But first…
What is Local SEO?
According to what we consulted on Borja Aranda Vaquero 's website , the definition of Local SEO:
« is a branch of SEO specialized exclusively in geo-localized searches that Google displays in its SERPs. »
We have already addressed this concept in another article . For its part, the Moz team defines local SEO as: “ a process to increase search visibility for businesses that serve their communities face to face. These can be businesses with a physical location or service area businesses that operate in a specific geographic area .”
According to Aranda Vaquero, it is good to emphasize that Local SEO can be divided into two types:
Local search results . These search results appear in traditional Google SERPs, except that searches for these keywords on Google are geo-localized (Google understands that they are best resolved by offering local businesses) and offer a local product/service. Example: cafes, butchers, plumbers, mechanics, etc.
Google Maps results (Google My Business or Business Profile). To appear in Google Maps results you must have a Google My Business listing (You can get this listing by clicking here as long as you have a Google account). Once you have published your listing, you will begin to appear in local searches for users who search near your business address (As long as you have done good Local SEO).
Does your business need to do Local SEO?
Well, with 90% of consumers searching for local businesses online, local SEO is undoubtedly an essential marketing tool for businesses looking to attract more potential customers.
Whether you have a physical location or an online business that serves a specific location, you need a strategy to target searches and users geo-located in your area of action. Here's how you can rank higher in Google search, outshine your competitors, and attract even more customers.
It’s true, not every business needs to do local SEO . Only businesses that serve a specific geographic location (or several) should look to rank in local search for the key terms that potential customers in their area are searching for.
Google considers many different local search ranking signals when determining how to rank a website in the MapPack.
That’s why it’s important to be strategic about your local SEO, making sure you cover all your bases and give your business a competitive advantage. If you’re not clear on your strategy right now, it may be time to turn to a local SEO consultant who can help you define it clearly.
6 Ways to Boost Your Local SEO Strategy
Okay, now let’s move on to the most important part of this post: how to boost your local SEO strategy and improve your local search rankings. There are many aspects to consider, so let’s focus on the most critical ones:
1. Claim and optimize your Google My Business profile
Google My Business is essentially the most critical part of your local SEO strategy. This Google tool allows you to create a business profile for free. And according to Moz, it is one of the main gambling data japan factors that the famous search engine will take into account when ranking businesses in organic local search results.
To get started, go to Google My Business to claim or create your business profile.
Google My Business
You must provide the following details for your Google My Business profile:
The full and correct business name.
The address of your physical store/office.
Your exact location on a map.
The business category.
Phone number and website (if applicable)
Once your profile is published, you'll need to verify it . Usually through a phone call or a mailing. Here's what you need to do to optimize Google My Business after verification:
Upload photos of your business. These could be photos of the inside of your store/office or even around the premises.
Provides business hours.
Highlight additional categories that may be relevant to your business.
Please include additional phone numbers if available.
You can further optimize your Google My Business profile by sharing business updates and new content regularly. This helps connect with your customers on a deeper level, as well as increasing visibility in local searches.
2. Keep the mobile in mind
With smartphones now a part of our daily lives , it’s only natural that many people use their phones to search for local information and businesses. Uberall commissioned a study, which found that 82% of respondents had used their mobile devices to conduct a “ near me ” search. This shows just how much people use their phones to conduct local searches.
Therefore, it is crucial that you cater to these search engines by optimizing your website for mobile screens. Create a mobile-friendly website so that visitors have no trouble navigating or finding the information they need.
Don’t forget to add click-to-call buttons to your site and Google My Business profile. This could make a huge difference because 60% of mobile users have contacted a business directly from search results.
3. Collect lots of customer reviews
According to the Moz study cited above, review signals also play a critical role in your local search and ranking in search results. Therefore, having plenty of authentic reviews, particularly positive ones, could do wonders to increase your visibility in local search in addition to improving your reputation. That means you should work on collecting more authentic customer reviews for your business.
Focus on the places where Google would expect businesses to have reviews . So in addition to your website and Google My Business profile, also collect reviews from consumer directories and social media. That means you should aim to get reviews for Facebook, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Foursquare, Angie's List, etc., depending on which ones are relevant to your business.
4. Build backlinks
Link signals, such as domain authority and number of links , are among the main factors that influence local search rankings and results. So, just like with regular SEO, local SEO also requires link building to boost your link profile. However, the linking domains should be more relevant to your target location.
That means you should target authoritative websites in your target region. This can be anything from licensing offices and trade associations to the Chamber of Commerce or even .edu sites.
Partnerships, scholarships, guest posts, etc. could be great ways to get valuable backlinks from local sites.
5. Ensure NAP/citation consistency
Google considers citation signals such as citation volume and consistency of name, address, phone number (NAP) in local search results. This means your information should be on the major citation websites. Focus on directories that have a higher domain authority than smaller listing directories.
Most importantly , make sure your business NAP is consistent across all platforms and websites. Look for spelling mistakes, address and phone number discrepancies, duplicate listings, and resolve them to improve your local SEO.
6. Make the most of social listening
Social listening primarily serves as a source of marketing insights , but it has many benefits beyond that. It could even help boost your local SEO strategy if you know what insights to look for and how to make the most of them.
Use social listening to find out what people in your target location are saying , whether about your business or in general. You could even use it to gather information about audience interests, priorities, etc. Then, make the most of these insights to figure out how you can make changes to your strategy or even your products and services.
For example , you may have noticed that people are complaining about the lack of outdoor seating at your coffee shop. Well, maybe it’s time to incorporate that improvement to attract an even larger audience. Then, you can optimize your Google My Business SEO by sharing updates about your new seating arrangement.
Additionally, your social listening efforts could also help you understand what types of local content your target audience might be searching for. You could then create a solid local content strategy that fits those needs. Plus, you might even be able to uncover “long-tail” keywords to use in your content optimization strategy.
Now it's your turn
These are the essentials on how to take your local SEO efforts to the next level. Keep in mind that your local SEO efforts can span multiple physical locations. And you can even apply these ideas to your multi-location SEO if you target more than one area. So make the most of them, you are sure to be able to improve your online visibility in local searches and grow your business.
