Improve Your Business’ Local SEO Strategy
Almost 50% of all Google searches are local. Meanwhile, over 75% of consumers who complete local searches visit businesses within five miles of their location. Chances are, those customers are looking for businesses like yours.
With local search engine optimization (SEO), you can boost where your website appears on search result pages. The higher you rank, the more often locals will see your business.
You can boost brand awareness, website traffic, and leads with ease.
Without a local SEO strategy, your competitors could win those customers over instead.
Don’t let that happen. Instead, use these nine local SEO tips to boost your ranking. With these tips, you can generate more leads and boost your ROI.
Improve local SEO with these nine simple tips today!
1. Update Your Listings
First, make sure you’ve claimed your Google My Business (GMB) listing. The GMB site doubled in organic traffic within a single year. Meanwhile, over 60% of smartphone users contact businesses from the GMB click-to-call option.
In fact, nearly 50% of consumers use Google to find recommendations while they’re shopping, too.
If your business doesn’t appear as a GMB listing, you might not reach local customers. Optimizing your GMB listing can help you boost brand awareness. People can also find your location, hours, and website from the listing.
Your GMB listing can display relevant business information. Think of it as a digital Yellow Pages listing. Consumers can find your:
- Business name
- Website
- Phone number
- Address/directions
- Customer reviews
- Photos and videos
- Recent posts
- Hours
First, make sure to claim your listing. Then, fill out the information. Make sure the information is accurate and matches the information on your website.
Then, start adding new photos, videos, and posts. Add categories and subcategories to your listing, too. Consumers will have an easier time finding your business online.
Let your customers know if there’s ever a change to your business. Otherwise, you could risk confusing or frustrating them.
Once you update your GMB listing, determine where else your website appears online. For example, you might appear on directories like:
- Angie’s List
- Bing Places
- HotFrog
- Best of the Web
- FourSquare
- Yelp
- About Us
Keep your information consistent on every listing. Otherwise, inconsistencies could hurt your local SEO strategy.
2. Create Location Pages
Over 95% of search engine users look online for local businesses. You can increase your chances of appearing for these searches with local SEO. Start by creating location pages on your website.
First, determine who your customers are and what they care about. Understanding your customers will help you appeal to their interests. You can create content with their interests and needs in mind.
Once you know who your customers are, research their search behaviors. You can use tools like:
Focus on keywords with a high search volume and low competition.
Look for long-tail keywords that include location-specific words and phrases. Then, create a page for each business location you have using your keywords. Make sure the target keyword you use is relevant to the page content.
Creating a page for each business location will help you attract customers in specific areas. These local SEO tips can expand your reach. As you reach more consumers online, brand visibility and awareness will improve.
3. Create Interesting Content
Once you’ve gathered your keyword research, start developing your local SEO strategy by creating compelling content. Location-based content can help you reach more local customers.
Choose a target keyword that includes location-specific words. Then, create a post based on that keyword. Make sure the target keyword appears in your:
- URL
- Page title
- Opening and closing paragraphs
- Body text
- Image filename
- Image alt text
- Meta description
When creating content, focus on quality over quantity. Consumers will recognize your experience and expertise. They’ll start relying on your business for the help they need.
4. Use Schema Markup
You can also improve local SEO for your business by using schema on your website. Schema markup can help Google better understand your content. It will have an easier time ranking you for local searches as a result.
For example, Google will look at your website to determine your:
- Phone number
- Address
- Dates of any events you’re hosting
Follow Google’s specific guidelines when using schema. If you need help, work with a professional SEO agency. They can develop an SEO checklist with your goals and needs in mind.
5. Build Links
If you want to boost your SEO ranking, you’ll need links. Link-building is essential to any local SEO strategy.
First, make sure you’re creating high-quality content on your website. People will want to link to your content. You could gain backlinks as a result.
Use internal and external links within your content, too.
6. Request Reviews
Once you’ve optimized your GMB listing, ask customers to post their reviews there! Positive reviews can boost your credibility. You can generate brand trust and loyalty.
Customer reviews are also an important item on your SEO checklist. Google will see people are discussing your business. You could improve local SEO rankings as a result.
7. Go Mobile
Updating your website can also boost your local SEO rankings. After all, Google looks at the mobile version of your website when indexing your content.
Make sure your website is mobile optimized by using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test. Consider working with a website design company, too. They can help you appeal to Google’s Core Web Vitals.
Your local SEO ranking could rise.
8. Stay Social
As you start creating content on your website, share it. Post links to your blogs on social media or in an email newsletter. You can attract more traffic to your website, which could boost your rankings.
9. Track Trends
Once you start using these local SEO tips, make sure to keep up with the latest trends. For example, video, voice, and image searches are becoming more popular.
Keeping up with algorithm changes and SEO trends can further strengthen your rankings. You can get ahead of the competition, too.
Go Local: 9 Tips for a Stronger Local SEO Strategy
Don’t miss a chance to connect with local customers. Instead, use these nine tips to develop an effective local SEO strategy. With these tips, you can get on the map and boost your rankings.
Then, you can attract more people to your business and set yourself up for success.
Need help working on your SEO checklist? We’re here to help.
Contact us today to get started.