Local SEO is an essential part of any digital marketing strategy, particularly for businesses with brick-and-mortar locations or those that serve a specific geographic region. It is important to focus on optimizing your business’s website and Google Business Profile (formerly known as a Google My Business Listing) for local search, as well as working to improve the visibility of your brand through content, link-building, and citations.
The first step in improving your local SEO is to make sure you have the most up-to-date information on your business. This includes things like the name, address, and phone number (with area code) for your business. This information should appear on all pages of your website, as well as in the description of your business on your Google Business Profile.
According to Moz, NAP information is one of the most critical ranking factors for local search. This is why it’s so important that this information is consistent across your website and other online sources, such as Yelp and social media.
It’s also important to optimize the keywords that you target in your local SEO strategy. You can use a tool like Semrush to identify the most popular search terms for your business, as well as the ones that are more competitive and will take more work to rank for. Using these words in your content can help you improve your chances of ranking for these terms, so it’s worth taking the time to do this correctly.
A great way to boost your local SEO is to create a blog on your website and publish posts that are relevant to your local audience. You can then promote these blog posts through social media, and you’ll find that they’ll begin to rank higher on Google.
Additionally, if your business has multiple locations, it’s a good idea to create separate pages on your website for each location. This will allow you to include more detailed information about each outpost and avoid conflating contact information between locations. For example, Airbnb created a page for Miami that includes relevant information about the city, such as events and attractions. Another great example is Incfile, a company that offers legal services to solo entrepreneurs, which has dedicated pages for each state it serves.
Finally, it’s a good idea to submit your site to local business directories. These can help you gain a high ranking on Google for your local search results, and they can also provide you with valuable backlinks.
When it comes to improving your local SEO, the more steps you take, the better. By following these tips, you can get your business to the top of Google’s search results and start bringing in more local customers. If you need assistance with your local SEO, you can always reach out to a professional.