SEO Local is a type of search engine optimization designed to help businesses rank higher in Google’s local searches. It employs many of the same factors used for regular SEO as well as things such as Google My Business pages, citations and reviews.
Virtually any business can benefit from local SEO. It allows them to get noticed in Google carousel or map pack search results and expand their business.
Keywords
Keywords are at the core of local SEO; they help search engines recognize your content against specific searches, increasing its visibility in local results. Here are a few things to remember when selecting your keywords:
As a general guideline, when choosing keywords related to your service business’s geographical area it is wise to include location modifiers as these show search engines that you are targeting your desired customers and are providing localized service offerings. Search engines understand this better. By including such keywords search engines can recognize that you are targeting the intended market.
Use free or paid keyword research tools for local SEO keyword research. They’ll give you a list of relevant keywords with their competition levels and estimated traffic volumes; additionally, these tools allow you to see which are being used by competitors – giving you new ideas of keywords to target.
Local citations
Local citations are online mentions of your business that can boost local search engine optimization (SEO). They’re typically found in directories like Yelp or Yellowpages; they also play an essential role in Google Maps ranking and page one Google searches. To effectively optimize these local citations, be sure to provide accurate details including name, address, phone number, website URL etc.
Although citations don’t need to link back to your website, this will increase its value significantly. Furthermore, having all citations with consistent NAP information – something Moz’s local citation finder can verify – will build trust with Google and may increase customer visits or sales. Darren Shaw founded Whitespark in 2005 initially offering website design and development.
Reviews
Local SEO (search engine optimization) is an approach used by businesses to gain visibility on search engines such as Google. Local SEO offers numerous advantages to any business operating within a defined geographical location; however, its use should not be seen as one-size-fits-all solution; rather it’s important for all to comprehend how Google ranks search results before employing this strategy.
Review signals make up 15% of local search ranking factors according to Moz. These signals include quantity and diversity as well as velocity of new reviews.
Monitor and respond to online reviews in order to increase your chances of appearing in the local pack. A listing management tool like ReviewTrackers will make this task easy, keeping track of all of your listings – including those on Google My Business and consumer directories.
On-page optimization
On-page optimization is a core part of local SEO, helping websites rank high in search results. This involves tailoring page-level elements like meta titles and content to align with user search intent as well as including keywords within website metadata that help search engines understand what your site is all about.
Schema markup can also help optimize your site for local searches by making it easier for Google to index it, improving search engine results. Hall Analysis offers a tool that makes adding Schema code easy – check it out now!
As part of your online strategy, it’s vital that all the information about your business is uniform across multiple online platforms – Google Listing, Carousel Listing and local directories such as Yelp should all share consistent data; check for misspellings, address or phone number discrepancies or duplicate listings to increase your chance of appearing in the Carousel and increase customer reviews.
