Local SEO utilizes various techniques to enhance business visibility and increase traffic, including keyword research, creating content designed for both search engines and human visitors, and improving local SEO metrics.
Local SEO relies on many of the same ranking factors as general SEO, such as relevant keywords and mobile-friendliness, with additional considerations like relevance, distance, and prominence being taken into account.
Keywords
Keywords are at the core of local search marketing, and essential for drawing in potential customers. You can target explicit or implicit local keywords, such as “plumber in [city], or even more generic ones like “drain unblocking.”
When selecting local keywords, it’s essential to keep in mind the intent of searchers. If someone searches for something they are likely ready to purchase and thus ready for conversion.
Ubersuggest, Google Keyword Planner and SERPStat can all help you identify keywords best suited for your business. Moreover, spy on competitors’ keywords to see which are working well; and take note of any suggestions Google autocomplete offers when typing a word into Google itself; alternatively you could enter their URL and observe how their website ranks for certain terms so as to optimize your own website accordingly.
NAP
Correct and consistent NAPs (name, address and phone number) are an integral component of local SEO. These details appear on business directories like Google My Business and Yelp as well as being listed prominently on your website’s header or footer. NAPs also make submission to local directories easier as well as social media platforms.
Note that although NAP consistency is an important ranking factor, it doesn’t give your business any competitive edge over others. Furthermore, some paid services claim to improve NAP consistency and rankings without providing evidence in support of such claims.
Schema markup can help enhance your NAP by displaying it as rich snippets on search engines – this will allow customers to quickly find you online and connect quickly. Furthermore, keeping an archive of all NAPs will ensure a quick transition should your name or number change in future.
Reviews
Local SEO can be an extremely effective marketing strategy that can greatly increase the visibility and growth of your business. Furthermore, it is an affordable alternative to paid ads; providing long-term results while complementing other strategies effectively.
Local search engine optimization combines technical nuances with creative approaches to rank businesses locally on Google search results pages. Its goal is to demonstrate to Google that your business is the most relevant result in its area. Trust building and increasing prominence are the cornerstones of success here.
Reviews are an integral component of local SEO, and having a healthy mix of positive and negative reviews is a necessity for success. According to Moz, review signals (review quantity, diversity, velocity) make up 15% of a business’s local pack ranking; responding to all reviews whether positive or negative helps increase user experience while strengthening Google’s evaluation of your business.
Citations
Citations is the practice of placing mentions of your business online that contain its name, address and phone number. They play an integral part of local SEO by helping Google verify that you’re located where you claim you are. Citations should appear mostly in business directories and social media platforms but could appear elsewhere such as blog posts and reviews as well.
Importantly, search engines trust websites which include NAP information. When your business receives a citation on one that ranks highly for any given query, this could improve its search engine rankings for that query, making your business more visible to potential customers and increasing credibility and authority among searchers who tend to trust companies with multiple reputable website verifiers.