Searchers tend to trust businesses who appear highly in local searches. That is why it is essential that your website be optimized for local SEO.
Citations is the term given to mentions of your name, address and phone number (NAP) appearing online that Google can crawl. They often pertain to specific cities, regions or neighborhoods.
Keyword Research
Locate keywords used by people searching for products and services near you is vital for business. Proper keyword research drives targeted traffic to your website while simultaneously helping potential customers discover your services or products.
Local SEO research distinguishes itself from general keyword research by identifying searches with both general and explicit local intent, such as those containing words such as ‘brooklyn,” “kitchen accessories store,” or “locksmith.”
Doing your own keyword research locally is easier than ever thanks to tools such as Google Autocomplete, competitor monitoring services and various free and paid keyword research tools that offer both specific local search filters as well as wider insights.
On-Page Optimization
On-page optimization is the cornerstone of local SEO and involves making adjustments to page titles, URLs, content and internal links that target relevant keywords. Furthermore, critical errors must be rectified first in order to improve quality and rankings of pages.
Citations and reviews are two of the most crucial on-page SEO factors, so it is crucial that a robust citation management strategy be in place that incorporates seeking new opportunities to build local citations.
As part of local SEO, it’s crucial that your pages on your site map correspond with the correct services. For example, if your services include “boiler installation” and “burst pipe repair”, assign those services to different pages so they rank in their respective locations – this helps prevent duplicative content and spammy keywords.
Off-Page Optimization
Searchers with local intent — for instance, someone hungry looking for a nearby hoagie shop or needing plumbing repairs on their sink — expect results close at hand. Therefore, businesses operating within certain geographic regions should prioritize local SEO to increase online visibility in these regions.
Stay ahead of your competitors by employing on-page and off-page SEO best practices that can boost organic SEO rankings and local snack pack pack ranking potential. Tools like Semrush can help identify which factors should be optimized on-page, such as page structure, title tags, meta descriptions etc. Additionally, focus on collecting reviews on consumer directories or social media that pertain to your business and gather reviews therein as well.
Link Building
As part of its overall optimization efforts, Local SEO requires a robust link-building strategy. According to Moz’s estimates, links are the single greatest influencer of local search and snack pack rankings.
Like traditional SEO, local SEO involves building backlinks from authoritative websites in your city – such as industry associations, Chamber of Commerce websites, educational.edu sites or more. In addition, it’s also wise to acquire links from relevant directories or review sites (Yelp, Thumbtack or Foursquare are examples) which target local audiences.
To identify potential backlink opportunities, run your competitors through an analysis tool such as Ubersuggest and check what types of links they possess. Once identified, contact these sites directly and pitch your business; doing so could result in top rankings and increased traffic!
Social Media
Local SEO (search engine optimization) is an online marketing strategy that emphasizes search results based on location-related signals. Research shows that local SEO is more successful at driving in-store sales and attracting potential customers than traditional organic search results.
Social media plays an invaluable role in local SEO as it provides the perfect venue to market services and promotions unique to a particular location. Furthermore, optimizing profiles and content with pertinent keywords is critical.
Optimizing Google My Business profiles for businesses is one of the cornerstones of local SEO. By taking ownership and effectively managing a GMB profile, businesses can increase their chances of appearing in local search results and maps searches.