Local SEO Guide

How Google ranks search results

In an instant, Google employs different techniques to prioritize hundreds or even thousands of websites. These techniques are known as algorithms. When you conduct a search on Google, an algorithm examines the index and offers a compilation of websites that align with your search query in organic search results. The selection and ranking of these results are determined by their relevance, prominence, and popularity as indicated by inbound links.

The algorithm examines different on-site and off-site elements in order to identify websites that are relevant to your search. All the appropriate sites are included in the list and sorted based on their prominence. Taking into account different on-site and off-site factors, the algorithm determines which websites are most suitable to address your search query, and those websites are presented at the top of the search results.

If you optimize the relevant elements of your site’s digital footprint, it will have a positive impact on both prominence and link popularity factors, ultimately leading to higher visibility in search results.

Local SEO is a different pattern

Google discovered through analyzing trillions of searches that individuals seeking specific types of businesses require local organic search results that are relevant to their immediate location.

Hence, Google’s local search algorithm incorporates a proximity factor ensuring that location is considered while searching for a local keyword (a query with local intent), regardless of whether the searcher specifies a city name or uses “near me” in their search.

If you’re at your workplace and wish to have a pizza delivered for lunch, searching “pizza delivery” on Google will display a list of nearby locations in its local search results. However, when attempting the same search at home, you will receive a completely different set of outcomes. This is logical since you require a pizza delivery from a nearby place.

For years, local search has existed, but its reach was restricted as individuals solely relied on their desktop computers. Nonetheless, with the recent surge in mobile internet availability, mobile search has experienced a remarkable increase. Consequently, the significance of local SEO for businesses providing local products or services, as well as local marketers, has substantially amplified.

What matters for local SEO

How does this benefit search marketers? Even though the local map pack is presented alongside the regular Google organic search listings, distinct algorithms influence the rankings for local results and the local map pack. As a local business, you have the chance to appear in both the main organic search results and the local map pack simultaneously.

If you are inexperienced in marketing your business online, figuring out what areas to prioritize in order to maximize your effectiveness can be a major hurdle.

Moz, a company specializing in marketing analytics software, annually publishes its Local Search Ranking Factors survey consisting of the industry’s leading 35 to 40 experts in local SEO. This survey serves as a valuable resource for understanding the key factors that impact local search visibility.

It is crucial to create separate local landing pages for each of your locations, particularly when you have multiple locations, in order to consider factors like localized content and local link popularity. These factors have the same significance as in Google’s conventional search algorithm. These landing pages should include essential details such as your business name, address, and phone number, and it is also important to optimize their title tags, meta descriptions, and follow SEO best practices.

Your content marketing and link building strategy should also consider this.

Furthermore, in order to boost your local SEO rankings, it is important to consider location-based elements such as having a presence on Google My Business, obtaining local citations from data aggregators, and considering review signals submitted by your local clientele. These factors play a significant role and therefore should be included in your local SEO strategies.

It should be emphasized that there exist SEO tools specifically designed for local search. These tools assist in creating SEO audits that cater to local audiences by conducting keyword research, establishing citations, managing Google My Business listings, optimizing business profiles, publishing Google posts, and monitoring local pack inclusion.

Google My Business, citations, and review signals are additional factors that are included alongside website content in Google’s traditional search algorithm to determine rankings.

Local SEO Tips

1. Optimize for Google My Business

Google My Business has emerged as the top-notch option for local search, as it is backed, verified, and generously shared by Google itself. Utilizing Google My Business can effectively assist your business in meeting the requirements set by Google.

If you want to make sure that you are fully optimized for Google My Business, you should:

1. Create and verify a Google My Business page.
2. Use Google Posts within your account.
3. Encourage your customers to share reviews online.
4. 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.”

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

Sharing your well-crafted Google My Business page on social media is becoming increasingly crucial as Google places greater importance on shared content in social networks. This action will link social and search endeavors, thus enhancing their alignment.

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

In order to ensure that both individuals and search engines can easily locate you, it is essential to establish your NAP, thereby facilitating accessibility.

What does NAP mean in local SEO?

NAP, which is short for name, address, and phone number (including area code), refers to the information of a business. It is important to have a crawlable HTML text of your NAP on your website to optimize its visibility in location-based search results as displayed by Google.

Including your NAP in the footer or header of your website is the most typical placement. Moreover, it is advisable to have your NAP featured on the “Contact Us” page as well.

