The importance of SEO for online marketing can’t be overstated. The internet provides an unprecedented level of connection between businesses and their target demographics. When you want to advertise your business, getting to the front page of Google’s search results is always going to be a priority. It’s one of the more effective ways to get higher organic traffic to your blog and website. The problem is that many businesses cast their net too wide without considering things on the local level.
Local SEO is an even more important factor for website optimization that is often overlooked. People trust businesses that are located close to them more than they trust a random company from abroad. Not to mention, many customers would like to obtain products and services the very day that they search for them. This is why local SEO shines when it comes to conversions and sales. If local audiences can find your website, you’re more likely to get higher conversions with your content and products.
With a good local SEO strategy, you can attract plenty of traffic and increase your consumer base significantly. To help you get started with local SEO, we’ve come up with a few tips and tactics that will make your marketing strategy much more effective.
Get on Google My Business
A good digital marketer should use all the tools they have at their disposal. One of the best tools available for local SEO is the Google My Business. It’s arguably the most influential step you can take to improve local SEO. Creating a profile on this platform can make streamlining marketing a breeze and bring in more organic traffic.
How it works is simple—you start by linking your business with a Google My Business account. Then, you have to provide essential information about your company, such as contacts, locations, etc. Afterwards, you choose the main business category as well as any secondary categories that your business meets. You can also list your notable products and services where it is applicable. Basically, you should add as much information to the listing as possible to give the platform a better understanding of your business. Adding a photo can also help improve your SEO and legitimacy.
Once completed, you can be sure that people searching for specific products and services locally will run into your website more often. Keep in mind that it’s not a one-and-done type of platform. You should also utilize the Google Posts feature from your account and give regular information updates. This will help Google see that you’re actively promoting your business and making necessary changes. The more accurate you keep your profile, the better.
Use online directories
Google My Business isn’t the only page that you should turn to. The more the merrier, as they say. Other business listings and directories can provide you with a boon to your SEO as well, and it’s worth adding your business to them as well.
Some of the most popular directories include Yelp, Hotfrog, Foursquare, and Best of the Web, but there are many others that you should take into consideration as well. Each have their own account creation process, so you’ll have to get around to doing them all individually. They all affect local SEO, so you should use as many of them as possible.
At the same time, consider finding directories that are specific to your local area. They can provide you with even better rankings, considering they’ll contain less competition and will be used by local users.
Optimize for local keywords
Keyword research is a quintessential part of digital marketing, whether you’re aiming to reach a global or local audience. Both long and short tail keywords help search engines get an idea of what your pages are about. However, it’s important to note that there are often slight differences between local and general keywords for specific topics. It all depends on what people search for in your region, so you have to keep that in mind when doing keyword research.
Just like in the case of long vs short tail, you have to create a healthy balance of local and general keywords. Google will value both, but it might benefit your rankings more if you utilize local keywords on your pages. Place them in headings, title tags, metadata, and footers whenever possible, but don’t overdo it. Having one too many of them on a page could be considered keyword stuffing, which is something that you want to avoid.
Make sure to research the most important local keywords for your region before you start optimizing your pages. The more of them you implement, the more local traffic you will receive. Utilize them naturally so that your content and headings don’t seem artificial and off-putting.
Work on creating local content
Content is a key pillar of proper SEO, no matter which audience you’re aiming for. Providing people with the information they want and need keeps them coming back to your website, which brings in organic traffic and search engine rankings. Many businesses utilize big picture content marketing strategies, as they help them reach the largest possible audience. Focusing on appealing to everyone in your target demographic might seem like a great idea, but it’s not effective at improving local SEO efforts.
To improve your lead generation through content marketing, you’ll need to think local. Consider incorporating various facts, events, and interesting aspects of a region into your content. This will allow you to get organic local traffic from content more effectively. If you offer a specific type of service, create lists of the best options for your industry in the area. It’s one of the more straightforward options you can choose when it comes to local content. Local news is a good place to look for appealing content as well. People want to know what’s happening around them, and they’ll click on anything that features commentary on news.
To make the content even more effective, make sure to incorporate local keywords wherever possible.
Create good backlinks
One of the most relevant considerations for local products is the strength of your website’s links. A good backlink profile can have an enormous effect on your search rankings across all search engines. The signals that connect to your website add legitimacy and help search engine crawlers reach your website more effectively.
To get started with backlinks, you’ll want to use a reliable backlink maker tool. At the same time, you’ll need to build high-quality links and not just duds from random aggregator websites. A great way to do this is to partner up with high-authority websites and create guest blog posts. The more relevant the websites are in your region, the better.
For many website owners, building high-quality backlinks can be a challenging endeavour. Everything from the link building to the networking aspect requires experience, which is why it often helps to get assistance from experts. Those looking to improve their local SEO results through backlinks often enlist the help of experienced link builders. It’s a great way to streamline this part of your SEO strategy, and it can improve results significantly.
Optimize for mobile searches
It should come as no surprise that mobile searches have been on the rise in recent years. The convenience and availability of smartphones make them ideal for searching for products and services online. As a result, people are using them more and more when it comes to making shopping decisions.
You might be wondering—why is this important for local SEO? The answer is simple—most mobile searches are related to the location first and foremost. When people search for something to buy using their phones, they aren’t just window shopping—they want quick results. When they find an adequate match, they’re much more likely to make a purchase that same day than someone searching through their desktop computer.
With this in mind, you should always optimize your website for mobile users. Make sure that the design and layout can adapt to smaller screens without looking awkward or difficult to navigate. It would be wise to choose location-based keywords to better attract local searches from mobile sources as well.
Local Business SEO Tips and Tactics Conclusion
There are plenty of ways to improve your local SEO rankings, which is why it can seem overwhelming when you don’t have much experience in the field. Website owners should utilize all the tools at their disposal to make sure that local audiences run into their website during organic searches. Everything from adding your website to directories to optimizing your website for multiple platforms should be considered. The more of these tactics you apply, the better your results will be.
In many situations, you’ll have to enlist the help of experts that can implement these changes effectively. It’s a worthwhile endeavour, as you can achieve much higher rankings with a well-optimized website. With the help of SEO experts and some clever tricks, you can get your website to the forefront of local SERPs with relative ease.
About Our Guest Poster
Nick is a blogger and a marketing expert currently engaged on projects for Platform 24. He is an aspiring street artist and does Audio/Video editing as a hobby.
