Local SEO is a form of digital marketing that helps local businesses rank higher in search results when a person searches for their products or services. The idea behind local SEO is to make it easier for people who are looking for your business to find you on the Web.
What is Local SEO?
What is Local SEO?Local SEO is a type of search engine optimization that focuses on helping small businesses rank in Google Maps, Yelp, and other local directories. It differs from traditional internet marketing because it’s not about getting as many people as possible to visit your website. Instead, it’s about getting the right people to visit your business — people who are looking for what you sell.
Any business that has a physical location or serves a specific geographic area can benefit from local SEO. Local SEO can assist you in expanding your business if, when you conduct a Google search for any significant keywords associated with your company, a map with three listings appears beneath it (also referred to as a map pack).
Local SEO is different from traditional SEO because it focuses on the location of the searcher’s query instead of their specific search terms. This allows you to rank for searches that are within your service area, so people searching for products/services similar to yours can find you without having to pay for ads or pay-per-click (PPC) ads on Google.
When someone searches Google using their phone or desktop computer, they want to see what’s nearby first before looking at other results. Local SEO helps businesses get found by more people in their area who are searching for what they offer online.
Why Does Local SEO Matter?
Because Google Maps and other directories are often used by consumers before they decide where to buy something, it can have a significant impact on whether or not they choose your business over another one nearby. If your company has a poor online reputation due to poor reviews or negative content, consumers may go somewhere else even if your prices or products are better than those offered at competing companies. Therefore, it’s important that you make sure you’re listed properly on these sites so you don’t lose potential customers due to bad reviews caused by technical issues with the site itself. There are a lot of local SEO ranking factors, make sure you implement these to give your website the best chance to rank well.
Local SEO Strategy
Local SEO marketing is a powerful way to rank your business higher in the search results for local customers. A good local SEO strategy will help you get more customers, increase revenue and make people love your business.
Here are some of the best local SEO tips to follow when implementing a local SEO strategy:
Keyword Research
You need to know which keywords are used by people in your area when they’re searching for businesses like yours. Then you can create content that focuses on those terms.
Optimize Your Website
Make sure that your website is well optimized for search engines so that it can be found easily by users who are looking for local businesses like yours online.
Get Reviews
Reviews can improve your rankings in Google Maps because they show that other people have recommended your business to their friends or family members on social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter (among others).
Write Unique Content
Writing quality content is a really important point in local SEO ranking factors. It’s important that each piece of content on your website is unique and relevant to potential customers because this means that there will be more opportunities for them to engage with your brand after reading through these posts (or watching videos).
Create A Google My Business Page
Because Google is the dominant search engine, it’s very important to register as a local business. Google has a specific directory and way to do this. Once you register your business, you’ll be more easily found when users search for businesses local to them.
Claim Your Address On Google Maps
Just like the Google My Business Page, Google Maps is essentially another search engine. When you claim your business, you make it easier for users to find your business.
Local SEO Audit
What is included in a local SEO audit?
A local SEO audit is a comprehensive analysis of your website, its content and its performance. It includes a review of the following:
- Keyword research and mapping
- Technical optimization (e.g., site speed, mobile friendliness)
- On-site content optimization (e.g., meta data, URL structure)
- Local pages (e.g., citations, NAP consistency)
Why Do I Need A Local SEO Audit?
If you want to rank higher on Google search results pages (SERPs), then you need to start with an accurate analysis of your current web presence. You also need to understand what your competitors are doing well and where they might be falling short in their online marketing efforts. A local SEO audit will help you leverage this information so that you can optimize your site’s content and structure for better search engine rankings!
An audit can help you identify any issues that might be holding your site back from ranking well, and it can also help you identify opportunities for improvement. You’ll want to make sure that your site is optimized for mobile devices and that it has all of the right information on it, including a phone number, address, hours of operation, links to social media profiles (if applicable), photos of employees/facilities/products (if applicable), etc.
Local SEO Checklist
Checklist for Local SEO:
- Sign up your business with Google Business
- Make sure you’re using the right keywords for your products and services
- Make sure your location is mentioned in important parts of your site
- Submit it to high-quality local directories
- Utilize Social Media
- Look for online reviews, especially Google ones
- Use SEO-Friendly URLs
- Use Schema’s geographic markup
- Don’t forget to use Internal Links
- Build backlinks that sometimes include your location in the anchor text
- Make sure your site loads quickly
- Write high-quality content that talks about your local area
- Make sure that your site has an XML site map
- Make sure your website works well on mobile devices.
- Set up Google Analytics and Search Console
- Fix any website errors
- Create content relevant to your local audience
Ready To Optimize For Local SEO?
We trust this article gives you a clear understanding of local SEO and how it could benefit your business. Making sure to follow the best local SEO ranking factors will put your website in the best position to rank well in Google and gain website visitors.
If you’d like help to improve your website’s local SEO, contact us!
Related Resources:
- SEO Best Practices Guide
- What Is Content Marketing?
- Digital Marketing Redding & Beyond
- Website Design
