Local SEO is the process of optimizing a business's online presence to attract more customers from local search results on search engines like Google. It's a way for businesses to increase their visibility in the local search results for the geographic area that they serve.
The goal of local SEO is to improve your business's visibility in the local search results, which can help you attract more customers and drive more traffic to your website. This is especially important for businesses that serve a specific geographic area, such as a local retail store or a service provider like a plumber or electrician.
By optimizing your online presence for local search, you can reach more potential customers and increase your chances of being found when they search for businesses like yours in their local area. This can be a powerful way to grow your business and build a loyal customer base.
Here are some steps you can take to improve your local SEO:
Google Business Profile
Google Business Profile is a free listing that allows businesses to manage how their business appears on Google Maps and in local search results. 86% of people rely on Google Maps to find the location of a business. By claiming and optimizing your Google Business Profile listing, you can improve your local SEO and make it easier for potential customers to find and learn about your business.
With Google Business Profile, you can add important information about your business, such as your address, phone number, hours of operation, and category. You can also use high-quality photos to showcase your business and products and encourage customers to leave reviews.
Google Business Profile is an important tool for local businesses because it allows you to manage your online presence and improve your visibility in the local search results. By claiming and optimizing your Google Business Profile listing, you can attract more customers and drive more traffic to your website.
How to Claim and optimize your Google Business Profile listing?
To claim and optimize your Google Business Profile listing, follow these steps:
Go to https://www.google.com/business/ and click on "Start now" in the top right corner.
Enter your business name and address. If your business is already listed on Google, you will be asked to claim it. If it is not listed, you will be asked to add it.
Follow the prompts to verify your business. This may involve receiving a postcard with a verification code or verifying your business by phone.
Once your business is verified, you can access your Google Business Profile dashboard and begin optimizing your listing.
Add as much information as possible to your listing, including your business hours, contact information, category, and a description of your products or services.
Use high-quality photos of your business and products to make your listing more appealing to potential customers.
Encourage customers to leave reviews on your Google Business Profile listing. Positive reviews can help improve your ranking in the local search results.
By following these steps and regularly updating your Google Business Profile listing, you can improve your local SEO and attract more customers to your business.
Local Keywords
Local keywords are keywords that include a specific location, such as a city, state, or region. These keywords are used to signal to search engines that a business serves a particular geographic area.
For example, if you own a coffee shop in Los Angeles, you might use local keywords like "coffee shop in Los Angeles" or "Los Angeles coffee shop" on your website. This helps search engines understand that your business is located in Los Angeles and serves customers in that area.
Including local keywords on your website is an important part of local SEO because it helps improve your visibility in the local search results. When people search for businesses in their local area, the local keywords on your website can help you rank higher in the search results and attract more customers.
It's important to use local keywords naturally and appropriately on your website, rather than stuffing them in unnaturally. This will help improve the user experience and make it more likely that your website will rank well in the search results.
Include local keywords on your website
To include local keywords on your website, follow these steps:
Determine the local keywords that are most relevant to your business and the geographic area you serve. Consider using a keyword research tool to help identify popular local keywords that you can target.
Incorporate the local keywords into your website's content. This can include using them in the title tags, headings, and throughout the body of the content on your website.
Use the local keywords naturally and appropriately. Don't stuff your website with local keywords; instead, use them in a way that makes sense and improves the user experience.
Include your location in the footer or header of your website. This will help search engines understand that your business serves a specific geographic area and can help improve your local search ranking.
Use local keywords in your meta descriptions. The meta description is the brief summary that appears under the title in the search results. Including local keywords in your meta descriptions can help improve your visibility in the local search results.
By following these steps and regularly updating your website with relevant local keywords, you can improve your local SEO and attract more customers to your business.
Online Directories
Online directories are websites that list businesses in specific categories or industries. These directories can be general, such as Yellow Pages or Yelp, or they can be specific to a particular industry or geographic area. Yelp appears in the top five search results for SMB searches 92% of the time.
Including your business in online directories is an important part of local SEO because it can help improve your visibility in the local search results. When people search for businesses in their local area, the directories that list your business can help you rank higher in the search results and attract more customers.
To get your business listed in online directories, you will need to create a listing for your business on each directory. This typically involves providing information about your business, such as your name, address, phone number, and category. Some directories may also allow you to add photos, a description of your products or services, and customer reviews.
