Local Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is often an undervalued marketing tool in businesses. However, implementing local SEO makes it easier for customers to reach you. Using a long-term local SEO strategy will not only put your business in front of prospects but boost sales like never before. 

Getting found by the local audience is a sure-fire way to scale your business without paying for ads. Around 46% of searches are looking for local information, and if you fail to optimize your website for local searches, you could be losing valuable customers. Keeping this in mind, we’ve put together a few steps to improve your local SEO and be found.

Local SEO and its benefits

Businesses opt for various marketing techniques to lead customers to their pages. Adopting a local SEO strategy means you are all set to bring in customers through the internet. If you wonder how some eateries appear during searches and vanish when you move farther, it’s because of the local SEO.

Optimizing your site will help customers discover your business in the specific region, all at the comfort of their home. Whatever the nature of your business, implementing local SEO strategies is sure to attract more qualified customers. 

Firstly, let’s understand the meaning behind the term. After reading through the blog, you will be able to use local SEO successfully.

What is local SEO?

Local SEO is the process of updating the search engine visibility to be found locally. This strategy is useful for brick and mortar companies that rely on potential local customers. This allows the business to have more organic traffic flowing in.

Search engines pull out specific information such as local content, links, profile pages, and more. When you tailor these pieces of information to suit the local SEO criteria, you will be able to position your services and products to local customers looking for them.

How is it different from traditional SEO?

The major difference between an organic SEO and local SEO is the target of location. SEO helps your business rank internationally while local SEO helps with local searches. 

SEO and local SEO use the same strategies to put businesses in the limelight. However, using local SEO guides customers looking for information specific to the area. A lot of strategies like on-page SEO and off-page SEO are valuable for all types of businesses.

To get the desired results, follow the basic SEO strategies. A lot of sites lose their ranking due to mediocre content and unresponsive websites. In this growing technological age, the quicker your site, the better it performs.

To know Google’s algorithms and rank higher, follow the local SEO checklist:

• Optimize your domain
• Get user reviews and ratings
• Optimize Google my business page
• Use backlinks
• Responsive website 
• Take note of the various signals
• Create relevant and high-value content
• Links from trusted sources

These are a few factors to consider while dealing with local SEO for your business. However, consider working on mobile usability because Google prefers mobile content to desktop content when indexing in SERPs. This means that if your mobile experience is not above satisfactory, you will lose valuable customers to your competitors.

Now that we’ve seen how local SEO can rank you higher, let’s understand the benefits of it.

Benefits

Generally, small businesses find it hard to compete with well-established companies. This is where local SEO comes into play. When the need of the hour is to target the local customers, this approach is useful. There are many benefits to implementing local SEO for your business. Let’s look at a few that will aid in better understanding.

Increased visibility

When users search on Google, they are more likely to click on the first five links. In other words, if your business does not rank on the first page of Google, customers will never know you exist. A smart move is to search your target audience and put your business in front of them.

Leverage local SEO to your advantage and fulfil your customers’ needs. Link and connect with the other local shops to gain visibility and authority in the niche. Customers trust referrals and it’s good to link them to the relevant services. 

While achieving click rates and visits worldwide might seem great, conversions never take place. When you have local backlinks properly placed, you receive relevant traffic to your site. 72% of local customers visit the store after viewing the site. This is good enough to acquire more customers through word-of-mouth.

Reduction of costs

Earlier, paying for ads was considered the best approach for businesses to rank higher and get in front of their target audience. But these days, organic SEO is taking over. More and more businesses are opting for different marketing and SEO tactics that bring the customers closer without paying for ads.

When your business ranks in the first five places, you get higher engagement, conversions, and retention without spending a penny. More than the reduction of costs, it’s the value that the local SEO brings in for your business.

Improved traffic

When you search for a pizza shop near you, you would want to see eateries in a 5-mile radius or a little farther. Now, imagine the Google results displayed pizza shops in a distant city, would that benefit you?

Similarly, your business needs to be put in front of the audiences who need it. Competing globally will only result in your business being lost in the pool. Make phone numbers clickable on mobile phones, add a map, and build citations through local SEO.

Another way to drive more traffic to your site is to have a dedicated contact page on your website. Include relevant information such as phone numbers, email, and address. This will let Google pull out information whenever a customer searches locally.

Get repeat customers

When you narrow down your focus, you attract even the customers who are just visiting the area. Providing extraordinary services and customer care will keep them coming back for more.

