Google- Our go-to friend when we are looking for answers.
Google- Ice cream shop near me?
Google- Dance classes near me?
Google will answer in a jiffy.
Ever wondered how Google shows the nearby businesses so accurately or have you wished that your business also shows up on google when people search for businesses in your category.
If your answer is YES, then my friend Local SEO will help you skyrocket your business in your location.
If you are a small business owner or a service provider whose target audience is your local community then you must definitely consider investing your time and money in Local SEO.
But, What is local SEO?
Local Marketing
Local SEO is the process of improving search engine visibility for local businesses.
By following local SEO best practices businesses can improve organic traffic from the searches.
The whole point of local SEO is to make it easier for people to find you. Search competition in your business area is much lower than competing for high-value keywords with online purchasing intent. So it becomes much easier for businesses to stand out.
SEO is about increasing both the quality and quantity of organic traffic to your website. Organic results are based on the relevance to each user's search query and other search ranking factors. The local search takes into account the geographically relevant information from the local intent behind its user search queries.
Typical search queries with local intent includes
{Attribute}+ City
{Attribute}+ near me
{Attribute}+ closest to me
As a local business, your aim should be to rank for these searches.
Who Needs Local SEO?
Local Businesses
SEO Agencies/Work
Multi-location brands
Service Area Business
If your business isn't showing up in the local SERP. then you are missing out on a huge chunk of potential customers.
With the implementation and optimization of local SEO, you can reach more people who are unaware of your business but are interested in the products/service you provide.
Since the audiences are already looking for your products/services there are more chances of conversions and more sales for your business
You can build your reputation in your locality and that in turn will help you in brand building.
Typically, there are 2 distinct sets of search results for local SEO
The snack pack results
The organic results
Google's snack pack is a boxed area that appears on the first result page when a local online search is made through the google search engine.
It is equally important to have your listings appear in both the search results.
But how do you get there? How to do Local SEO?
Following the best practices to get your target audience to your site and level up our Local SEO.
1. Optimize your website for Local SEO
SEO strategies for Local SEO include implementing technical SEO, On-Page SEO, and Off-Page SEO to get the most out of your website and see the best results.
You should include location-specific Keywords in your web copy. Create a contact page that clearly shows your Business Name, Address, and Phone Number.
2. Create a Google Business Profile.
Google business profile is a tool that enables you to manage and optimize your business profile on Google.
Creating a business profile is easy. All that google requires is the business name, location, and category.
This business profile is open for consumers to leave reviews, add photos, ask questions and answer. Questions.
You can create access and customize your google my business profile on Google all for free.
You can make your business unique by providing working hours, your website link, products and services, and other attributes related to your business.
You can even interact with your business profile by responding to reviews, answering questions, enabling direct messaging, and setting up associated alerts.
Google business profile provides highly visible business branding directly in the search results with a knowledge panel.
Google My Business Ranking factors
Relevance
Distance
Prominence
3. Add Testimonials and Reviews
Testimonial is a trust signal for both users as well as Google. They add credibility and trust to your business. Encourage your customers to add reviews to your site.
4. Write Blog Posts and Build Links
Having quality content on your website will drive organic traffic to your website.
For example- You have a business where you offer Bridal Make up services
You can create a blog post on Skincare routine for a Bride, Diy face packs for the bride,
Beauty tips for dry skin, How to remove tan etc. These blog posts will showcase your expertise in your niche and customers will be happy to take services from you.
You can also consider adding a FAQ section ie the frequently asked questions where you answer the common queries in your niche.
( Point to Remember: Google aims at giving out the best user experience for its user. Google constantly keeps looking for new and updated content. So the chances of your website ranking in SERP will naturally increase when you create content that solves user queries in your niche and also educates)
After your blog is published, link your blog post to other relevant articles. As backlinks are the prominent factors in determining the authority of your website.
5. Have a mobile-friendly site.
Most of the local searches are done on the go and they are most likely searched through mobile phones. So having a mobile-friendly site is a must. You can test your website loading speed for mobile on Google’s Page Speed insights.
6. Build Citations for Local SEO
Citations are the key factors in local SEO ranking. Citations are an online reference of a business that features the business name, address, and phone number.
Having your business listed in the trusted online directories sends a signal to Google to improve the degree of certainty that your business exists.
When deciding which citation to list your business, always choose the online business directories that are most relevant to your industry and have high domain authority.
While listing your business for citation have a consistent Name, and address phone number across all directories, include keywords in the description and choose the category that best suits your business.
6. Track visitor and customer Data
Use behavior tracking tools such as Google Analytics to help you determine whether you need to put more work into your local SEO strategy to boost your ranking on localized SERP.
I hope you found these tips useful to get started with your local SEO journey.