Every business has an equal chance to rank higher on search engines through Local SEO, regardless of business size. If you have a good SEO plan, it will not only increase your ranking, but also increase the number of people coming to your business.
About half of all Google searches are seeking local information. Almost all users (97%) rely on search engines to find local businesses. Local SEO is very important when you are trying to improve your online presence or build your brand. If you want your business to be successful, you need a good SEO strategy. Why? Because your business can have enormous benefits from it. However, before we discuss the advantages, let us first review the basics of Local SEO.
Brief Guide to Local SEO
We all know that optimizing our website for search engines can help us improve our ranking on the search engine results page. Then what makes Local SEO Services different? It is the same. Local SEO can be seen as a variation of regular SEO that is focused on attracting people who are in close proximity to your business. Local SEO techniques are used to improve the visibility of a business on searches based on location. This can be beneficial for businesses that want to increase their reach in a specific area. Local SEO is designed to attract customers who are located nearby. If you’re running a local business, you should know that 28% of local searches end up in purchases. This treasure chest is perfect for local businesses who want to increase foot traffic or expand their business in a certain area. Aside from the benefits already mentioned, local SEO also gives you better visibility in Google Maps and a chance to be featured in Google’s local pack free of charge. This means that if someone is searching for something online within a certain distance from your store, they will be able to find you. Location-specific searches are defined as searches that include a city, state, or zip code, or searches that use phrases like “near me.” Whenever a person searches for something on Google, the results are based on that person’s geo-location. If you have a restaurant in Cortez Hill, you are more likely to be at the top of the search engine results page (SERP) when someone searches for the best restaurant in San Diego. If you want your website to appear as the top result for a competitive search query, you need to have a strong local SEO strategy. The following guide will help you get started with SEO if you are new to it.
Get Started With Local SEO
The majority of all Internet searches occur on Yahoo, Google, and Bing. From these three, Google dominates the market. The most important thing to do is to register your business in Google My Business. And we advise you not just to stop there! Directories like Yelp witness 70 million users every month. More than a million people visit Yellowpages and Superpages every month to find information about local businesses. You should list your business in as many well-respected online directories as possible. If you don’t do something, you won’t get any of the benefits. If you want to be at the top of the SERPs listings, you will need to have a strategic SEO plan. but listing your directory is the first step to competing with others After you finish, your company will begin to get many of the benefits that come with local SEO.
The Benefits of Local SEO: Do They Really Make a Difference?
Advantages of Doing Local SEO for Your Website
The worse the SEO strategies are, the harder it becomes for users to find your business online. Then Why Should You Not Stick with That? Why Should You Go for Local SEO? Every year, millions of new websites are built and published. Some businesses can’t afford to pay for an online marketing campaign. Here is where Local SEO comes into play. You can start from a smaller level instead of competing directly against larger national brands. You can first focus on generating local leads. Local SEO can help you increase your sales significantly. Read on to know more.
Get Featured on Google Local Pack
Optimizing your business for Local SEO can help you appear in Google’s Local Pack. It is the most popular spot for businesses to advertise. But what is Google local pack or Local 3-pack? Google’s SERP used to display seven businesses related to a search called the local 7-pack. The website displayed the name, address, and phone number of businesses, as well as directions to their locations. Later, Google reduced its 7-pack to 3-pack. It now displays only three results. Most people who search for local listings find what they need within the local 3-pack, with only a small number tapping on the ‘other local results.’ A spot in the local pack is highly competitive because it is the best way to ensure the survival of your pack. If you are able to get your business’ website to appear in the local search results, you will likely see an increase in both web traffic and revenue.
Get Plenty of Benefits at Zero Cost
There is no cost associated with Local SEO benefits. Google’s algorithms have made it more difficult to appear in Google Local Pack. You can rank high on search engines without spending any money if you have the time, desire, and patience. Use this 3-step process to improve your ranking in the local pack.
- Start by creating a GMB profile, and you have already unlocked one milestone.
- Add your contact details, opening timings, store location — everything a user needs to know.
- Your business profile must include a website link. It will help the user to go through your work and contact you for more information.
If you’re a local business looking to draw attention to your website, Google My Business is a great free option.
Attract Superior Leads to Your Website
People prefer spending their resources on SEO. Digital marketing is considered more effective than traditional marketing. But why? Because it targets your industry-specific and location-specific audiences. You will not know anything about the people who see your billboard advertisements. Chances are, they might go unnoticed. Now imagine the scenario with Local SEO. You will know when people visit your website. This traffic is likely from the same area as your store. This means that they are searching for your services in the same place as you are. If you are looking to attract these types of audiences, you should visit your website and recommend your business to others.
Small businesses need to invest in Local SEO to compete against bigger brands for digital space. It gives small businesses the same opportunities as bigger businesses.
Approximately 50% of Google searches are for local information, and approximately 69% of web traffic comes from organic and local searches. If you want to increase your chances of converting leads into customers, you should focus on local SEO.
Top 10 Local SEO Strategy Tips
If you’re feeling overwhelmed about using local SEO for your business, don’t worry. There are plenty of resources available to help you get started. The right strategies will help your efforts pay off.
