Once you have established your business and built a killer website, the next logical step would be to make sure people can find it! With a strong online SEO presence, finding your website should be easy for users across the World Wide Web. When you are focusing on local business, strong local SEO is an absolute must.
What is Local SEO?
Similar to SEO strategies discussed here previously, search engine optimization that focuses on local search strategies is key to improving your business visibility, particularly if you have a brick-and-mortar location. Search engines rely on the signals we send on our websites to return the results most relevant to a user. If that user is in your area, you want to give them all the signals that your location is the one to choose!
Signals for Search Engines:
- Local content
- Social profile pages
- Links
- Citations
9 Ways to Improve Your Local SEO
1. Optimize for Google My Business
2. Engage on social media
3. Ensure citations are consistent
4. Perform routine local SEO audits
5. Improve all internal linking on your website
6. Optimize URL, title, headers, meta descriptions, and content
7. Create local content
8. Mobile-friendly website will get them to your door!
9. Level up your domain authority with quality inbound links.
1. Create a Google Business Profile
Since 92% of the search engine market share currently makes Google the most-visited website, it’s essential that your business is represented properly on this platform. Google My Business is a free business listing and a great way to increase your visibility across Google services. Google My Business is only available to those that interact with customers, so if your business model is online only, you will need to stick with other SEO tools available in Google Ads and Google Analytics.
2. Put Social Media to Work for You
Content that is shared on social media can be impactful for your local SEO. Google considers this content more important now than ever. Shared content that can be linked between social media and your business profile is effective for improving your local SEO. Share your Google My Business page on your social media and post content regularly.
3. Keep your NAP Up to Date
NAP is the acronym for Name, Address, and Phone number, the most important citations in your Google My Business profile to make it easy for people to find you. Your NAP is crawlable information for search engines and is best displayed in the header or footer of your website. If you place your NAP within an image, the search engines cannot find it and it will not return to a user on a SERP for local SEO.
4. Check Local SEO Optimization
If there is anything we have learned about SEO, it’s that it is a dynamic process. Keeping up with the latest updates and ensuring your content remains on point is one way of keeping your foot on the gas and your website working effectively. There are several ways to optimize your local SEO.
Local SEO Audit
- Google My Business Audit
- Google Search Console Audit
- On-page SEO Audit
- Citation Audit
- Website Audit
5. Internal Linking Structure Boosts your Local SEO
Internal linking helps with the searchability of your website. The more organized your linking structure, the better the search engines understand your website architecture and hierarchy. This directly impacts page authority and ranking power among pages on your website. If the search engines can find you and understand your website, they will return that information to the users looking for your products and services.
6. Optimize On-page SEO
If you want your website to perform well for local SEO, keep a close eye on all your on-page SEO. This includes your URL, headers, meta descriptions, internal links with keywords, and content. The more specifically your location content is optimized, the higher you will rank in the “near me” local searches.
7. Focus Content on Local References
Google continues to return SERPs that provide value to users, so writing local content is a great way to organically add value to your web pages. Add an awesome blog to your website on topics that are specific to your local area and become the local authority for your industry. A map of citywide events is effective local SEO to add to your business credibility while offering highly relevant information.
8. Make your Website Mobile-friendly
Think about the last time you searched for a local business “near me.” You were probably on your mobile phone, on your way to whatever location appeared most convenient from that search. That is how 88% of consumers do business within 24 hours. Make it easy for your business to be found and prepare for that increase in business from highly effective local SEO!
9. Inbound Links can Raise Domain Authority
Level up your domain relevance and authority with quality inbound links from legitimate local companies. Heighten your website profile with links from your local Chamber of Commerce, sponsorships of local charity events, and building relationships with prominent locals who are willing to link to your website. Offer to be a guest blogger for a local publication – inbound links from a quality resource are buzz-worthy local SEO!
Local SEO is Beneficial to Any Business Strategy
There are few that want your business to be successful more than your own community. If you have a storefront, local SEO will help locals and visitors alike find the service or products you are offering. Your Google My Business and social media profiles will allow your customers to rave about their experience, which in turn generates more business. Local SEO builds relationships – it is how your current customers are able to reach your future customers and tell them why they love your business being part of the community!
When you have a brick-and-mortar store, your local SEO presence can be the deciding factor in whether your business will be successful. If people can’t find you, they can’t experience all your business has to offer, so you can convert those internet clicks to sales.
If thinking about local SEO and building a profile on Google My Business keeps you up at night, it may be the right time to bring in an SEO specialist. Be a hometown hero and include local SEO in your marketing strategy!