local SEO Tips

Local SEO Marketing Strategies are not well-kept secrets!

Achieving top search rankings is what every business strives for. Unfortunately, the ever-changing world of SEO is still a mystery to many. There are numerous theories about local SEO and its implementation. Many local entrepreneurs choose the trial-and-error tactic and wait to see the desired result.

If your site is not optimized for local SEO, you miss out on many potential customers since four out of five consumers find local businesses through local searches. On the other hand, successful SEO implementation will bring you multiple benefits, such as recurring traffic, new clients, and branding opportunities. Luckily, there are many tricks you can implement immediately and with minimal effort. If you follow our website tips for implementing local SEO, you will see positive results and real progress in no time, no matter your business type.

What is local SEO, and why is it important?

Local SEO is done on your website to increase your business’s visibility in search engine results. Driving organic traffic and improving your conversion rate would be the ultimate goal. It matters to have local SEO for several reasons:

• It helps you generate leads from search engines.
• A one-time investment that helps in generating “free” traffic.
• Build a positive online reputation, improve brand credibility, and gain trust.

However, it would help keep up with the latest changes as local SEO strategies evolve.

Local SEO Implementation – tips and tricks

Set Up GMB (Local Packs)

• Google My Business (GMB) is a free tool local businesses can use to control their online presence across Google. That includes Search and Google Maps. Setting up GMB is essential for local entrepreneurs. On your GMB profile, you can show your business contact details, opening hours for your physical location, and customer reviews. A good GMB profile will increase your chances of being listed for location-based searches.

Have a Consistent NAP

• Have a Consistent NAP – It is essential to have the same information on your website, every local listing, and where your site is mentioned. The information should match your GMB listing. Maintaining a consistent NAP (Name, Address, and Phone Number) shows Google that your business is trustworthy. Bear in mind that Google is just a machine, though. The information you provide must be 100% identical. So, if your company name in the GMB listing ends with “LTD,” it should be the same in every mention.

Improve Website Loading Speed

• Improving website loading speed is one of the most important yet often neglected tips for implementing local SEO. Search engines try to deliver the best results to internet users, considering slow loading speed and poor user experience. You must agree that waiting for pages to load is very frustrating. Most users leave slow websites immediately. Don’t let a slow loading speed ruin all your SEO efforts.

Optimize Content for Local Keywords

• Your local website content will affect your search rankings when your site is searched locally. Local keywords are keywords that are related to your locality. There are two kinds of local keywords – “Near Me” keywords (your type of business + “near me”) and generic location keywords (keywords that contain the name of the location + your type of business). Once you determine the most qualified keywords, the next step is creating content around your chosen keywords. It is recommendable to pick one keyword per page or article and focus on it.

Create Local Pages for Local SEO

• Create similar pages for all the sites where you operate locally. Your local pages should be equal, not the same. If you have multiple locations and your local business operates in different areas, you should have other location-specific pages that target those locations. To create content for these local pages, you should use the main keywords (your business keywords) + locations. If you copy and paste the same content on every local page on your website, you’ll have duplicate content, which is bad for your search rankings.

Start a Blog and improve your Local SEO

• A well-written blog is one of the best additions to your local search content marketing. People and search engines trust experts in their field. Consider starting a blog on your website to show that you are one. Well-structured and well-written content can help websites rank well and keep visitors engaged. In addition to proving your expertise, a good blog will help readers by providing helpful information, driving website traffic, and convincing Google that you are trustworthy. A quality blog post should give how-to knowledge, inform your readers about your business achievements and relevant local news, and then publish on social media sites.

Implement internal links

• Good internal links help spread authority around your site, giving more power to individual pages. They also boost page views and improve time on site, among other things. With the help of internal links to other powerful posts, a post placed on the second or third page of Google can get to the first page. Thanks to internal linking, the entire website will achieve a higher ranking.

Get Customer Reviews

• Despite being underrated, online customer reviews are among local SEO’s most important ranking factors. It is estimated that more than 88% of consumers trust a business with genuine reviews. Therefore, make it a habit to ask customers to leave reviews after receiving your products or services. This is one of the best ways to get legit reviews. An excellent way to encourage people to leave reviews is by offering something free. Moreover, you should politely reply to each review, even when it isn’t favorable. This way, you will show your customers how much you care and are interested in improving your service.

Optimize your site for mobile devices.

• These days, we all browse the internet on mobile devices. Google is starting to prioritize websites that are optimized for mobile devices. Therefore, every business should take this tip for implementing local SEO seriously. Your site should support and adjust to different types and widths of mobile devices.

Local SEO Takeaway

It takes a consistent effort to be prominently placed online, so regularly updating and monitoring local SEO web pages is a must! Besides a small business web design, it is paramount to have a solid SEO campaign. If you feel you lack the time, not know about many of the SEO resources or skills in local SEO, our experts are thorough in SEO Q & A and web design. Call us at (425)-336-0069