4. Optimize online directories and citations

To ensure accuracy, it is vital to maintain consistency and completeness in your citations across the four data aggregators. Inconsistencies such as misspellings, abbreviations, absence of suite number, or incorrect phone number can pose issues.

In the event that Google fails to ascertain the accurate information regarding your business, your business may not be displayed in search results.

5. Perform a local SEO audit

After understanding the basics, you might feel inclined to slow down your efforts. Nevertheless, SEO requires continuous and instinctive actions. Rather than halting or blindly experimenting with modifications, it is beneficial to conduct a thorough evaluation to assess the current state of your website and identify areas that require improvement in order to accomplish your objectives. An examination of local SEO may encompass the subsequent elements:

• Google My Business Audit – How does your Google My Business appear in the SERPs? Is the information accurate?
• Google Search Console Audit – Is your site crawlable? Does it have any errors that would hinder indexing?
• On-Page SEO Audit – Does your site accommodate all the on-page SEO elements that help ranking?
• Citation Audit – Are all of your citations correct in the top business directories?
• Competitor Analysis – How does your site match up with your competition’s? Are there any gaps that you need to close? How do you match up in terms of inbound links, content, design, and positioning?
• Website Audit – How well is your website performing?

6. Improve your internal linking structure

Internal linking is important because it provides the same benefits as external links, which can enhance your SEO rankings.

• Supports website navigation
• Assists with information architecture and website hierarchy
• Distributes page authority and ranking power among pages

7. Optimize URL, title tags, headers, meta description, and content

Each time you publish a new blog post, you are adding a new indexed page to your site. This provides an additional page that can be utilized to target specific geographic search terms, and it presents a fresh opportunity to appear in the search engine results pages (SERPs).

Optimizing your content for search engines requires the utilization of high-volume keywords in various parts such as the URL, title, header, meta description, and body every time you create a piece of content. Should you face difficulties in generating geo-targeted content, it may be helpful to showcase customer success stories and case studies.

8. Add location pages to your website

If you possess multiple physical store locations, make sure to establish dedicated pages for each location. These pages will offer readers essential information such as your name, address, contact number, operational hours, distinctive store descriptions, parking and transit details, ongoing promotions, and even testimonials from satisfied customers.

To maintain consistency, it is crucial to refrain from reproducing content across various location pages. For businesses with a single location, it is recommended to craft an About Us page that is specific to the local area. Additionally, enhancing your respective location page(s) by incorporating a Google Map to your website can earn you extra credit.

9. Create local content

As Google’s intelligence advances, content creators can now prioritize writing for users over catering to search engines. Although writing about broad subjects may draw in a large audience, there are occasions where it is crucial to narrow down your focus and produce content on local or industry-related news in order to engage a local readership.

Become an esteemed figure in your industry’s local arena by using your blog to promote local industry events, updates, workforce, and informative content. Focus on producing high-quality content that surpasses solely advertising your products or services and appeals to a wide range of audience interests.

If you’re a local security company aiming to appeal to newly established businesses in the area, consider developing a useful tool that familiarizes these businesses with your city. Offering a directory of local service providers or a schedule of city-wide events could offer valuable information to your target audience and incorporate significant local signals on your website.

10. Ensure your website is mobile-friendly

Local and mobile search are closely related, as 61% of all Google searches are conducted on mobile devices.

Since 2017, there has been a 250% surge in “near me” searches on mobile devices, indicating that people commonly utilize your website in a mobile setting to access reviews, locate your premises, and obtain contact details.

Ensure your site is mobile-friendly to provide convenience for your prospects and customers.

11. Participate in your local community

By actively engaging in the local community, you can generate increased digital PR. Collaborating with a nonprofit for a campaign, organizing a volunteer day within your organization, sponsoring an event (even if it’s online!), or being recognized in the local media as an industry expert are all effective methods to obtain press coverage, enhance brand recognition, and attract inbound links.

Start harnessing SEO

With a deeper comprehension of SEO fundamentals and Google’s ranking of local search outcomes, you can focus on optimizing your website’s digital presence in the local search ecosystem. As a result, your business may appear more prominently on the results page, allowing for an increased likelihood of potential customers discovering your business.

Local search is constantly evolving, so it is important to remember that various factors play a role in determining your visibility in these searches.

You can consult Moz’s annual survey to inform your strategy playbook and stay updated on the signals that are gaining or losing importance. By enhancing each crucial signal area, you’ll increase your ability to cater to a larger audience in your geographic location and experience accelerated growth.