By getting your business listed in online directories, you can improve your local SEO and reach more potential customers in your local area. It's a good idea to regularly update your listings in the directories to ensure that the information is accurate and up to date.
25 best online directories for local SEO
Here are 25 online directories that can help improve your local search engine optimization (SEO):
- Google My Business
- Bing Places for Business
- Yelp
- Yellow Pages
- Apple Maps
- Foursquare
- TripAdvisor
- CitySquares
- Citysearch
- Superpages
- Manta
- Angie's List
- Thumbtack
- Whitepages
- Merchant Circle
- Hotfrog
- Local.com
- Mapquest
- ShowMeLocal
- Brownbook
- LocalStack
- Kudzu
- EZlocal
- Best of the Web Local
- My Local Services
It's important to note that while being listed in these directories can help improve your local SEO, it's also important to focus on other factors that impact your local SEO such as having a well-designed and informative website, obtaining high-quality inbound links, and getting positive online reviews from customers.
Customer Reviews
Positive customer reviews can help improve your local search ranking and make your business more attractive to potential customers. Encourage your customers to leave reviews on your Google My Business listing and other review sites like Yelp.
How to encourage customer to review your business?
There are a few ways to encourage customers to leave reviews of your business:
Make it easy for customers to leave reviews: Provide links to your Google My Business listing and other review sites in emails, on your website, and on social media. You can also include a link to your review page in receipts or on customer feedback forms.
Ask for reviews: Don't be afraid to ask your customers to leave a review. You can do this in person, over the phone, or via email. Just be sure to make it clear that you value their feedback and appreciate their business.
Respond to reviews: When customers leave a review, be sure to respond to it. This shows that you value their feedback and care about their experience. If the review is positive, thank the customer for their business. If the review is negative, apologize for any issues and offer to resolve the problem.
Offer incentives: Consider offering incentives to customers who leave a review. This could be a discount, a free product or service, or entry into a contest. Just be sure to follow any guidelines set by the review site to avoid violating their terms of service.
By following these steps and regularly encouraging customers to leave reviews, you can improve your local SEO and build a strong online reputation. Positive customer reviews can help attract more customers to your business and improve your ranking in the local search results.
Structured Data
Structured data is a standardized format for providing information about a page and classifying the page content. Using structured data can help search engines understand the content on your website and display it more effectively in search results. You can use the Google Structured Data Markup Helper to add structured data to your website.
How to use structured data in your website?
To use structured data on your website, follow these steps:
Choose the type of structured data you want to use: There are several types of structured data, including schema.org, Microdata, and JSON-LD. Choose the one that is most appropriate for your website and the type of content you want to mark up.
Identify the content you want to mark up: Choose the content on your website that you want to mark up with structured data. This could be product information, event information, or other types of content.
Use the Google Structured Data Markup Helper: This tool allows you to mark up the content on your website using a simple interface. Simply select the type of content you want to mark up, enter the URL of the page, and use the tool to highlight the content you want to mark up. The tool will then generate the structured data code for you to add to your website.
Add the structured data code to your website: Copy and paste the code generated by the Structured Data Markup Helper into the appropriate location on your website.
Test your structured data: Use the Google Structured Data Testing Tool to test your structured data and make sure it is working correctly.
By following these steps and regularly using structured data on your website, you can improve your local SEO and make it easier for search engines to understand and display the content on your pages.
Have a Mobile-Friendly Website
A report from Statista indicates that as of 2022, there are 6.64 billion smartphone users in the world. Adhering to Google’s Webmaster Guidelines and creating a great user experience on your website are best practices for SEO in general. It is important to have a mobile-friendly website for local SEO because more and more people are using their mobile devices to search for local businesses, and they expect the websites of these businesses to be easy to use and navigate on their phones.
A mobile-friendly website is one that is optimized for use on a smartphone or tablet, with a design that is easy to read and interact with on a small screen. Having a mobile-friendly website is important for local SEO for several reasons:
- Mobile searches are increasing: More and more people are using their mobile devices to search for local businesses, so businesses need to have a mobile-friendly website to attract these users.
- Mobile-friendliness is a ranking factor: Google uses mobile-friendliness as a ranking factor in the search results, including the local search results. This means that a mobile-friendly website is more likely to rank higher in the local search results than a non-mobile-friendly website.
