Local SEO is an effective strategy for increasing both online and offline sales. It matches your business with the right customers based on a series of ranking factors.
Traditional SEO utilizes keywords, site design, link building, reputation management and social signals. Local SEO takes these concepts a step further by targeting nearby consumers with NAP data, reviews and citations in order to effectively reach your desired audience.
Keyword Research
Keyword research is an integral component of any website’s marketing plan. It allows you to determine which keywords are most pertinent and helpful for your target audience.
Researching topics to write content around is key in developing an effective website strategy. With search language evolving and your target audience’s needs changing, conducting this research is necessary for creating successful outcomes.
For local SEO keyword research, two tools that you can use are Ubersuggest and Google Keyword Planner. These services allow you to type in a keyword and get statistics on its popularity (search volume) as well as difficulty for ranking on Google.
Competitor Analysis
Competitor analysis is an integral component of SEO Local, as it helps you determine what your competitors are up to and how best to improve your own strategy. With this data, you can identify opportunities for exploitation as well as weaknesses to avoid, giving yourself a leg up on the competition.
The initial step in any competitive analysis should be keyword research. Utilizing tools like Ahrefs or SEMRush, you can search for websites that appear prominently among top organic rankings for keywords related to your industry.
On-Page Optimization
On-page SEO is a subset of search engine optimization that involves optimizing the content and structure of your website. This includes everything from keywords in title tags to images optimized for search engines and text on your site that’s easy to read for readers.
On-page SEO is a long-term strategy that can be beneficial for your business. Google continuously refines their algorithm, so your website must be ready to accommodate changes so it can deliver search results tailored to your user’s intent.
Fortunately, there are a few specific steps you can take to optimize your on-page SEO for localized searches. These include:
Off-Page Optimization
If you want to boost your business’ online visibility, both on-page and off-page SEO are essential. These strategies work in synergy and are essential for improving your site’s search engine rankings.
Google and other search engines rely on off-page factors like citations, backlinks, and brand mentions to assess how relevant your site is for a given query. As more of these signals accumulate, your listing is more likely to appear at the top of search results.
Citations are listings of your business name, address and phone number (NAP) on other websites. Having as many citations as possible shows Google that your business is legitimate and popular.
Link Building
Link building is an integral component of SEO Local and crucial for ranking in Google Maps’ “3-pack.” Backlinks tell Google that authoritative websites in your service area value your website, helping boost its rankings accordingly.
Furthermore, links from relevant and authoritative websites in your target market can boost your domain authority and drive targeted traffic to your site. This could result in improved organic traffic, increased referral traffic and higher conversion rates.
Though this process requires more outreach and hard work, the rewards are worth it. Not only will this help your business rank higher on search engine results pages, but it can also improve overall business metrics and SEO scores. Furthermore, customers and clients will feel more at ease with your brand and trust it more readily when engaging with you directly.