Local SEO Boosts Your Online Visibility and Brings in New Customers
Local SEO is an excellent way to increase your online visibility and attract new customers. It also helps you stay competitive against local competitors by placing you ahead of their local rankings.
Local SEO success requires targeting search terms that matter to both your business and its surrounding community. This can be accomplished through keyword research, content creation for local optimization, and link building efforts.
Keyword research
Keyword research is an integral component of any successful SEO campaign, and localized optimization requires it even more as many consumers turn to their mobile devices to find services nearby. According to Think With Google, 88% of those who search for local businesses on a smartphone call or visit within 24 hours after finding them (Turn on your lights!).
If your business isn’t taking advantage of Local SEO keywords, you could be missing out on valuable traffic. Local SEO helps your site rank higher in local search results and increases the visibility to potential customers.
Before beginning keyword research, it is essential to understand who your target audience is and what they are searching for. Doing this will enable you to identify and prioritize the most pertinent terms.
Once you’ve identified your seed keywords, plug them into free and paid keyword research tools to gain insight into factors like search volume, keyword difficulty, SERP analysis, etc. Your ultimate objective should be to find keywords that drive relevant traffic to your website and result in conversions.
On-page optimization
One of the most crucial elements in local SEO is on-page optimization. This includes tweaking your title tags, URLs, and ALT tags.
Delivering useful, relevant content to searchers is another essential element of on-page local SEO. Building a library of high-quality, authoritative, and trustworthy material can drive more organic traffic and draw in more local consumers.
Building a network of citations, which include mentions in online directories, is an effective way to boost your local SEO. These listings can lead to backlinks that will boost the ranking for your business in Google’s organic and map pack results.
On-page optimization can be a challenging and complex process, but with the right tools you can get the most out of your website. These programs enable you to assess keywords, links, content and other elements that influence SEO performance; they also offer suggestions on what needs improving and how.
Off-page optimization
Off-page optimization (OPE) refers to all actions you can take outside your website in order to boost its ranking on search engine result pages (SERPs). This includes link building, mentions on other websites and social media marketing.
Receiving backlinks from other websites or sources that are reliable and trustworthy is one of the most crucial off-page SEO tactics. It conveys to search engines that your website is of high quality, showing them it can be a valuable resource for their readers.
Another off-page SEO strategy requires verifying your business’ name, address and phone number (NAP) are accurate on Google Maps, Apple Maps and other local listings. This includes making sure the NAP matches up with what appears on your website as well as in Yellow Pages listings.
If you want your business to appear on Google Maps, for instance, make sure that you maintain a Google My Business page that is regularly updated with contact info, hours of operation and product or service modifications. Furthermore, adding a Google Maps widget to your site can help showcase both your NAP (North American Positioning System) and business information.
Link building
Link building is an integral component of any SEO strategy, but local link building is particularly effective at increasing your rankings for relevant search terms. This approach emphasizes reaching those who need your service or product rather than simply targeting all internet users worldwide.
Building quality backlinks requires creating content that is engaging, informative and pertinent. Doing this will drive more traffic, leads and sales for your business.
One strategy is to build local reviews by encouraging customers to post their experiences with your company on online forums or websites. Not only does this generate more traffic, but it can also help boost conversion rates.
Another strategy to build local links is offering sponsorships and scholarships to organizations and groups in your area. Doing so will not only boost your local link profile but may even result in press coverage.