Here are 10 local SEO strategy tips to get you started:
Claim or Optimize Your Google Business Profile
Google My Business is an online directory that helps users find accurate information about local businesses. You may have an automatic listing for your business a year after it launches. It’s helpful to have an automated listing, but it’s important to make sure it’s accurate since it can contain errors.
Here’s how to do it:
- Post your listing after completing all the required information
- Upload photos and videos of where your business is located
- Include your product listings in your profile. You can also promote new products as one way to optimize GMB listing.
- Encourage reviews and ratings and directly interact with users.
- Update the listings monthly and monitor them weekly.
The more relevant information you include in your profile, the easier it will be for users to find you.
Increase Your Citations in Online Directories
In order to draw in customers both online and in-store, it is important to be listed on all major map data aggregators like Apple, Google, Yelp, and Bing. If you want to be successful, aim to appear in the top five search results on Google. This is where most people click.
In order to make the most out of online directories, it is important to make sure that the information provided is consistent and accurate. In addition, avoid duplicate listings. You can also join your local Chamber of Commerce, which will give you an inbound link specifically for your area.
Perform a Local SEO Audit For Your Website
After you finish making changes to your website, compare it to your competitor’s websites to make sure it is at least as good as theirs, if not better. There are a number of free tools and analyzers available that can help with youraudit, including Google Analytics and Publer. To improve your website’s ranking on the SERP, you should identify your target keywords and compare your website’s top results for those keywords.
Create a spreadsheet with a list of all the elements you want to track for your website audits, including the types of content, keywords, and website layout.
Identify and Target Local Keywords
If local businesses want to increase the traffic to their website, they should target keywords related to their location. Searches that include the term “near me” can increase by up to 900%. This makes it a key focus for businesses that want to attract local customers. businesses can increase their website traffic and visibility by targeting local keywords.
Google’s Keyword Planner tool can help you identify keywords to target for your business within a 10-15 mile radius. This tool helps you understand what people in your area are searching for on Google. The Keyword Planner also provides a list of relevant keywords for your local business to target in your site’s content, copy, and URL.
Optimize for Mobile
If you want your local business to succeed, you need to make sure your website is mobile-friendly. Most shoppers use smartphones to browse the internet, so if your website isn’t optimized for mobile devices, you’re likely to lose potential customers. Having a good user experience will make people who search for things locally on your site more likely to stay on your site.
Here’s how to make your site optimized for mobile:
- Page display must be fast and responsive
- Fonts should be readable with short paragraphs and subheadings
- Write-ups should have a structured text format with white space
- The website should have relevant images and appropriate media display
You don’t have to be a web developer to make a mobile-friendly site. To create a responsive website, research how to make one and take inspiration from the mobile-friendly features of successful brands.
Encourage Reviews from Happy Customers
Good customer reviews can help you attract new customers. Make sure to get the most out of your customers by having them leave reviews on your Google My Business profile and other online business listings.
The best way to get more online reviews is to offer your customers an incentive in the form of a discount or freebie. By doing this, you will not only improve your store’s online presence, but you will also build trust with potential customers. Make sure you reply to all customer reviews, regardless of whether they are positive or negative. This will show that you are invested in your customers.
Create Relevant Local Content
If you want your content to be more appealing to your target audience, make it more relevant to them by localizing it. To connect with your community, produce a blog post, release a press statement, or create a separate landing page. Landing pages are an effective way to build an audience and connect with potential customers.
Use your platform to inform your followers about things happening in your local community that they might be interested in. This can be anything from promoting a local event to partnering with a local organization. Make sure your content is related to your brand’s values to make it as natural as possible. If you want to produce content that will engage your audience, try thinking beyond the products or services that your business offers.
Focus on High-Quality Backlinks
A backlink is a link from a third-party website to your site. If you want your website to rank higher and have more authority, you should aim to get backlinks from high-quality websites. This is especially important for local businesses.
To start building high-quality backlinks to your local business:
- Partner with top-ranking websites and offer guest posts on your site
- Participate in outreach activities and influencer engagement
- Track brand mentions through social listening
- Produce relevant and shareable content
To have an effective backlink content strategy, you need to write long-form, relevant, and high-quality content without any filler.
Create Location-Based Pages
If you operate your business out of multiple locations, it can be advantageous to create separate pages on your website for each location. This allows you to customize your content and target your marketing efforts to better appeal to the people in each location. You can include the store name, location, contact details, operating hours, and a unique store description. Testimonials from happy customers who have been to that location can be a great addition.
If you only operate one store in a specific location, you can increase the interest of your ‘About Us’ page by including trivia about the area. You can also improve your results by including a Google Map of the area.
Make Your Website Google Search-Friendly
If you want to improve your search ranking, in addition to optimizing your business listings and content, you should also pay attention to your page structure. This includes optimizing title tags, headers, meta descriptions, and URLs. Every new blog post creates a new indexed page which enables targeting a local search phrase and appearing higher in SERPs.
To ensure your website appears as one of the top results for searches like “near me”, include high-volume keywords in your page structure. featuring customer case studies and success stories can also inspire ideas for content that is focused on a specific geographic location.