Local SEO is the work a local business does to show up in search results tied to a geographic area. It affects the un-paid (organic) listings in search engines, not the paid ones, and it leans heavily on image sources, Google Maps, on-page content, reviews, and directory listings. Below are the main levers covered in the guide that follows.
What is local SEO?
Local SEO is a marketing initiative for local businesses that want to capture the increased Internet traffic driven by local search results. It is similar to general SEO in that it influences the organic rankings of a site or page on the un-paid results of a search engine. The difference is that paid search listings are listed for a set period, such as a day or a month, while organic results are not billed.
How do images affect local SEO?
Image sources are one of the most important components of local SEO. For any given keyword combination, an image is worth more than just the words, and it can carry more weight than a simple logo. Keywords can include tags and description words to improve the relevance of the images, and images have their own keywords that must be included with the image source.
In the past, images were not allowed on the first page of results. Today they are on the first page and stay there unless the image source is manually controlled. Some people view this as artificial, but it is a simple consequence of how search algorithms function: if an image looks great for the user, it will appear repeatedly, which raises its relevance to searchers.
How does Google Maps help local search?
Google Maps has a great many local search features. A link to Google Maps appears at the bottom of every Google web page. If a business is listed in the Google Places directory, it can also take advantage of the on-page SEO that Google Maps offers.
On-page SEO focuses directly on the content of the site rather than on the internal linking provided by links. Instead of relying on the internal anchor text used by internal links, on-page SEO should include relevant keywords in the title and domain name of each individual page. By doing this, Google Maps can better show local searchers which local business they want to visit.
Why do customer reviews matter?
Another way to improve local SEO is to include customer reviews of the business. Reviews are one of the easiest ways to gain the trust and confidence of customers. The more positive reviews a business has, the more likely customers are willing to recommend the business to other people.
How does Google’s Image Source help?
The Google Image Source lets businesses upload an image tied to their products or services so that searchers can see what they look like. If a searcher does not recognize the logo or picture of the product, they will not be able to identify it and will most likely not click on it. This matters because searchers rely on pictures to make a decision; they need to know exactly what they are looking at.
What about yellow pages and business listings?
The last way to improve local SEO search terms is to have a strong business listing in the yellow pages. The yellow pages contain business listings for all local services, as well as national listings, but many of the entries have no real business listings behind them. To appear on the first page of the yellow pages, a business needs an outstanding description. A business can use the methods above as long as it keeps submitting new content on a regular basis and keeps using the image source and yellow pages.
