Implementation of an effective local SEO strategy is a best way to get a business or brand found by the local target audience. It is practice that lets you to reach your target audience based on location. When implemented correctly, local search optimization tactics can help local businesses to outrank the giant fishes.
If you are running a local business or a company that targets audience of a particular location, then you should do something extra more than general SEO guides to rank higher in local searches.
This article will take you through more than a few tips to optimize a website for local search to grab the attention of more local customers.
Opt for Local Hosting for Better Local Search Rankings
Hosting a local business website on local server can significantly boost its ranking in local searches. As Google also use IP address of the web servers as a clue to understand the content, hosting your business site on local server can provide you with better local search results. Sites hosted on local server also loads faster with better up-time.
If you own a business with target audience living in a specific geo-location, then hosting your site on a server based on that area could provide you an ultimate boost in local ranking. For instance, if you are offering SEO services in Singapore, then you should buy web hosting from a local hosting provider to appear in more local searches.
Optimize Home Page Accordingly
As most of the businesses use their home pages as landing page in marketing campaigns, home page of a business website should clearly state that who you are, where you are based from and what you have to offer. It will make easier for Google to understand the necessary elements for local search ranking. All the essential details should also be there in page title tags, header tags, meta description and content etc. Several SEO plugins are easily accessible on the web that can also be used to keep such details up to date.
Localize the Content
If you are running a business from multiple locations at the same time, then you should create landing pages for each location and use these pages to group your service offering for different areas. Content for each location should be created and optimized accordingly to get better outcomes. However, content duplication should be avoided at any cost. Yoast local SEO plugin could be one of the best solutions to localize content for a business website with multiple locations.
Be sure to Include Address is in the Footer
It seems like a tiny thing to do but can end you up with better local search results as search engines use such details to find a website and associated it with the certain location. Business details in the footer of website are usually named as NAP (name, address and phone number). All the details should be visible not only to search engine bots but to users as well.
Optimize for Google My Business
It is one of the vital elements of off-site optimization and considered as a significant ranking factor to drive better local SEO results. Getting Google my business listing is very easy and quick as well. While claiming, they will ask you to provide basic business details like business name, address and contact details etc. Spending a few minutes on this can help you boost local search results wonderfully.
Make your Site Mobile Responsive
It is the era of mobile technology and mobile first index when it comes to search engine rankings. Selection of a mobile responsive web design is one of the absolute vitals for local businesses seeking better local search rankings. The best experience possible for users visiting your site is one of the core necessities to optimize a website for local search.
As most of the people usually use their mobile devices to search for their favorite brands and products on the web, a mobile optimized website will rank higher in local searches to appear in more results. Make sure your business website appears same on all small and big screens, if you really want to grab the attention of more local customers.
Going through the Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test is also a great idea to find out the things to be improved as it flags up the causes for concerns that should be addressed accordingly.