SEO, or search engine optimization, is a key consideration for any business looking to grow its online presence. By optimizing your website and improving your rankings in search results, you can reach more potential customers and generate more leads. However, while many businesses focus on conventional SEO techniques like keyword optimization and backlinking, there is another approach that is growing in popularity: local SEO.
What is SEO?
Before we dive into local SEO, let’s define conventional SEO.
SEO, or search engine optimization, is the practice of using various strategies and tactics to improve the visibility of a website in search engine results. This is what helps your website show up on Google as a search result.
For smaller businesses and start-ups wanting to grow their online presence, SEO is essential. It allows you to reach more potential customers and generate greater sales.
What is Local SEO?
So what is local SEO? Simply put, it’s optimizing your website for local search results. This can be a great strategy for small businesses that want to get more visibility in their local community. You’re targeting a smaller, more defined group of people who are already interested in what you’re offering.
Unlike conventional SEO, which uses broad keywords to target a wide audience online, local SEO focuses on using location-specific keywords that are tied to certain geographic areas. This makes it ideal for small businesses that want to drive traffic to their physical stores or locations.
For example, if you run a restaurant in Boston, you might use local SEO strategies to boost your visibility in the area. With local SEO, your goal is to attract local customers. Customers who are searching for restaurants nearby, not people searching for any restaurant anywhere.
Why is Local SEO Important?
There are many reasons why small businesses should focus on local SEO. Here are three of the most important ones:
Increased Visibility
When you rank high in local search results, you get more visibility with the right people. People local to you and your business are more likely to engage with you than those searching nationally.
When you compete for national or global search results, you’re competing with a much larger pool. It can be easier to rank quicker with a local SEO strategy.
Greater Engagement
People looking for a business or service in their area are more likely to engage with a business that is locally optimized. Optimization makes it clear where you’re located and tells your local customers, “I’m the business for you.“
Even if your business exists in multiple locales, you can optimize locally in each of them. This can be much more effective than leaving your location generic.
Increased ROI
Local SEO is often more effective and efficient than national SEO campaigns. This is because keywords that focus on local searches may rank quicker, allowing them to generate clicks sooner than conventional SEO.
9 Things You Can to Improve Your Local SEO Today
Conduct an SEO audit
Conducting an SEO audit is the first step in improving your local SEO. It can help you identify areas of your website that need updates or improvements before it ranks. An SEO audit will analyze factors like page load time, site structure, metadata, keyword usage, and content quality. Once you have a clear picture of where your site currently stands, you can work on making the adjustments to boost your ranking.
Optimize your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile (previously called Google My Business) is one of the most important factors for local SEO. This online directory includes essential information like your business name, address, phone number, hours of operation, photos, and more. It’s how you can tell Google all about your business so that Google knows how to present it to searchers.
To maximize its impact on search results, make sure that all of this information is accurate and up-to-date. You should also encourage customers and clients to leave positive reviews for your business on Google and other review sites like Yelp and Facebook.
Streamline your on-page SEO elements
Besides optimizing your Google Business Profile, you should also take steps to improve various other aspects of on-page SEO across all relevant pages on your website.
For example, make sure your page title, META description, photos/ALT text, etc., mention your city or local area by name.
Optimize your content for local keywords
To rank higher in local results, it helps to optimize your website and blog posts for local keywords related to your business or industry.
This can include things like adding the name (or nickname) of your city, state, or neighborhood to page titles, using local business directories, or including geo-specific information in blog posts and social media updates. For example, “Austin’s Favorite Dentist: Why the Lone Star State Chooses Bayview Dental.”
Build quality backlinks from authoritative sources
One of the key factors that search engines consider when ranking websites is the number of high-quality backlinks that a site has to its name. In a nutshell, this means someone has linked to your website from theirs. This is a sign of credibility for Google.
To build up more authoritative links, you can start by reaching out to key influencers in your field and suggesting that they write a guest post on your site – or even invite them to contribute their own blog post if they already have one. You can also create content that others would be likely to share and link back to, such as informative guides, industry news, or changes to relevant laws, to name a few examples.
Get reviews from happy customers
Another way to improve your local SEO is to get regular reviews from happy customers. Good reviews can help attract new customers and improve your business’ visibility online. You can ask customers to leave reviews on your website, on local directories, or on review sites like Yelp or Facebook.
Optimize for voice
Another way to improve your local SEO is to optimize for voice search. More and more people are using voice assistants like Siri, Google Home, and Alexa to search for local businesses.
To optimize for voice search, make sure your business’s name, address, and phone number are easy to find on your website.
Create local content
You should also create content that includes local news stories or events. This will help you attract visitors who are interested in what’s happening in your area.
You should keep this content relevant to your business. For example, don’t report on the new school in your city if you sell haircuts (unless it’s somehow relevant). Instead, talk about what’s happening locally in your industry.
Optimize for mobile
Finally, make sure your website is optimized for mobile devices. More and more people are using their smartphones to search for local businesses, especially on the go.
Searches on mobile for “businesses near me” have gone up 137% year-over-year. A focus on local SEO will help you appear as a local result.
To ensure that your website is mobile-friendly, use responsive design and large fonts. This will ensure your pages are easy to read on small screens.
SHow Do You Get Your Website to Show on Google?
Some of the key tactics involved in SEO include developing high-quality content that is optimized for specific keywords, creating strong backlinks from other websites, and ensuring that your site architecture is appealing to both search engines and users.
By incorporating these and other best practices into your online marketing strategy, you can help ensure that your small business will have a presence on the web and thrive in today’s highly competitive digital landscape.
Closing Thoughts on Local SEO
Ultimately, as small businesses like yours think about sustainable long-term sales, you should also start considering the role of various digital marketing tactics like local SEO. While conventional SEO may be appropriate for larger enterprises with hefty marketing budgets and resources, smaller businesses will likely benefit from adopting a more targeted approach like local SEO.
If you’re a small business owner looking for help to get started, let’s connect.
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