Local search is beneficial for small businesses because nearly half of all Google searches are for local information. Failure to optimize your business for local search could result in missing potential customers who are prepared to shop in your area. In summary, local SEO is essential in order to ensure the continued relevance of your business.
We have developed a thorough guide on local SEO tips and tools to aid you in optimizing your business for local search. This guide will equip you with the knowledge needed to effectively reach potential customers who rely on local search to determine their purchasing decisions.
Local SEO
Local SEO involves optimizing your website and Google Business Profile listings to enhance visibility in local search results. Therefore, your business will be displayed in search results when individuals search for a product or service within your locality.
How local SEO works
Local SEO operates in two different manners.
- The searcher types in a keyword with a local component, such as a city or town (e.g., lawn care service Atlanta) or words like “nearby” or “near me” (e.g. lawn care service near me)
- The searcher has location on mobile device turned on, so when they look for a service, it automatically shows nearby businesses
This kind of SEO utilizes local ranking factors in order to achieve a higher visibility in organic search results and focus on local target audiences.
Which businesses should use local SEO
Businesses that are not physical establishments can also benefit from local SEO. If your business focuses on customers in a specific region or country, incorporating local keywords can improve the chances of your content appearing in search engine results pages for that particular location.
For instance, if your audience research indicates a high purchase rate of your shoes in Australia, you can develop content that incorporates keywords such as “Australia” and “Sydney.”
When approaching this situation, it is important to consider incorporating Australian English spelling (e.g., colour instead of color) and generating content that aligns with topics that are relevant to Australian culture and interests. Numerous stores often make the mistake of attempting to target the widest range of audiences, instead of focusing on those who are most likely to convert.
Plumbers and painters, who usually lack physical locations, generally work within specific service areas. When searching for these service providers, potential customers are likely to employ local keywords.
For companies operating in the software-as-a-service (SaaS) and ecommerce sectors, the geographical location of customers is irrelevant due to their ability to ship products or provide access to customers worldwide.
When considering local SEO, it is commonly believed that it exclusively serves brick-and-mortar businesses. However, in reality, there are typically specific geographic areas and local keywords that can be relevant to any type of company. It is crucial to reflect upon the products/services you offer, identify the locations or target audience that would find them most valuable, and determine which location has the highest concentration of that particular demographic.
How to implement a successful local SEO strategy
Let’s analyze the two crucial components of a successful organic localized SEO strategy: Google Business Profile, previously known as Google My Business or GMB, and organic search results. We will discuss SEO best practices for each component.
1. Create and manage your Google Business Profile
The Google Business Profile (GBP) is a service that is free of charge and enables you to create and oversee a profile that is showcased by Google in search results and on Google Maps. This effective tool offers comprehensive and readily available information, as well as facilitates easy contact directly from Google.
If you are looking for local businesses, it is not necessary to only use Google Maps. Recently, Apple Maps has become more popular due to its latest updates. If your business is not yet listed on Apple Maps, we recommend adding it as soon as possible. (The advice regarding Google Maps also applies to Apple Maps.)
To ensure that your profile is complete and thorough, make sure to fill it out with the latest information when creating it. Take the time to proofread and verify that all details are accurate and correctly displayed on Google. Additionally, remember to regularly update your profile if any changes occur, such as alterations to your hours of operation or location.
Virtual businesses are currently not eligible for a Google Business Profile.
2. Develop individual location pages for each location
To ensure the success of your business expansion, it is essential to create separate location pages with specific information for each new location. Depending solely on your existing Google Business Profile to attract customers to both locations is not recommended.
- Address
- Phone number
- Business hours
- An embedded Google map
- Any specials unique to this location
- Any products / services unique to this location
- At least 500 words of unique content that contains location-based keywords
- Customer reviews (if possible)
According to Clayton, we have successfully applied different local SEO strategies, including the creation of city-specific landing pages for all the markets we are present in.
Focusing on obtaining reviews on Google has proven beneficial in boosting our local SEO rankings as it has helped us rank highly for local search queries and drive significant traffic to our site.
Clayton also discovered the significance of emphasizing not only rankings but also the overall user experience. Equally crucial is ensuring that users can effortlessly locate their desired content after visiting their website, in addition to attracting them initially.
