What is Local SEO and How to Improve Your Local Ranking
Pretty much everyone starts looking for services by googling what they need. But what if your business is a local one? How do you make sure your business appears when people in your area search for products and services? This is where Local SEO comes in.
Restaurants, retail shops, plumbers, dentists, and almost any other small local business can benefit from local SEO, which is essential for competing and attracting customers from your area. So, let’s explore the concept of local SEO, reasons why it matters, and techniques to improve your local ranking for more traffic and sales.
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the practice of making improvements to your website and online presence to achieve a better ranking on Google’s results page for local searches. These searches usually have geographical components, for example, “best coffee shop near me” or “plumber in [city name].” Local SEO focuses on reaching audiences within a given geographic location.
Optimizing Google My Business (GMB) along with local citations, reviews, and geographically relevant phrases is a crucial element of local SEO. Improving local SEO makes it easier for search engines like Google to identify and promote your business within your vicinity.
Why Local SEO Matters
As we have just seen, local SEO offers excellent benefits to businesses. Here are some interesting insights about why business owners should shift their focus:
Targeted Traffic: Users searching for businesses that offer products and services provided by you or your competitors in your area help boost conversion rates. The traffic is highly likely to be converted into desirable actions.
Enhanced Presence: Local SEO ensures that you can be included among the businesses appearing in the “local pack” or “map pack,” which is displayed prominently in Google search results. This means an improved presence and helps drive more foot traffic to your store or website.
Increased Mobile Searches: The number of people using mobile phones to search for nearby businesses is on the rise. With local SEO strategies in place, your chances of appearing in searches from customers looking to make an immediate purchase are maximized.
Cost-Effective Marketing: Unlike other traditional forms of advertising, local SEO is a much more affordable option for attracting new clients. It is a way to expand your reach organically, without the need for paid advertisements.
How To Improve Your Local Ranking
With a foundational understanding of local SEO, it’s time to unpack how to make improvements to your ranking.
- Claim and Optimize Your Google My Business (GMB) Profile
Google My Business is a critical component to local SEO. Without a properly optimized GMB profile, your business might not show up in local searches or on Google Maps.
Follow these optimization steps on your GMB:
Claim your business: Confirm your listing with Google. This will enable you to manage and update your business information, ensuring it remains current at all times.
Fill out all details: Ensure that all information uploaded is precise and consistent, including the listed business name, address, phone number (NAP), operating hours, and website URL.
Add high-quality photos: Visually appealing images attract customers’ attention, so include high-quality pictures of your products, services, and business location.
Get reviews: Ask satisfied customers to leave positive reviews, as they can enhance your credibility and improve your ranking.
Use relevant keywords: Add your top business services alongside location-based keywords to your GMB profile.
- Optimize Your Website for Local SEO
Your website needs to be optimized with local keywords and structured data since it functions as an online storefront.
Make use of local keywords: Keywords related to your business and location should be sought (for example, “plumber in Coimbatore”). These keywords should be incorporated in the titles, meta descriptions, headings, and site content where relevant and naturally.
Create pages for each specific locale: For businesses with multiple locations, ensure that each area has a dedicated landing page. Such pages must capture the locale’s name, services provided, and customer testimonials for better traction.
Implement schema markup: Increase visibility by applying Local Business schema markup to your business for data such as address, phone number, and business contact details.
- Get Local Citations
Local citations are the term used for the mentioning or referencing of a business’s name, address, and phone number (NAP) on other websites, directories, and social media. Maintaining a consistent NAP on multiple reputable sites can help improve local SEO ranking.
This is how you can get local citations:
List your business on local directories: Ensure your business is listed on reputable local directories, such as Yelp, Yellow Pages, and the websites of regional chambers of commerce.
Use niche-specific directories: For example, if you have a restaurant, be sure to register on food directories like Zomato or TripAdvisor.
Ensure consistency: NAPs must be consistent across all platforms. Any discrepancies between directories and your site can negatively impact your local SEO ranking.
- Get Customer Reviews
Reviews are part of local SEO. Trust is built through reviews, and they help Google verify your business, too.
Encourage customers: Motivating satisfied customers to leave reviews on Google and other relevant platforms is a good practice.
Engage with customers by reviewing: Customers appreciate being thanked for positive reviews and addressed thoughtfully for negative reviews.
Reviews are essential for building trust, but they must be consistent and constructive.
- Focus on Optimization For Mobile Users
Swimmingly works properly from mobile phones; this is essential for local SEO. Google prioritizes mobile-friendly sites and apps during searches and when looking for places online.
Ensure your website responds as needed: Your site must function smoothly across various devices.
Make websites user-friendly: customers, especially those browsing on mobile devices, dislike waiting for pages to load. Working on your site’s loading speeds, as well as its phone friendliness, is crucial.
Add click-to-call buttons: Make it simple for your users to reach you by integrating click-to-call buttons on your mobile site.
Local Backlinks Should Be Created
Even with local SEO, backlinks are crucial. Having quality local backlinks can positively impact your domain authority and search ranking.
Here are some approaches for local backlinks:
Work with local brands: Partner with local brands and establish backlinks to each other’s sites.
Be featured in local publications: Approach local newspapers, magazines, or blogs to get featured and, in turn, get backlinks.
Sponsor Local Events: Backlinks can also be acquired from the event’s webpages and local community pages through sponsorships.
Produce Content Specifically Relevant To Your Area
It can be used to enhance your local SEO, as content marketing plays a significant role in this area. Creating content tailored to your community or region can help you engage with your audience and improve your local ranking.
Spend time writing blog posts for local happenings: Write a blog post if there is an event, fundraiser, or news story around your business.
Work with location-specific keywords: Incorporate long-tail keywords and location-specific subjects into your content.
Add culture and well-known places: Incorporate well-known places or cultural aspects into your blog posts to resonate with the local audience.
- Use Social Media
While social media may not be directly tied to local SEO rankings, it has the potential to enhance your brand visibility and drive traffic to your website.
Promote local news: Post about local events and your business promotions on your social media handles.
Geotag your business: Use Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to tag your business location, helping users find you in their area.
Conclusion
Local SEO can be very beneficial for your business in terms of visibility and local traffic. Enhancing your Google My Business profile, website, and citations, along with establishing a robust review system, will improve your local rankings. Remember that local SEO is a long-term strategy and requires persistent effort, but the results are certainly rewarding.
With the techniques described in this guide, you can start enhancing your local SEO right away and improve your chances of ranking high on local searches. Remember to stay consistent and continually refine your strategies; soon, your business will become the top choice for customers in the area.