LOCAL SEO Article

    

A Guide to Local SEO

Is your business going unnoticed? Are you getting customer visits to your store? Are customers finding your business on Google? 

To answer these questions, let us first discuss what is Local SEO.

What is local SEO?

Local SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of improving search engine visibility for local businesses, primarily those with brick-and-mortar locations. By following local SEO best practices, businesses can improve organic traffic from searches performed by customers in nearby areas.

Search engines rely on signals such as local content, social profile pages, links, and citations to provide the most relevant local results to the user to gather information for local search.

With local SEO, businesses can use this to position their products and services to local prospects and customers searching for them. 

Local SEO Tips

1. Optimize for Google My Business.

2. Engage on social media and add posts to Google My Business.

3. Ensure your name, address, and phone number are consistent online.

4. Optimize online directories and citations.

5. Perform a local SEO audit.

6. Improve your internal linking structure.

Ranking Factors of Local SEO:

1. Google My Business Ranking Factors

2. Online Citations  

3. Social Listing

4. NAP (Name, Address, and Phone Number)  

5. Structured Data Markup  

6. CTR (Click-Through Rate)  

Local SEO is important 

 Local SEO is important because many people use search engines to find local businesses.

30% of all mobile searches are related to location.

78% of people who search for something nearby on their phones visit the business within a day.

28% of searches for something nearby result in a purchase.

In short, customers are searching for your business. If you’re not there, you’re leaving money on the table.

How does local SEO work?

Local SEO is a game of two halves because Google shows two types of search results for local searches. These are “map pack” results and organic “blue link” results. You can rank on both of them.

Map pack results

The map pack (aka local pack) is a Google SERP feature that shows the top local business listings and a map. It often appears at the very top of Google’s search results for local searches.

Organic search results

The “regular” organic search results are the “10 blue links” that we’re all familiar with. They usually appear below the “map pack” results.

How to do local SEO: 7 key local SEO techniques

When it comes to how to do local SEO, you’ll need to focus on these seven local SEO strategies. If you opt for local SEO services from WebFX, we can handle all of these steps for you!

1. Optimize your Google Business Profile listing

Hallmarks of local search, Google Business Profile listings contain key information about businesses — and they appear when people search companies near them. For example, a quick search for “best pizza shop near me” yields the following results.

The listings at the top of search results make up Google’s local SEO 3-pack. Searchers can see the locations of these pizza shops on the above map, and clicking the results displays the restaurants’ Google Business Profile listings.

These listings contain key information like a company’s address, hours, website, phone number, and even images.

2. Build local citations

In addition to claiming your Google Business Profile listing, you’ll also want to build local citations.

These citations contain information like your company’s name, address, phone number, and website.

Citation-building campaigns can help you earn local listings on sites like Bing, Yelp, Foursquare, Facebook, Apple Maps, TripAdvisor, and more.

3. Target keywords

To rank at the top of local search results, you’ll also need to target local keywords on your website and in your site content.

Let’s look at an example.

If a dental practice in the Harrisburg area wants to rank in more local search results, they could optimize their page titles, meta descriptions, and site copy to include the keywords “Top Harrisburg Dentist” or “Award-winning Harrisburg Dentistry.”

4. Monitor ratings and reviews

For local businesses, it’s crucial to monitor and respond to online reviews.

Ratings and reviews can appear on your website, as well as third-party sites like Google Business Profile, Yelp, and Facebook. Positive or negative, it’s important that you reply to all reviews to show customers you take their needs seriously.

5. Build links

Earning backlinks from other reputable, local businesses can also help to boost your local search rankings.

How do you earn links?

Start by creating valuable content that targets local keywords related to your business. If other sites like what they see, they can link back to your site in their content.

6. Analyze user experience

It’s also essential to provide a great user experience (UX) on your site if you want to attract more local traffic.

If your website doesn’t provide a positive UX, visitors will waste no time hitting the back button — and your bounce rate will soar. High bounce rates signal a poor user experience, and search engines won’t rank your site highly if it provides a less-than-desirable UX.

7. Implement mobile responsive design

The final local SEO technique you’ll want to invest in is making your site mobile responsive.

More than half of online searches — nearly 60 percent — occur from mobile devices. Oftentimes, searchers need information while on-the-go, especially when it comes to finding local businesses.

Reasons All Local Businesses Should Invest in Local SEO

1. Google is the New Yellow Pages: Until recently, the tried and true strategy for local businesses was to place an ad in the Yellow Pages and wait for the phone to ring. Today, though, a stunning 97% of people search for local businesses online, and Google is by far the most popular option.

2. Free Traffic: Although search advertising can be a very effective channel, it’s hard to beat free. If you boost your organic Google rankings, you can take advantage of an ongoing stream of free traffic that you can convert into customers.

3. Level Playing Field: Local SEO is one area where small local businesses are on an equal playing field with larger, national businesses. And if you implement Local SEO best practices, it’s not uncommon to gain first-page rankings in as little as 30 days.

Conclusion:

 Local SEO is an integral part of any SEO strategy for local businesses. Local SEO will help your audience find you when they search online if you have a storefront or service area. We hope you find this article helpful in your journey to gain brand recognition and authority on the net.