3. Optimize each location’s Google Business Profile
Making sure each location’s Google Business Profile is optimized is crucial for a successful local SEO strategy. By optimizing the profile, you can ensure that potential customers can easily find and access the necessary information.
Begin by ensuring that all the details on your profile are current, precise, and free of any mistakes. This includes:
- Link to each location’s individual page on the main website.
- Add a unique phone number for each location
- Ensure the business name is the same across all listings
- Select a primary and secondary category
- Be sure to fill out specific business details for each location, add images, QA, business hours, services, and products
- Here’s an example of a hairstylist whose filled out their GBP:
Tips for Local SEO
1. Make your business optimized for Google My Business.
Google My Business has emerged as the top choice for local search. Because Google endorses, validates, and actively promotes its own content, utilizing Google My Business is a perfect solution to align your business with Google’s requirements.
In order to ensure that you are optimized for Google My Business, you will need to:
- Create and verify a Google My Business page.
- Use Google Posts within your account.
- Encourage your customers to share reviews online.
- Respond authentically to reviews, specifying location. For example, “We appreciate your feedback on [product/service] in [city, state]. We value your input and look forward to working with you again. Thank you from the [full company name] team.”
If Google is able to verify your business as authentic, your business could potentially be rewarded with a highly desirable sidebar space in Google’s local search.
In addition to helping with SEO, rephrasing the text step by step ensures that the same meaning is maintained. It is important to not add new information or remove any existing information. The task also emphasizes the importance of reviews, up-to-date contact information, and operating hours in enhancing the experience for potential customers who are looking for your business. This is especially crucial in light of the changes in consumer shopping behavior and business operations caused by the disruptions in 2020.
2. Participate in social media by creating and sharing content on Google My Business.
In view of recent developments, Google places greater importance on content that is shared on social media. Thus, after successfully creating an attractive Google My Business page, you should proceed to share it on social media platforms in order to strengthen the connection between social media and search.
Make sure that your name, address, and phone number are the same across different online platforms.
In order to ensure that both people and search engines can find you easily, it is necessary to establish your NAP.
Can you explain the meaning of NAP in local SEO?
The name, address, and phone number (including area code) of a business is referred to as the acronym NAP. In order for Google to enhance its display in location-based search results, it is important to ensure that your NAP is presented as crawlable HTML text on your website.
To avoid a common mistake, do not solely include the NAP (name, address, phone number) within an image as search engines cannot access images like they can access HTML text. The NAP is typically found in the footer or header of a website. It is also recommended to have the NAP on a separate “Contact Us” page as well.
4. Maximize the efficiency of online directories and citations.
These four map data aggregators offer a wide range of map data for United States companies such as Apple, Yelp, Bing, Google, Trip Advisor, and others.
- Express Update
- Neustar Localeze
- FoursquareFactual
To ensure consistency, double-check that the citations are complete and consistent across all four data aggregators.
If there are discrepancies such as misspellings, abbreviations, a missing suite number, or an incorrect phone number, it can cause problems. If Google is unable to determine the accurate information about your business, there is a possibility that it will not appear in search results at all.
To maintain the same meaning, rephrase the text below step by step. Do not add new information and do not remove information. Take note: Remove any duplicate listings discovered in online directories. Moreover, consider acquiring a Chamber of Commerce membership in your community to obtain an external inbound link that is specific to your area.
Perform an audit of local SEO.
Once you have a solid understanding, it might be tempting to stop and take a break. Nonetheless, SEO is a continuous and instinctive procedure. Instead of halting or randomly making modifications, it is beneficial to conduct a thorough audit to assess your website’s current status and identify areas that require attention in order to reach your objectives. A local SEO audit could encompass the following elements:
Are you wondering about the appearance of your Google My Business in the SERPs? Do you question the accuracy of the information provided?
Is your site crawlable? Does it have any errors that would hinder indexing? Google search console audit.
Is your site designed to include all of the on-page SEO elements that contribute to ranking?
Is every citation in the top business directories accurate in your citation audit?
When conducting a competitor analysis, it is important to consider how your site compares to your competition. Are there any areas that need improvement or gaps that should be addressed? It is crucial to evaluate your performance in terms of inbound links, content, design, and positioning, and compare it to that of your competitors.
Are you wondering about the performance of your website? Let’s evaluate it with a website audit.
