finding reputable websites in your area can be accomplished with a quick Google search. If you choose to get in touch with influencers or other companies, be sure it’s something that will benefit them. Offer to write a blog piece or a guide to your area that appeals to their target audience, for instance, rather than merely expecting them to do you a favor.
- Give your website structured data.
Search engines use structured data, a kind of markup, to comprehend content. It’s a fantastic method for you to give Google-specific information about your website, which can raise the likelihood that you will appear in carousels and response boxes, among other special search results.
Ways to manage several places
However, what would happen if you had a single website with several locations? A few pointers for managing local SEO are as follows:
- Create unique landing pages. Be particular rather than putting all of the store’s details in one location! Make a page with information unique to each store, such as contact data, feedback, opening and closing times, news, photos, and blog entries.
b.For every page, apply structured data related to local businesses. Construct distinct Google My Business profiles. Verify the data is current and claim your listing for each location. Similarly, additional directories are affected.
- Write specialized blog entries. Produce material centered on each of your sites. Customer testimonials, staff highlights, hyperlocal news, and subjects unique to that region might all be included in these pieces.
- Make sure to develop connections to every location page. where building backlinks points to landing pages with particular locations where suitable. Particularly for news articles or events centered around a certain store, this is applicable.
Encourage reviews on each site. To obtain reviews, adhere to the previously mentioned techniques, but make sure you do so for every single spot you own.
