Local SEO can be an effective strategy to attract new customers, whether your storefront is physical or service-area-based. It involves properly managing a Google My Business profile, developing trust-building website content that drives traffic, as well as optimizing your site to drive customers in.
Local SEO ranking factors differ from conventional SEO components and include NAP consistency, citations and review signals. Semrush Position Tracking will enable you to track keyword rankings at both ZIP code and local pack levels.
Keyword Research
At the core of local SEO is keyword research. Begin by brainstorming solutions your business provides and then identifying relevant seed keywords (seed keywords). From there, utilize tools like Autosuggest and related search to discover more relevant terms before saving any with local intent – those which trigger the Google Local Pack are particularly effective – so as to narrow your results further down search pages.
Explicit local keywords include spatial terms like “plumber in London.” Implicit local keywords don’t contain geographic terms but still may have local intent such as “drain unblocking.” To effectively rank for such searches, the key to understanding how users search is understanding user intent as well as competition for those terms – there are various tools out there which can assist in doing just this!
On-Page Optimization
No matter the marketing efforts employed for your business, local SEO should always be an essential element in increasing its search value. Local SEO enables your business to attract more in-person foot traffic while simultaneously serving more customers online via its website.
On-page optimization involves improving your website’s content – such as page-specific elements like title tags and meta descriptions – as well as its technical structure.
On-page optimizations are essential components of local SEO strategies and must take account of your target audience’s behavior when being implemented. For instance, if you are a plumber in Seattle, optimizing for NAP should include everything related to that service in terms of optimizations on-page.
On-page SEO is essential to any successful online marketing strategy, but especially critical when targeting local audiences. Google uses local signals like NAP consistency and user reviews to rank businesses in search results; more search engine signals equal greater chances of landing a featured snippet spot!
Google My Business Optimization
Optimizing Google Business Profile is key to any effective SEO Local strategy. It enables businesses to provide vital supplementary information that communicates their services, their quality, and proximity.
Google’s algorithms prioritize search results based on relevance and context, so listing your NAP correctly and including keywords in both your website and Business Profile are essential to being found online. Your Business Profile even comes equipped with its own set of analytical tools such as Insights which allow you to track how well it ranks over time in local searches.
Showcasing photos and updates via a Business Profile has also become a key local SEO signal. Encourage customers to leave reviews on your listing – not only can this inform future consumers, but it may help your ranking! You could use a tool like Screaming Frog to analyze and track citations – another essential factor of local SEO!
Link Building
SEO specialists typically agree that link building is essential to any effective marketing plan; for local businesses in particular.
Link building within your geographical region involves gathering links from other websites within that area to increase search engine visibility and website traffic. Finding high-quality local links may prove challenging, but here are a few strategies that can assist with that task:
An effective strategy for doing so is by creating local content – be it blogs, guest posts, or any other type of writing – which resonates with and engages your target audience. The goal should be creating engaging and beneficial material.
Reaching out to other businesses in your locality and requesting backlinks is another effective strategy for increasing local search visibility. Do this by finding broken links on other websites and reaching out directly with offers to replace it with one linking directly back to you business.
