If your business wants to attract more local consumers and already has a website, including SEO in your marketing strategy is essential. SEO involves the efforts to improve your website’s ranking on search engine result pages, especially on platforms like Google, when relevant search queries are made.
On-page optimization is an incredibly broad field and there are many different strategies you can deploy to help your site rank better in local search results. Even scratching the surface of this topic is no mean feat; this piece will cover the essentials of on-site SEO and point you in the right direction to begin optimizing your own search presence.
Why is on-page SEO important
According to a Sure PayRoll survey, it was discovered that 78% of shoppers have a preference for shopping at local businesses whenever possible. Additionally, research conducted by Score indicates that 91% of Americans make a purchase at a local business every week, while 47% opt for local businesses between two and four times per week.
On-page signals contain valuable information that Google and other search engines can utilize for the purposes of ranking and indexing.
How does web design impact SEO
When it comes to business websites, SEO should ideally be incorporated from the beginning, when your web designer is starting with a blank page. This is because Google gives priority to sites that provide visitors with a positive user experience, load quickly, and do not cause frustration due to content changes or problems with accessibility. These factors are referred to as Core Web Vitals by Google.
Good web design facilitates the navigation of your site by both search engine crawlers and human users, enabling them to comprehend your offerings and locate the information they require.
Consequently, if you prioritize navigability and user-friendliness throughout your website design process, it can prevent the need to revisit and rearrange your site architecture later on. This approach also allows you to progress to other on-page SEO tasks without starting from scratch again.
Homepage Optimization
Starting with the content on your homepage is perhaps the simplest method of optimizing your website for SEO. This is because the majority of your website visitors usually land on your homepage upon their initial arrival at your site.
Your homepage has the ability to:
- Attract local searchers to your site
- Keep them on your site longer, reducing your bounce rate
- Give them useful information about your business
- Make it easy to get in touch with you via email, phone, or at your bricks-and-mortar location
In order to effectively communicate with visitors to your website, your homepage should clearly indicate your identity and the nature of your work. It is important to prominently display your location, as your target audience consists of local searchers. Additionally, your homepage should provide clear navigation cues to steer visitors towards the specific pages they are seeking on your site.
Writing Informative Meta Tags
Even though meta tags are no longer a direct factor in local SEO rankings, it is important not to disregard them as they are small pieces of data about a web page that are embedded in the HTML of the page.
Metadata is employed to populate your listing on the search results page. In case the keywords you use correspond to the user’s search query, they will be displayed in bold on your listing, aiding in setting it apart. Furthermore, your description serves to inform the search user about the content of your page and potentially persuades them to access your website.
To optimize your site for local SEO, ensure that your metadata contains a mention of your business’s geographic location. This information will inform search engines about your whereabouts and enhance the likelihood of your presence in local search results.
Use Local Business Schema
Schema, which is also referred to as structured data markup, is a type of code that can be incorporated into every webpage on your website in order to inform search engines about the content of each page. A specific subset known as local business schema has the potential to influence local SEO.
When prioritizing the SEO of your local business website, it is essential to consider adding various fields to your local business schema.
- Company name
- Contact information, including telephone number and business email address
- Physical address
- Opening hours
- Company logo
- A short description of what you do
If you want to optimize your website for local SEO, it is important to prioritize the use of local business schema. You can add schema to separate product or service pages if necessary. Additionally, you can always go back to your scheme and add more elements if needed.
Ensure Your Site is Mobile-friendly
Since 2016, when mobile search exceeded desktop search, it has become crucial to guarantee that individuals accessing your website from their mobile devices, like smartphones, can effortlessly navigate, access content, and fill out forms, just like desktop users. This is essential for enhancing conversions and providing a smooth browsing experience for your web traffic.
For businesses targeting a local market, it is specifically crucial to have a website filled with content that functions effectively on mobile devices.
It is clear why this is the case; when consumers are out and in need, they rely on their mobile devices to locate relevant local businesses. According to Google data, 88% of consumers who conduct a mobile search end up visiting a relevant local business within 24 hours, highlighting the significance of having a mobile-friendly interface.
When considering the ranking of your site, it is crucial to optimize it for mobile users by having a top-notch, responsive design. In September 2020, Google fully transitioned to mobile-first indexing, meaning that the mobile version of your site is the primary basis for indexing and ranking.
To ensure your on-page content is suitable for mobile devices, it requires steps to be taken.
