Over the last few years, the scope and popularity of e-Business have dramatically increased. Today, a solid online presence is more important than ever for every local brick and mortar business. Google search engine results have changed.
One major shift is that users now get search results based on their location. Local SEO, in that case, is essential for businesses operating at a regional level. While national SEO ranks searches across the country, local SEO gives priority to SERPs within a specific location.
Optimising SEO at a local level means you get to benefit from a high number of leads, traffic and conversions. It is a focused strategy that allows you to promote your business locally and compete with larger national brands effectively. In a 2017 study published by ReviewTracker, at least 35 percent of all search traffic is local. Here, find a list of the top actionable local SEO tips.
Create and Optimise your Google My Business Listing
Setting up your Google listing is free and helps in establishing your presence on the search engine. It means that your business pops on Google maps. Google has updated its algorithm and now targets geographical areas. To enhance the visibility of your business in Google search and Google Map, Google my Business page is always the best place to start.
Enlist your business with images and basic information. Optimise your GMB by verifying your listing, providing accurate information, encouraging customers to review your business, responding honestly to reviews and creating content with Google Posts.
Increase your Social Media Presence
Nearly three-quarters of the world’s population use social media, making it a critical element for any business strategy. Leveraging Social media is one of the best ways to advertise your business locally. It can boost brand recognition, help you reach new markets, increase customer acquisition and boost sales. Create a page where you can update the latest offers and engage customers in a Q&A session.
Publish Citations
Google checks the consistency of the information you give about your organisation before determining the context and the legitimacy of your business. It means that the information you give in your social media sites and local business directories has to be consistent. This allows Google to treat your business as a brand. Ensure that the following information reads the same on all channels:
- Business address
- Business name
- Phone number
- Website URL
Once google trusts your information, it will begin giving your business better visibility in local search. Ensure that your site is optimised for mobile.
Key in Local Keywords
Your content should have keywords relevant to the local set up. Use Google’s Keyword Planner to filter keywords based on your location and dominate local search. This will help you to create a list of locally popular keywords. Ensure that the keywords gathered appear in your website’s meta content and URLs. Be careful also to mention region-specific landmarks.
Create Location-Focused Landing Pages
Send signals to Google by creating a landing page on your site listing, your location and core services. With a dedicated landing page, you can create great opportunities by optimising it around a set of keywords linked to your geographical location. Your location and core services should feature in the page title, header tags, meta description and body content. If your services are offered in different locations, have separate landing pages for each.
Build Local Backlinks
Link building is crucial in SEO. Backlinks build the credibility of your local business. If,for instance, website X has high domain authority, featuring your website makes search engines understand that your website must be equally good.
Linking your site to trustable websites builds authority for your website. Aside from listing your local business on GMB, there are other ways in which you can gain backlinks locally.
First, engage local news channels and newspapers to give you a mention, for instance, in a new product launch or an upcoming event. Secondly, encourage many customers to post reviews about your business. Doing so can help you gain local backlinks.
Whether you run a small local business or a multinational one, SEO services can help you gain tremendous traffic to your site. You can benefit highly by engaging a digital marketing agency.
About the Author
Patrick Watt is a content writer, writing in several areas, primarily in business growth, value creation, M&A, and finance. He currently writes for Noria, the full-service digital marketing agency in Thailand. His interests also include content marketing and self-development. Say hi to Patrick on Twitter @patrickwattpat