What is local SEO
Local SEO involves optimizing your online presence in order to enhance local traffic, visibility, and brand awareness. Some typical tasks associated with local SEO include:
- Optimizing your Google Business Profile
- Finding local keywords
- Creating locally relevant content
Amongst other things.
Any business that has a physical presence or operates within a specific geographic region can derive advantages from implementing local SEO strategies.
Why is local SEO important
To effectively reach local audiences, employing local SEO marketing is the most effective approach. The majority of consumers in the United States, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom rely on Google to search for business-related information, totaling more than 75%.
By far, Google has become the most dominant search engine for local search in those (and many other) countries, with Google Maps experiencing a global growth of over 100% year over year in searches for “shopping near me.”
In a recent two-year period, the growth rate of mobile searches for “store open near me” exceeded 250%. Additionally, the combination of keywords “where to buy” and “near me” experienced a growth of over 200%. Consequently, each day witnesses hundreds of millions of these searches.
How local SEO works
In addition to the typical ranking factors used by Google, its local search algorithms rely on three primary factors to locate the most suitable match.
- Relevance (how closely related a Google Business Profile result is to the words a searcher uses in their query)
- Distance (how far Google believes a user is from a business when they search)
- Prominence (how important Google thinks a business is to its potential customers)
Google presents two categories of search results for local searches: the “local pack” results, which consist of Google Maps and Business Profiles, and the organic results. The organic results comprise the conventional blue-link search results that users are accustomed to viewing on Google. A local pack, also known as a map pack, is a Google feature that exhibits the foremost local business listings alongside a map.
How to do local SEO
To begin, it is now appropriate to devise a plan that will enable you to enhance your local rankings and elevate traffic levels. The subsequent steps outlined below will provide guidance as you commence this endeavor.
Do local keyword research
The process of local SEO keyword research involves identifying the keywords that people use when searching for local products and services. By ranking for these keywords, you can attract highly targeted local traffic to your website and attract more customers.
To initiate the process, you require a concise collection of specific words or phrases that individuals can utilize to discover your nearby establishment.
Research your competitors
One simple way to begin gathering ideas is by observing the actions of your competitors.
Use Google autocomplete
Google autocomplete is a function found within Google Search that expedites the process of conducting searches when you initiate typing. Its objective is to enhance user efficiency by foreseeing the intended search query. Additionally, it assists in identifying valuable long-tail keywords for local SEO since Google’s autocomplete predictions are influenced by geographical location.
Leverage Google keyword planner
The research feature of Google’s Keyword Planner assists in finding keywords for paid search campaigns and is also beneficial in uncovering additional keywords related to your business.
Optimize your Google business profile
According to Google, optimizing your Business Profile is considered one of the most crucial local SEO tasks. This free business listing, previously known as Google My Business, contains information about your business and enables you to include details such as your location, services, products, and photos. Subsequently, Google will include it in local search results.
In order to have any hope of achieving a high ranking in local searches, it is crucial to possess a Google Business Profile. Below are some helpful tips for optimizing your Business profile.
- Set detailed business hours (including holidays)
- Select various attributes to describe your business (like outdoor seating, Wi-Fi, etc.)
- Upload photos and videos regularly (promotes engagement and boosts rankings)
Get local (NAP) citations
NAP citations are typically found on business directories and social media profiles, and they refer to online mentions of your name, address, and phone number (NAP).
NAP citations hold significance as Google can utilize them as a way to validate the accuracy of your business information and the truthfulness of your online statements about your business. The concept revolves around the notion that the greater number of consistent NAP citations Google observes for your business, the stronger its confidence in your business’s legitimacy and trustworthiness.
If your goal is to have reliable references on numerous reputable websites, one simple method is to utilize Semrush’s Listing Management tool, which allows you to verify your local listings and distribute them to the most reputable directories.
Here are some tips for NAP citation: Think step by step.
- Keep all of your citations 100% consistent (same exact name, address, phone number)
- Submit your information to popular directories in your local area and industry
- Submit to big players (like Apple Maps, Yelp, Bing Places, Facebook, etc.)
The process of local keyword research involves comprehending how people search for the local services you provide. Its significance lies in optimizing your content to align with people’s search queries. Now, we will proceed with a step-by-step explanation of how to conduct this research.
1. Find service-based keywords
Many individuals do not consider the various methods through which others may seek their services. For instance, individuals in need of a plumber may discover them by simply typing “plumber” on Google. However, others may search using more specific inquiries such as “drain unblocking.”
To start off, it is important to brainstorm and make a list of the services you provide. This will assist you in enhancing your visibility for customers seeking relevant solutions. For instance, let’s take the example of a plumber.
- Drain unblocking
- Boiler repair
- Boiler installation
- Boiler servicing
- Radiator installation
- Burst pipe repair
To broaden this list, utilize the service keywords as starting points to uncover additional services that people are seeking. For instance, by inputting the aforementioned services into Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer and examining the Matching terms report, we can identify keywords such as:
- gas boiler installation
- combi boiler installation
- electric boiler installation
If you provide those services, you might also want to think about focusing on these specific keywords.
2. Check search volumes
If you are looking for search volumes specific to your state, city, or town, you will need to utilize Google Keyword Planner as other keyword research tools only provide national search volumes. However, it is worth noting that Keyword Planner has some drawbacks.
- It shows broad search volume ranges (e.g., 1K-10K), not absolute numbers.
- It groups keywords and shows a combined rounded search volume.
Checking the relative popularity of keywords at the national level tends to be more productive due to the likelihood of similar occurrences in different cities.
3. Check for local intent
Local intent refers to the desire of searchers to conduct their shopping in close proximity. If this does not align with the nature of your services, it does not present an opportunity for local SEO. To determine if a query carries local intent, conduct a Google search and examine the search results. If there is a presence of a map pack and/or local “blue link” results, it indicates local intent. Conversely, the absence of a map pack and local “blue link” results suggests the absence of local intent.
Although it is possible to focus on keywords without local intent, local SEO is not the appropriate method for doing so.
4. Assign keywords to pages
If you want to rank for all your service keywords, it is improbable that your homepage will achieve that. Therefore, you will need to focus on specific keywords by creating separate pages. When assigning keywords to URLs, consider which services each URL corresponds to.
Assign separate pages if the services map to different categories, such as “boiler installation” and “burst pipe repair”. However, assign the same page if the services belong to the same category, such as “drain unblocking” and “drain unclogging”.