- Avoid using unnecessary pop-ups
- Ensure buttons are large enough to be clicked by someone using a finger on their phone screen
- Don’t use flash
- Use headers (H2, H3) to make content easily scrollable on a smaller screen
- Compress images so pages load quickly
- Include your business contact information on your website
- Use Scheme markup
- Check your site design is responsive
Incorporate Internal Links
To generate numerous internal links, it is necessary to possess a substantial number of internal pages. Rather than using linked images, your internal links should be comprised of anchor text. While image links are acceptable, reliance on images, especially if they have alt-tags, should not be the primary source of links.
If you’ve never heard of deep linking or are unsure of its meaning, let me clarify. Deep linking is an SEO technique in which hyperlinks direct to specific content within a webpage, as opposed to sending users to a contact page or homepage.
Use Local Search Results Tools
Due to heightened competition and limited space for businesses in map packs, it is crucial to utilize effective tools to guarantee your website achieves high rankings in search engines. Here are the commonly employed tools for local SEO.
- The HOTH’s Local SEO Business Listing Audit: This tool is a fantastic way to find citations. Just enter your business information and get a free report!
Google Business Profile (GMB): Google Business Profile (formally known as Google My Business) is the most widely used tool for getting exposure for your local business. The best part about it is that it’s totally free!
PageSpeed Insights: Page speed is one of the major rankings for bounce rate. Google can even penalize slow-loading pages and rewards pages that load faster.
Google Link Generator: Google’s link generator makes it super easy to create a direct link to review your business. It isn’t free but it’s convenient and easy to use.
Yext: Yext is a local digital marketing tool that helps small businesses boost brand awareness, drive traffic, and boost conversion rates which means more sales for your business!
Moz Local: This tool helps you increase the visibility of your company by making sure that your listings are accurate in every directory. Moz submits your information to those directories and other data aggregators and manages your listings with a dashboard.
Perform Local Keyword Research
In order to achieve on-page success, it is crucial to incorporate the appropriate keywords.
Having knowledge about Google’s Keyword Planner Tools and The HOTH’s Keyword Planner Tool, which is powered by Google, is essential for every business owner. Keyword planning allows one to determine the number of people searching for particular keywords. Additionally, it is advisable to consider using not only your specific location, such as your city, but also other nearby areas.
Create a Google Business Profile
First, access your dedicated website and go to this link: https://business.google.com/create to create a profile in your Google account. Next, check if your business account has already been verified. If it hasn’t, you will need to verify it.
Afterward, it is necessary to categorize your business by its main type. Then, you should indicate whether or not you want your business address to be visible to potential customers, as this plays a significant role in attracting visitors to your establishment.
If you want your customers to see your information, you should include the following information.
- Country
- Address
- City
- Postal code (if any)
- Enter the physical location of your business
Once you have filled in the basic information for your company, you can proceed with the optimization process by incorporating keywords, relevant links, and information for your customers. If you own a restaurant, it is crucial to include images as they play a vital role in local SEO.
Optimize For Voice Search
According to a study conducted by Perficient, voice search is experiencing rapid growth and has become one of the fastest-growing methods of search for Google, Bing, and other search engines. Specifically, the study found that 55% of smartphone users utilize voice search to ask questions.
voice searching is the future of searches because it is simple and convenient, enabling people to multitask while obtaining the necessary answers. Moreover, it is also a reasonable assumption to state that
With the rapid improvement of voice technology, it is crucial to ensure that your website is optimized for both voice search and SEO.
Keep Your NAP Consistent
It is important to include your name, address, and phone number combination on your website. It is even better if you display it in schema format, but we will discuss that further. It is crucial to maintain consistency with this NAP in your business listings.
Embed a Google Map
If you’re not sure how to embed a Google map to your location, let me guide you with a quick walkthrough. It’s a fantastic idea as it helps users easily locate your place.
- Open Google Maps
- Go to directions, map, or even street view
- In the top left click on, “Menu.”
- Click “share” or embed map
- To the left, pick the size you want by clicking the down arrow
- Copy the text in the box then paste it into the HTML of your website or blog
That’s all! You are now more noticeable to your audience by thinking step by step.
Include Clear Calls to Action
In addition to desiring website visits, it is also important to desire customer conversion. Ensure that your phone number is easily visible and prominent, along with providing convenient contact methods. Direct the user and employ CTAs to instruct them on the next steps, such as calling or requesting a quote.
Include Reviews and Testimonials
By showcasing reviews on your website, you can enhance conversions and instill confidence in users regarding your service. Additionally, Google Business reviews play a crucial role in increasing visibility on Google’s map packs.
Make it Mobile-Friendly
The internet is accessed by over 90% of people using mobile devices. In addition, Google places a significant emphasis on mobile-friendly websites. To ensure that your website is correctly displayed on mobile devices, it is recommended to use Google’s mobile-friendly test. If your website fails the test, it may be necessary to consider redesigning it.
