Local SEO is a tactic for promoting your brand or products to local customers and prospects. Search engines gather information about your business that relates to your region to direct local traffic to your site. They utilize signals like local content, citations, social profile information, links, and so forth to determine your preferable targets.
A consumer survey by BrightLocal showed that 27% of consumers searched for a local business every day in 2018. Therefore, you are losing potential customers if you don’t implement hyperlocal marketing. Consider the following local SEO techniques to boost your business.
Optimize for Google My Business
Google My Business (GMB) has become an essential tool for promoting local search. Google is happy to share verifiable content. It has provided GMB to enable your business to meet its search engine requirements. You could earn a sidebar space if Google verifies the authenticity of your business information.
Start by opening and verifying your Google My Business page. Optimize it in these ways:
- Enter your business name accurately and physical address
- Choose the service-area business option if applicable
- Enter your local telephone number
- Key in the URL of your site
- Select the categories that match your business
- Add real photos of your business
- Enter additional information, like hours of operation
Google My Business is a free service. Learn more about it here.
Collect and Monitor Online Reviews
Before contacting you, most prospects will search for reviews of your business. They get a picture of how it is to transact with you.
You can gather them by listing your business with the top review sites, like Yelp, Google My Business, Angie’s List, and Facebook. You may also claim your listing with local review sites and industry-specific platforms. Request for feedback via email and add links to your review pages on your website content enable viewers to comment.
Respond to every comment, whether positive or negative. For satisfied customers, thank them and urge them to visit again. Apologize for bad experiences and reach out to disgruntled reviewers to resolve the matter. They might consider reviewing their remarks.
Optimize Online Directories and Citations
Use data aggregators like My Business Listing Manager, Express Update, and Factual. They offer a ton of map data for Google+ Local, Yelp, Apple, Bing, Trip Advisor, and so forth.
Ensure your citations are complete and consistent throughout all aggregators. Issues like misspellings, missing phone numbers, and inconsistent abbreviations or acronyms can cause problems.
You might not feature in the Google search results if the search engine gets confused about the accuracy of your information. Be keen to remove any duplicate listings of your business.
Optimize Your Content for Local SEO
Your website content is an integral part of business success. Make sure all content is unique, and it supports the topic or theme of the page. Aim for 500 or more local content words per page.
Use hyperlocal keywords on your pages to target potential local buyers. If your business has branches, describe the products or services available at each location.
Maximize on testimonials on local pages. Most important, write the content for humans. It should be easy to read and informative.
Make Your Site Mobile-Friendly and Responsive
Google is the leading search engine, and most of its users use mobile devices to look up the internet. For this reason, Google gives priority to mobile-friendly websites. Hard to navigate pages using mobile devices rank poorly on organic results.
Run the mobile-friendly test by Google to see how your site behaves on mobile devices. If your pages are not satisfactory, update to a responsive design.
The most popular ways of using the mobile environment are reading reviews, looking up contact information, and finding directions. Make it easy for your clients and prospects, or you will lose out on leads and ranking.
Market Yourself on Social Media
Social networks that allow businesses to intermingle with prospects are unlimited. As a business owner, you should emphasize on your customers’ favorites. You can identify such platforms through your interactions with your active clients. Such networks are likely to find you more prospects, giving you a chance to convert them.
Be careful with the time and resources you invest in social networks. Create useful posts, engage in forums, and answer questions related to your business. Increase traffic to your site by leaving your business URL.
Add your best social media posts to your Google My Business account. Shared content can help your business to rank better on Google. As you revamp your GMB page, share it on your social media page to boost your search further.
Bottom Line
Local SEO techniques are continually evolving. As more brands move online, employ the best strategies to have a competitive edge. Businesses without a local SEO strategy will lose to competitors equipped with modern marketing techniques.
The tips we have provided will boost your online presence rapidly and help to grow your business. If you need help developing a local SEO strategy for your business, talk to a professional today.