Local SEO is essential for business in recent times because customers are focused on narrowing the search based on location. Google ranks businesses in a certain regional based on local SEO. While the general SEO focuses on ranking in searches generally, local SEO prioritizes appearing on SERPs in a specific location. This strategy involves marketing products and services to local leads and customers.
Optimizing your local SEO results in website traffic, leads, and conversions because the strategy is relevant to get local customers. By focusing on local SEO fight effectively for market shares with bigger brands that routinely optimize within their borders.
Furthermore, Google has stated that 35% of all search traffic is local from an estimate in a 2017 ReviewTrackers’ study.
Local SEO Tips
Here are effective ways you can make your local SEO success.
Create a Google My Business Account and Optimize it.
To get started, you need aGoogle My Business account. As a result, your presence will be established on the search engine, and also enable your business to be featured on Google Maps. This step is essential not just because business appears in search but also authenticates it as legitimate.
Ensure that you:
- Verify your listing for local SEO.
- Provide accurate information
- Ensure your Include a logo, payment modes, hours of operation, the product or service, and plenty of images
- Ask new and old customers for reviews.
- Comment on customer review.
Get Regular Reviews From Customers
Reviews of customers don’t just optimize your Google My Business presence but build the trust of local customers. BrightLocal’s 2017 Local Consumer Review Survey reveals that 85% of customers now believe reviews like recommendations.
Here are some tips make customers leave reviews:
- Ask for review in person when a deal is closed.
- Send a post-purchase email or text asking customers to write a review (but only after you’ve screened them via an internal survey to ensure you’re not approaching dissatisfied customers)
- Respond to existing reviews in a professional way, thanking reviewers and addressing complaints in not-so-favorable reviews.
Local SEO for Voice Search
Although not yet popular, Voice search will grow rapidly in the near future. Therefore, in local SEO, it’s vital to optimize for those who ask questions by speaking to their devices.
Customers use long-tail keywords when using voicesearches Because of this, you might need to adjust your SEO content in line with a more conversational tone. Include tone like question starters (who, when, what, why, where, and how). This is also crucial to when optimizing for voice on local SEO because these searches are done when the user seeks information specifically.
Create Posts on Local News Stories or Events
One of the surest ways to build Local SEO authority is creating posts that attract the attention of local customers.
The strategies include:
- Writing blog posts on local news stories and events
- Creating videos about causes that your business supports.
- Setting up location-specific webpages if you serve more than one region
Local SEO Your Website for Mobile
Stone Temple study reviewed mobile vs. desktop trends in 2017 and found a fast shift to mobile web access. Mobile visits grew 57% and 63% in 2016 2017 respectively. While the overall visits to desktop websites access dropped by 43% in 2016 to just 37% in 2017.
Another 2017 study from Acquisio found out that 75% of all local mobile searches produce instore visits in 24 hours.
Optimizing your site for mobile search confirms that you are indeed ready to be a player in local SEO.
Furthermore, ensure your site loads:
- In no more than 3 seconds.
- Use readable fonts.
- Enable only relevant images on the mobile site.
Home in on Local SEO Keywords
Make sure the keyphrases are relevant to local customers. Google’sKeyword Planner can be a useful tool in location search. So know popular search terms in any region. This enables you to create locally relevant keywords. Once that is done, use the keyphrase or keywords within the site’s meta content, copy, and URLs.
Also, include mentions of locations and iconic landmarks in your content.
Include a Location Pages or Reference it on “About Us” Page
Location pages is a must on your websites. Especially if you operate in more than one location. These pages need to provide the following.
- Name, address, phone number.
- Descriptions.
- Store hours.
- Testimonials.
- Promotions.
- Parking details.
- Attach Google Maps attached to the location page
Create unique content for multiple locations.
Take Advantage of Online Business Directories
Engage Online business directories such as Yelp, Foursquare, MapQuest, and YellowPages.
Including your business details, directories will boost visibility and also boost your local SEO.
Your business details on listing should include:
- Business name, address, and phone number consistently across all directory.
- Create backlink to your website.
- Details of Business Services.
Focus on Link Signals (Get High-Quality Backlinks)
According to Moz’s 2017 carried out research on Local Search Ranking Factors and discovered that link ranks as the most important factors for localized organic results. Link signals are simply backlinks pointing to your site.
This is vital in boosting local SEO, but its quality is important.
Here are some tips on getting high-qualitybacklinks:
- Make high-quality content that will prompt others to link to.
- Apply as a Guest blog on sites with high domain authority.
- Link up with local influencers on social media or by email and have them create links back to you
Create a Dedicated Webpage for Each Product/Service You Offer
Although it is convenient to lump all you have on a single page or creating products and services together in one big page. I will like to discourage you from doing so. Instead, dedicated pages for product and service separately.
Because your local SEO won’t be powerful enough if you lump all in one page. Search engines tend not to see your brand authority in a particular area. As a result, lowers your ranking possibilities.
Local SEO: More Important Than Ever
SEO changes quite rapidly as Google continuously introduces features on its SERPs for local searches. But you can count on these changes that’s why it is important to pay attention to local SEO. By implementing these tips will build your local domination.
