Do you know 46% of all online searches on google are local and 89% of people search for a local business on their phones at least once a week? So if you own a local business and your local SEO is not in order then you are missing out on opportunities every time a user searches for your products or services online.
So what is Local SEO?
How to optimize your website for it?
What are Local SEO Ranking factors?
Let us now understand through this article how Local SEO services can impact your business and significantly increase revenue.
Local SEO is the practice of increasing the online visibility of a local business, it is organic SEO with a geographical component added to it. Simply put you are aiming to rank high in SERPs for local searches around your products and services.
There is no point in ranking a Sydney-based salon high in Perth’s local search results. So it is imperative to improve your local SEO to increase organic local traffic.
How Search Engine shows local results?
Google shows local search results in 2 halves. One half comprises the MAP PACK consisting of 3 Google business listings with a google map and the second half is of 10 links similar to regular organic results just below the map pack
This is exactly where you want your business to appear. Your business can rank in one or both of these.
Local SEO Ranking Factors
- Google My Business Elements
- Google Reviews
- The proximity of searches to the place of business
- Physical address in the city of search
- Consistency of Citations
- On-Page SEO Elements
- Local Listings
- Organic User Behavior
- Quality and Authority of inbound links
Here’s a step-by-step guide to improving local SEO:
- Optimizing website for local SEO
In order to climb to a high position in SERP, your website must be optimized for local SEO. It includes creating a contact us page with NAP which is-
- Name
- Address
- Phone Number
It is also important and recommended to include your email address too. If you have ten or fewer locations include their NAP in the sitewide footer element on your website.
- Make phone numbers clickable on mobile devices
More than 20% of mobile searches are location specific hence it is vital that your website is also optimized for smartphone devices and more than 60% of these searches results in a phone call. Any customer would find it annoying if he had to manually dial your number to enquire about your product or services. So it is imperative that your NAP has a clickable phone number.
- Add Schema Markup and Google map to your location
The most essential thing for local SEO is the ability to locate your business with every search. So in order to make it easier for customers to find your business, you must include a Google map. Nearly 86% of people look up the location of a business on google maps to find any service nearby.
By adding schema markup to your website you are telling google that you are a local business and not a global company this in a way boosts your local rankings.
- Claim your Profile: Google My Business
Make sure your business is well listed on review sites like Google My Business, Yelp, Tripadvisor, Facebook, etc.
Usually, all listings after google’s 3 Map pack are backed up by review sites.
Filling out your profile on Google Business profile formerly Google My Business allows you to manage your presence on Google’s search results and ranking on the google map pack.
- Create Local Content
Blogging is an essential part of search engine optimization, always host your blog on your domain for maximum SEO benefits.
While writing your blog make sure you include local city and local neighborhood towns that locals may use. Include local news and events which also provide information to readers like upcoming events, elections, shows, fair,s etc. or sponsor local events, teams, and organizations and write about them.
- Build Links
One major part of improving your ranking for local keywords is getting high-quality inbound links. A good way to do this is to start conversations with other local business blogs. Look for any complementary or related business blog in your community and leave thoughtful comments or exchange a link in your blog for an inbound link in return.
Another way is to do competitor backlink analysis. There are various tools available to conduct backlink audits, reach out to those websites and create backlinks for your website.
- Customer Reviews for Local SEO
Nearly 80% of people check for online reviews and ratings for local businesses and every one in three posts a review online. So anything less than a 3star will curb your chances for higher rankings also affecting your sales. Reviews also stand out to potential customers as they are shown along with addresses in the Google map pack. They make up to 15% of the local pack ranking factors. Every business will receive negative reviews at some point so make sure you address it professionally and personally. You can also create a shareable google review link and forward them to your customers to gain more and more reviews.
- Building Citation
Citations are nothing but the mention of your Business’s NAP+W i.e Name, address, phone number, and website anywhere on the web with or without hyperlinks.
Citations are important for local SEO as they make up 11% of local ranking factors.
You can build a unique citation for every physical location you have, but make sure they are identical on every citation you build as mismatched citation results in ranking issues.
Ways to build citations :
Local Search Engine And Directories: Search engines crawl the web for citations to update the information in their indexes. List your business on sites like Yelp and Hotfrog.
Also, dedicate effort to listing your business in as many relevant and quality local directories as possible.
Local Blogs: Local blogs are a great place to build citations and boost your local SEO. These blogs are well indexed are usually associated with a place or region.
Climbing the SERP is the ultimate goal for any business and these factors contribute a lot to achieving your goal like as optimizing your website, producing great content, earning reviews, and acquiring citations. In your journey to success, you might also need a Local SEO Service from an SEO agency to boost your ranking and sales. This will further fuel your efforts and will place you one step closer to your targets.
