Local SEO is an invaluable way to draw new visitors and qualified leads directly to your website, while simultaneously helping your rank higher in search results and outshout the competition.

Local SEO involves optimizing your Google Business Profile, website content and SEO keywords with relevant local terms and promoting your brand on local review sites and social media.

SEO for Local Businesses

No matter if your business serves one geographic location or multiple, local SEO can help optimize your website and connect with a wider local audience. In fact, 81% of consumers rely on Google when researching local businesses.

Employing appropriate keywords, creating localized content and creating citations are all strategies you can use to boost local SEO rankings – but keep in mind that Google still uses traditional ranking factors when considering your rankings.

Your Google My Business profile should also be claimed and optimized, to show Google what your company offers, as it will feed into local pack and map search results as well as helping search engines understand your website, which could result in improved ranking. Plus, responding to reviews gives potential customers trust-building tools.

Local Keywords

Keywords are at the core of local SEO; it allows searchers to locate your services, while attracing those same searchers through queries used in searches, then targeting these terms in page titles, meta descriptions and headings of content pages.

If your business is located in Lexington, for instance, keywords like “bakery shop Lexington” or “best bakery Lexington” could be targeted as keywords to use as part of SEO strategies. You can search Answer the Public or Google Autocomplete to identify relevant local phrases.

Keep an eye on your competitors’ rankings to identify what keywords they’re using – then optimize your website and Google Business profile accordingly – making your brand stand out amongst local competition! It’s an effective way of making sure it stands out!

Local Backlinks

Local backlinks differ from standard links in that they come from sources in your service area. If you operate a plumbing business, for example, local backlinks might come from sites dedicated to home repair, plumbing, or construction projects.

Sponsoring local groups or events can also help build backlinks – it will likely get them featured on websites featuring sponsorships as links from sponsors’ pages.

Grassroot marketing is one of the best ways to establish local links, as it helps establish your brand as an authority within its community. Furthermore, grassroot marketing enables businesses to establish connections with potential customers and nurture leads – with only seven impressions needed before conversion occurs (the so-called marketing “Rule of 7”) making local linking even more essential than ever.

Local Content

Google attempts to provide relevant results when someone searches for an item or service; for instance, when people type a query like [men’s shoes] or [daycare providers], local results will appear both in the Map Pack and organic search results on the left-side of the page.

Optimizing on-page elements like title tags, meta descriptions and URLs is crucial for ranking well in local searches. Generating quality content that answers queries or solves problems also increases visibility.

Reclaiming and optimizing your Google Business Profile listing is key to local SEO. In addition, making sure that all NAP information across platforms remains consistent is also vital; doing this will allow your business to rank well both in organic search results as well as local snack packs.

Local Maps

An integral component of local SEO is listing your business on Google Maps, so customers can see important information like its address, hours of operation and customer reviews.

BrightLocal conducted a study which demonstrated the significance of local SEO with searches for “where to buy” and “near me” increasing by over 200% within two years, underscoring its significance. You can integrate your Google Business Profile into your website for easy map display.

Strategies can help your website rank in organic search, but optimizing its Google Business Profile (GBP) is the primary means of appearing in its Map Pack. This process entails maintaining consistency in your NAP (name, address and phone number), collecting reviews and claiming or optimizing it as soon as possible – Google also considers your citations when ranking websites.