The major advantage of local SEO is that it persuades people to stop by and take a look. Alongside increasing repeat purchase rates, it helps your business reach a larger group of people.

Important parts of local SEO

Hundreds of businesses crawl for competition in SERPs. Using local SEO to outperform them and get local customers to notice your business is an art. Below are the elements focused on the searches in the immediate area. 

1. Keyword Research

Keyword research refers to the search terms typed in search engines for the queries. This means you need to be aware of the search terms. In the end, it doesn’t make sense to spend all your energy and not rank for the keywords people are looking for.

Keyword research isn’t all that different from organic SEO. However, there are certain qualities in local SEO keywords that make them much better. Studies show that a lot of people have started using conversational voice searches for their queries. 

Including local keywords that rank lower but have a high search volume will result in better conversions. Try keywords that ask a question or have a friendly tone. Sites like SEMrush, keyword.io, Moz, and answer the public are excellent ways to get the right local keywords for your industry. 

Test various keywords, and you might be surprised at the search volumes for your business. However, do not place keywords irrelevant to your website just because they have a high search volume. If you have a high bounce rate, Google will rank your site lower in SERPs.

2. Content

Content is the backbone of digital marketing. And when it comes to local SEO, writing local content is a necessity. Investing time into long-form content isn’t enough but you should know what type of content performs and what keywords are associated with it.

Write relevant and narrowly focused content. For example, if you’re explaining the best ways to find a designer in the city, do not write about how to design. Use content planning to your advantage. Content planning is the process of addressing when, where, and how your content goals will be met.

Content planning can be done in a few ways including:

• Note the top searches in the search engines 
• Use Google trends to find the top keywords
• Pay close attention to customer reviews and questions
• Talk about what’s unique in your area

3. Link building

Link building is when you link other sites to your website. Link building is an important factor for success. Especially, in local SEO the links are quite different from organic SEO. Get to know Google’s webmaster guidelines thoroughly. If you slip past it, Google will notice it and there are chances for your site to disappear, even without intimation.

Link building for local SEO involves getting links from other businesses in the region. It is more optimized for Google. Local SEO has many link categories like citation, local directory website, local newspapers sites, and more. 

For effective local link building and boosting your site’s ranking, try these simple steps.

• Create a landing page with local SEO keywords
• Get local backlinks
• Strengthen and use your relationships with businesses

3 ways to improve local SEO

With Google’s ever-changing algorithm updates, it’s infinitely hard to beat businesses that already know the game. Nevertheless, focusing on the important factors and nailing down the necessities will put you back in the game.

Keeping yourself updated about everything in local SEO is key. Let’s move on to the best 3 ways to improve local SEO.

1. Add location pages to the website

This is the main element to attain your local SEO goals. The search engines crawl over your sites to nitpick the best possible search query to the user. Being very specific and adding suite numbers and more will give search engines a chance to pick your business listing.

Additionally, having different landing pages for various locations will give better results. This allows search engines to locate your business locally and deliver the details to the user.

2. Update Google My Business page

Your business page is the first thing people notice. Having an updated and most relevant picture of your business builds trust in users. Use a clear logo and mention the up-to-date address, phone number, and business hours.

On top of that, never forget to display a link to your website or websites, if you’re present in many locations. The more relevant and updated your page is, the easier it is to lead the users to your business.

3. Create local content

A lot of businesses make the mistake of creating content on anything and everything. However, search engines do not look for expertise in the particular content. All it needs is high relevance in your niche.

Perform keyword research and create local content that the users are looking for. Bear in mind to optimize your post every time for search engines. Have a clear call-to-action and embed the right meta tags and keywords in the body copy.

Improve readability through proper formatting of your content with H1, H2, and H3 tags. Also, edit your permalinks to reflect your content. Create content that resonates with your local audience. For example, if the user searches for artboards in London, you could create a blog post on – The best artistic places to visit in London.

Similarly, use the keywords in a natural way rather than stuffing them in the content. Whatever content and strategy you plan to use, make sure to keep in mind the dos and don’ts.

Final Words

With the onset of local SEO, getting in touch with local businesses has become a cakewalk. A lot of tools help you find what your users need at the moment. And there are many ways to create content, find keywords, and include links. 

Local SEO is a long-term strategy which takes a lot of effort and time. After all, it’s a game-changer for businesses across industries. Although, you don’t need to pay for local SEO, it’s always good to invest in your marketing wisely.