Local SEO Marketing – How to Get Your Business Noticed by Local Customers
June 25, 2023
If you want your business to reach local customers, local SEO may help your rank higher on search engines and increase visibility.
Key factors of local SEO include your NAPW (Name, Address, Phone Number) and reviews from consumer directories. Citations links from other sites also play a part.
Keyword Research
Keyword research is an integral component of SEO strategy, but local keyword research is especially vital for service businesses operating in specific locations. Searchers searching for plumbers in “Greater London” might have different intentions than those searching for them in Portland – using local keyword research helps marketers better understand searchers’ intent when looking for clients’ services and develop content to meet them effectively.
When conducting local keyword research, it’s a wise idea to include both implicit and explicit local keywords. Implicit local keywords refer to terms which don’t specifically mention location but can be implied through search context (e.g. “event planner”). Tools like Ubersuggest can assist with discovering relevant keyword suggestions by analyzing competitor terms or Google’s autocomplete feature.
On-Page Optimization
Local SEO refers to the process of optimizing a website and its content so as to rank higher in search engine results for searches with local intent. This can be accomplished through including relevant keywords in content that provides informative yet engaging reading material, as well as making sure that any SEO is completed on an on-page level.
The local SEO algorithm takes into account not only traditional factors like site content and link building but also location-related signals like Google My Business and citations. A crawlable HTML text version of your NAP (name, address, phone number) on your website is essential; furthermore it must remain consistent across citation sources.
Claiming and managing your Google My Business (GMB) profile is another crucial component of local SEO, giving you full control over its information and reviews in search results such as local packs or map results.
Off-Page Optimization
As a local SEO marketer, you must also possess knowledge on how to optimize websites for search engines – this includes on-page optimization which involves revamping website content and HTML code in order to increase its visibility and ranking on SERPs.
Title elements for pages appear prominently in search engine results pages (SERPs). A good title element should be unique and describe its content accurately.
NAP Citations are another crucial on-page element, being mentions of your name, address and phone number online. Google counts them as ranking factors so it’s essential that they remain accurate and consistent – they can be found in business directories, social media profiles or review sites.
Link Building
Backlinks have long been considered an essential factor of traditional SEO; now they play an essential part in local search. By linking from relevant websites, local links can boost the visibility of your site in results pages, leading to more customer inquiries and ultimately sales leads.
Some local link-building strategies to consider when creating local SEO include online business directories and sponsoring local events. Although these kinds of links might not have the strongest domain authority, they’re an efficient and quick way to build up local presence.
Another method for expanding your local link profile is creating a blog and writing articles featuring local topics. While this approach might take more time and energy to complete than simply focusing on local citations alone.
Social Media Marketing
Maintaining up-to-date local listings, reviews, and citations is an integral component of local SEO strategy. Search engines use these details to verify a business as legitimate and provide quality products/services for its customers.
Businesses looking to rank highly in local searches and snack pack results must demonstrate they are the preferred service provider in their service area, by regularly gathering customer feedback through reviews or providing original, relevant website content that highlights services or expertise provided. To do this effectively. businesses should solicit customer reviews regularly as part of this strategy as well as providing relevant on-site content that represents what the company offers and expertise offered.
Keep an eye on rankings using tools like BrightLocal’s Position Tracking feature, which enables you to monitor local keyword rankings at both the ZIP code level and snack pack level – this way you’ll stay ahead of competitors while keeping a pulse on your own performance.