Local SEO is essential to help small businesses fight for digital space against more prominent brand names. It levels the playing field and lets small businesses grow.
Nearly half of all Google searches are local, and around 69% of web traffic comes from organic and local searches. To increase your chances of converting leads into actual customers, place your focus on local SEO.
This guide will discuss which local SEO strategy can help improve your rankings and drive more sales for your business.
What Is Local SEO?
Local SEO is the process of optimizing your online content to be more visible in local search results. This includes optimizing your website for keywords related to your brand in your geographic area. It can be beneficial for businesses with physical stores as improving search rankings can increase their search results and attract more visitors to their websites.
Having a Local SEO Strategy: Why It’s Important
Optimizing local search for your business is an excellent tool for converting traffic into actual leads. A whopping 83% of users rely on Google search to check enterprises near them, while 76% of those who get local search results immediately visit the physical store within 24 hours.
Not only does local SEO boost sales, but it also helps establish credibility and authority for your website among your targeted users.
Top 12 Local SEO Strategy Tips
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of using local SEO for your business, don’t worry! Having the right strategies in place will help your efforts pay off.
Here are 12 local SEO strategy tips to get you started:
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Claim or Optimize Your Google Business Profile
Google My Business is an online directory that provides users with accurate information about local businesses. Your business may automatically have a listing within a year of launching. Although this is helpful, the automated listing can have errors, so it is essential to optimize your GMB listing.
Here’s how to do it:
Post your listing after completing all the required information
Upload photos and videos of where your business is located
Include your product listings in your profile. You can also promote new products as one way to optimize GMB listing.
Encourage reviews and ratings and directly interact with users.
Update the listings monthly and monitor them weekly.
Including all relevant information in your listing optimizes your profile and makes it easier for users to find you.
Increase Your Citations in Online Directories
To maximize traffic for both online and in-store, make sure to mark all territories in all the big map data aggregators like Apple, Google, Yelp, and Bing. Your goal should be to land in the top 5 results on Google, as it usually accounts for most user click-through rates.
Get the most out of online directories by ensuring the information you provide is consistent and accurate and avoid duplicate listings. You can also apply for a Chamber of Commerce membership in your community, giving you access to an external inbound link created for your area.
Perform a Local SEO Audit For Your Website
Your next step should be to compare your website to the competition’s to ensure yours is as good or even better. You can use free tools and analyzers like Google Analytics or Publer to help with your audit. Identify your target keywords to compare your website’s top results on the SERP (Search Engine Results Page).
Encode everything, from the types of content and elements to keywords and website layout in a spreadsheet to keep track of all your audits.
Identify and Target Local Keywords
Local businesses can utilize increased website traffic by targeting keywords related to their location. “Near me” search terms can increase from 150 to over 900%, making it a key focus for local businesses. By identifying and targeting these local keywords, businesses can boost their website traffic and visibility.
You can identify keywords within 10 to 15 miles of your business using Google’s Keyword Planner tool. This tool allows you to filter location-based keyword searches to see popular searches in your area. The Keyword Planner also provides a list of relevant keywords to target for your local business to include in your site’s content, copy, and URL.
Optimize for Mobile
Most shoppers use smartphones, so your local business needs a mobile-friendly website. Creating a good user experience will keep local searchers scrolling on your site.
Here’s how to make your site optimized for mobile:
Page display must be fast and responsive
Fonts should be readable with short paragraphs and subheadings
Write-ups should have a structured text format with white space
The website should have relevant images and appropriate media display
To make a mobile-friendly site, you don’t have to be a web developer. All you need to do is research how to make a responsive site and take inspiration from specific mobile-friendly features of successful brands.
Encourage Reviews from Happy Customers
Great reviews from happy customers are an excellent way to win over new customers. Ensure you get the most out of your customers by claiming your Google My Business profile and other online business listings to encourage reviews.
Incentivize customers to leave reviews by offering them discounts or freebies, as this can help improve your store’s online presence and build trust with potential customers. Be sure to respond to all reviews, good or bad, to show that you are engaged with your customers.