- Mobile users expect a good user experience: Users expect websites to be easy to use and navigate on their mobile devices, and a mobile-friendly website provides a better user experience.
- Mobile users are more likely to make a purchase: Mobile users are more likely to make a purchase on a mobile-friendly website than on a non-mobile-friendly website.
Overall, having a mobile-friendly website is important for local SEO because it helps improve your ranking in the local search results, attracts more mobile users, provides a better user experience, and can lead to more sales and revenue for your business.
Local Links
A recent study by Ahrefs found that 91% of all pages never get any organic traffic at all — and it’s almost entirely due to a lack of backlinks. Links from other local websites can help improve your local search ranking. Look for opportunities to get listed on local directories and websites related to your industry.
How to use local links?
To use local links to improve your local SEO, follow these steps:
Identify local websites and directories that are relevant to your business: Look for local news websites, chamber of commerce websites, and other websites that are focused on your local area.
Create a list of these websites and directories: Keep track of the websites and directories you find so that you can easily reference them later.
Reach out to the websites and directories: Contact the websites and directories on your list and ask if they would be interested in linking to your website. Be sure to explain why the link would be valuable to their audience.
Offer to write content for the websites and directories: Many websites and directories are always looking for fresh content, so consider offering to write an article or blog post for them in exchange for a link back to your website.
Monitor your local links: Keep track of the local links that you have obtained and regularly check to ensure that they are still active.
Fast-Loading Website
A slow-loading website can hurt your search ranking and drive potential customers away. To reduce your bounce rate and increase visitor engagement, it's essential that your web pages load quickly and seamlessly. Use tools like Google's PageSpeed Insights to test your website's speed and identify areas for improvement.
How to optimize your website for speed?
To optimize your website for speed, follow these steps:
Use a website speed test tool: There are several tools available that can help you measure the speed of your website, such as Google PageSpeed Insights, Pingdom, and GTmetrix. Use one of these tools to test the speed of your website and identify any issues that need to be addressed.
Enable caching: Caching stores frequently accessed website data in the user's browser, so that the data doesn't have to be retrieved from the server each time the user visits the website. Enabling caching can help improve the speed of your website.
Optimize images: Large images can slow down your website, so be sure to optimize them for the web by compressing them and using the appropriate file format.
Minimize the use of third-party scripts: Third-party scripts, such as widgets and analytics tools, can slow down your website. Minimize their use or consider using async or defer attributes to improve the speed of your website.
Use a content delivery network (CDN): A CDN stores copies of your website's static assets (such as images and CSS files) on servers around the world, so that they can be served to users from the server closest to them. This can help reduce the load
Why Local SEO is important?
Here are a few specific reasons why local SEO is important:
Local search is becoming more prevalent: More and more people are using their mobile devices to search for local businesses, so it's important for businesses to have a strong online presence in the local search results.
Local SEO can help you reach potential customers: By optimizing your online presence for local search, you can reach more potential customers who are searching for businesses like yours in their local area. This can be a powerful way to attract new customers and grow your business.
Local SEO can increase your website traffic: A strong local SEO presence can help drive more traffic to your website, which can lead to more leads, sales, and revenue for your business.
Local SEO can improve your overall SEO: In addition to improving your local search visibility, optimizing for local SEO can also help improve your overall SEO. This is because many of the tactics and strategies used for local SEO, such as using structured data and getting listed in online directories, can also help improve your ranking in the general search results.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does local SEO take?
Results technically can happen in as little as 4 to 8 weeks with some minor adjustments if you already have a claimed Google listing, your website has some built in authority and you have the appropriate categories set.
How to find keywords for local SEO?
To find keywords for local SEO, follow these steps:
Start with your business name and location: Begin by identifying your business name and location, as these will likely be important local keywords for your business.
Use a keyword research tool: There are several keyword research tools available that can help you identify local keywords for your business. Some popular options include Google’s Keyword Planner and SEMrush.
Consider the language your customers use: Think about the language that your customers use when searching for businesses like yours. Consider using long-tail keywords, which are more specific and descriptive, as they can be more effective for local SEO.
Include local landmarks and neighborhoods: Consider including local landmarks and neighborhoods in your keywords, as these can be important to potential customers who are searching for businesses in their local area.
Use local modifiers: Local modifiers, such as the name of your city or state, can help signal to search engines that your business serves a particular geographic area.
