SEO Local (Search Engine Optimization Local) is a search engine optimization technique designed to help local businesses and service area based companies outrank competitors in the same geographical region. Strategies used include claiming and optimizing Google My Business profiles, adding relevant keywords to website content and constantly acquiring reviews for clients.
To determine whether keyword searches have local intent, examine whether their results include local map packs and/or some local “blue link” results. Once confirmed, target those keywords accordingly.
Keyword Research
Keyword research is an integral component of any SEO strategy and local SEO is especially crucial in this respect. Finding keywords that accurately reflect searcher intent is key here and there are various approaches available for doing this research.
Start by listing all the services your offer and researching relevant keywords. Use an analytics tool to assess what keywords your competitors are using as well.
Monthly searches can provide an indicator of a keyword’s popularity; it’s best to focus on terms with relevant and localized intent to drive qualified traffic towards your website.
Always review local search query reports and update keywords according to evolving search trends or shifts in user intent, to ensure that you prioritize only relevant terms for search.
On-Page Optimization
Have you ever found yourself wondering how some pages manage to appear at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs)? On-page optimization can help. It allows a website’s owners to improve its visibility online by optimizing its pages before submission to search engines for ranking purposes.
On-page optimization involves adapting your website’s content to meet local search intent in order to boost its visibility and search engine rankings. One effective approach for doing this is using relevant keywords throughout its content – in titles and meta tags alike!
Optimize business listings and citations; encourage customer reviews; track competitors online presences to analyze how to best position yourself for Local SEO strategy; keep client reviews coming.
Responding to reviews — both five-star and one-star — is key to showing customers your brand is active and engaged with their needs, giving your website credibility, and increasing search engines’ chances of sending visitors your way.
Google My Business Management
GMB (Google My Business) is an essential element of local SEO strategies, designed to assist businesses that rely on one physical location for their product or service to rank higher on Google Search, Maps and Google+.
Claim and verify your GMB profile immediately; failure to do so could result in suspension of the account. Also important: making sure that company info listed on your GMB matches what’s listed on your website if applicable. For marketing agencies managing multiple clients’ GMB profiles simultaneously, creating separate accounts per client would help to protect all their profiles against one account negatively affecting another one.
An essential aspect of managing GMB is selecting appropriate categories for your business. Google uses these to determine which queries your services are relevant for, making this an essential decision. You can also geotag photos in GMB to increase visibility when related images are searched for online.
Local Citations
Local citations are online mentions of your business name, address and phone number (NAP information), which play a crucial role in local SEO strategies. When multiple platforms list your NAP information consistently it signals to Google that it’s legitimat and easy for searchers to locate.
NAP consistency is of critical importance in local SEO as it enables Google to verify the location of your business. If the NAP data provided to Google differs significantly from that provided to them by you or from another source, Google could mistakenly take that as an indication that your business has closed down or unreliably provided its services, potentially hindering local SEO rankings and harming local SEO rankings.
Citations may not be the primary factor when it comes to local SEO ranking factors, but they do help set you apart from competitors without them and serve as a strong basis for other strategies such as link building, reviews and on-page optimization. According to Moz’s 2018 Local SEO Ranking Factors study, they rank fifth most influential among them all – in response to the Covid-19 pandemic in particular more people are turning to hands-free technology like voice search instead of touching surfaces directly – optimizing citations can ensure visibility when these users search using voice search on their phones – optimising citations will ensure your business appears when using voice search with voice search on phones!