Whether you have a brick-and-mortar store or a service area business, local SEO can help your company get more customers. By optimizing your website and online listings, you can improve your search engine rankings on a local level, making it easier for potential customers to find your business. And that’s a big deal because research shows that 80% of local searches convert into sales, meaning those are customers ready to buy.
But unlike traditional SEO, which focuses on website content and backlinks, local SEO techniques focus on signals that optimize your business’ digital footprint in the local search ecosystem. This includes things like Google My Business, local citations, and review signals.
As a result, there are many different factors that go into optimizing your site for local search engines. But the most important thing to remember is that you need to be consistent. You need to keep your listings and online content up-to-date so that search engines can continually verify your information. And you need to create relevant and informative content that answers the questions your potential customers are asking.
Another important aspect of local SEO is understanding your audience and how they use search engines. For example, some people may type in “my city” when looking for a specific restaurant or service, while others might use more specific terms such as neighborhood names. It’s also important to know that a lot of local searches are made on mobile devices, so make sure your website is optimized for mobile.
While some marketers go overboard when implementing local SEO, most simply need to optimize their site and online listings. This means using the right keywords and keeping them in place throughout your online content, including your page titles, headings, meta descriptions, and image alt tags. Many local SEO experts will avoid keyword stuffing because it can be seen as spammy, and search engines have been known to devalue websites that use this technique.
It’s also a good idea to make sure your business is listed on the most popular local search engines and review sites, such as Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Google Business Profile. These listings and reviews can help you reach a wider range of local searchers and build up your backlink profile, which is another important signal for SEO.
Finally, it’s important to know that local SEO is constantly changing and improving, so you need to stay up-to-date on the latest best practices. This way, you can make the most of your local SEO efforts and continue to drive incremental performance year after year.