The majority of searches performed on Google are local, which is why businesses should make Local SEO an integral part of their search engine optimization strategy. The benefits of a well-rounded local SEO campaign are plentiful.
Local SEO is the process of optimizing your website and online listings to attract more customers from a specific geographic area. It includes ensuring the accuracy of your business information on Google My Business and other online directories, creating locally-targeted content, and building local citations. Local SEO can also help you rank higher in local search engine results pages (SERPs), increasing your visibility and driving more traffic to your business.
While local SEO is important for all businesses, some industries benefit more from it than others. This is because they have more local competition or they serve a specific geographic market that’s easier to target than a national audience.
Whether you’re a plumbing company that serves the Boston area, a hair salon that focuses on its clients in Providence, or an attorney with multiple offices in Atlanta, all of these businesses can use local SEO to their advantage.
The first step in implementing local SEO is to ensure the accuracy of your business information across all platforms, including your website and social media profiles. Then, optimize your page title tags and meta descriptions with local keywords to improve your search engine visibility.
Next, create locally-targeted content and build local citations to increase your ranking in the SERPs. This includes a blog section on your site that features articles on topics that are relevant to your customers in the local market, such as a list of popular lawn care services in the city or a calendar of events for small businesses. You can also create top-of-the-funnel content that showcases your company, like case studies or testimonials from satisfied clients.
Finally, to further enhance your local search rankings, sign up for Google Search Console (formerly Google My Business). This free tool allows you to monitor and manage your search engine presence, making it easy to identify errors that might be affecting your SEO.
While there are a lot of things you can do to optimize your local SEO, the key is to be consistent. Having the same NAP—name, address, phone number—on your website and directories is essential for ranking well in local searches. It’s important to update these details regularly as changes can impact your online visibility. Using tools such as the Local Search Explorer and Listing Management (a Semrush product) makes it easy to keep your business information up-to-date.