We know that the world of SEO is constantly changing and that the local SEO tactics you use today will most likely not have the same impact a year from now. However, some local SEO tactics are still relevant and effective. Below are some best practices for local SEO success.
When you have a business, you choose a physical location that makes it easy for local customers to access and engage with you. Similarly, when it comes to your online presence, you need to focus on actions that will drive local traffic and create more engagement with customers who will actually buy your products or services.
There is no point in creating elaborate marketing campaigns that draw traffic from far and wide without being able to reach local customers who are more likely to contact and engage with your business. If you want to get more local traffic and boost conversion rates, local SEO is the best weapon you have in your arsenal.
Local SEO is an effective way to target and drive traffic to your business through search engines. As a business with an online presence, you can optimize your SEO and drive the traffic you need to your locality. In this article, you'll find some local SEO tactics for local SEO optimization and success:
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Ensure NAP Consistency
The name, address, and phone number (NAP) must be consistent across the board for search engines to display your business in search results. You'll also need to be mindful of updating NAP information on social media pages and other platforms. If your company name has specific attributes, such as Inc, Ltd, Co, or LLC, include them in all directory entries.
Inconsistent NAP information is a source of frustration for your customers, who view your business as unreliable and untrustworthy. Also, search engines interpret inconsistency as unreliability, which negatively impacts your rankings. Pay attention to the small details of your phone numbers, address, suite numbers, door number, and anything else that allows customers to find and contact your business.
It is best to base your NAP information on what you have posted on your website. Moz Local search is a great tool for updating and improving NAP consistency. You can start by creating and optimizing the Google My Business (GMB) account, as discussed below.
Create A Google My Business Account
Local SEO is all about making sure customers can find your business when they search for products or services in your niche and location. The best way to do this is to create and optimize a Google My Business (GMB) account to start getting local leads.
Today, having an optimized GMB account is equivalent to being listed in the yellow pages of traditional directories. It helps boost your online visibility by making it easy for potential customers to find you. It also allows your business to appear in listings where it would not otherwise appear. So, make sure you fill in all the necessary information in your GMB account and make sure it's all correct and up-to-date. You can also use the services of SEO agencies, such as Digital Sisco, and other reputable agencies you can find.
Keep in mind that Google's local SEO rankings depend on distance, relevance, prominence, and other factors. Here's how you can optimize your GMB account for local SEO success:
- Be sure to verify your business after creating a GMB account.
- Use accurate and up-to-date business information
- Include essential information, such as products or services, hours of operation, company logo, and images.
- Use the GMB dashboard to post messages, such as events, offers, promotions, or new products.
Base Your Content On Local Events and News
Generating quality content is crucial in any SEO strategy. Whether you're trying to promote a branded podcast, SaaS services, or an eCommerce store, content is key to local SEO success. However, nothing beats creating content that relates to the local audience and is able to grab their attention. In other words, speak directly to local targets. By doing so, you will have a positive impact on your local search rankings.
Here are some of the ways to optimize your content for local rankings:
- Start creating content relevant to locals, such as local charities, activities, events, and news.
- If your company has locations in different regions, be sure to set up specific pages optimized for locals.
- Use video content for the causes your company supports locally.
- If your company is located in different regions, be sure to geotag images to ensure they rank in each location.
Connecting with locals through content is a great way to attract and retain attention and traffic to your website. Also, make sure your keywords are relevant to your local target audience. You can use Google Keyword Planner to get keywords based on local searches for a particular niche. Place these keywords in your website meta content, URLs, titles, and main content.
Enable Voice Search Optimization
In addition to users typing search queries, voice search is also taking shape and is expected to continue to grow in the coming years. Therefore, it's essential that you keep up with the trend and automate your local SEO to match the way users are searching.
Notably, the main characteristic of voice searches is the general preference, as well as the use of long-tail keywords than in a regular search. This means changing your content SEO strategy to make it more conversational. Also, when optimizing your voice search for local SEO, the other thing to keep in mind is the user intent. This is because voice searches are more specific and users are mainly looking for particular information. You will need to answer all the common questions: how, when, who, what, where, and why. Needless to say, voice searches have a sense of urgency, which means they require useful but quick answers.
Request For User Reviews
Reviews of your brand, products, or services are essential. They give potential users an idea of what they'll encounter when they come to you. But on top of that, they're good for local SEO and allow your listings to stand out because of the people who vouch for you. So, ask your customers to write great reviews about your business.
Reviews also encourage other local users to take an interest in your business. One study showed that 79% of customers view online reviews in the same way as personal recommendations. Reviews also give your business social proof. When potential customers see a five-star review, they consider your business to be highly recommended.
Ultimately, good reviews benefit you in three key conversion elements: click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate optimization (CRO), and high ranking. Here are some tips for optimizing and leveraging user reviews:
- Ask for customer reviews when you make a sale
- Send a post-purchase communication asking for customer evaluation and reviews. To be successful with this approach, screen your customers and find the most appropriate candidates to avoid sending this communication to disgruntled customers who have nothing good to say about your interactions.
Respond to comments, concerns, and complaints in a calm and professional manner, especially unfavorable comments. Thank critics when they are about your business.
Optimize Your Website For Mobile Devices
Numerous studies suggest that optimizing your website for mobile search is beneficial for your local SEO success. In fact, it has been shown that 76% of local searchers visit a business within a day of searching. Most searches are conducted from mobile devices. Mobile device use is also growing rapidly.
Mobile searches are primarily action-oriented rather than casual browsing. If you haven't yet optimized your website for mobile devices, you risk losing a considerable amount of traffic and actionable leads. Here are the things to keep in mind when creating a mobile-friendly website:
- Faster loading times - users consider anything longer than three seconds to be slow.
- Larger, easy-to-read fonts
- Appropriately sized buttons
- Intuitive, bug-free user interface for a great mobile experience.
- Sparse use of images
You can always check if your website is mobile-friendly. Use the mobile-friendly test tool provided by Google to make sure.
Conduct A Local SEO Audit
Finally, the best way to find out what areas are hindering your local SEO success is to conduct an audit. SEO and search engine ranking position requirements change over time, so your local SEO tactics need to change as well. Instead of making small changes here and there and trying to figure out what can work, do a full audit of your website.
This is how you will identify everything you need to change to make your local SEO tactics successful. You can start your local SEO audit in the following areas.
- Google Search Console: To check if your website is crawlable and if it has errors that prevent good indexing.
- Google My Business: This is to check and verify that the information about your business is correct and that what appears on the search engine results pages (SERP) is an accurate representation.
- On-Page SEO: Check to see if you have optimized the on-page SEO elements to improve rankings.
- Website: Examine the performance of your website, including navigability, accessibility, responsiveness, load speed, and Web Core Vitals.
Takeaway
It's important to keep an eye on local SEO optimization at all times. By implementing these local SEO tactics, you'll not only be better prepared to reap the benefits of local search, but you'll also be laying the groundwork for future SEO improvements. If you don't have the time or resources to implement these changes, you may want to consider hiring an SEO agency to help you.
FAQs About Local SEO Success
Is local SEO still relevant?
61% of consumers reported in a recent local search survey that they conduct local searches every day. A recent local search survey found that 82% of consumers read online reviews of businesses during a local search and spend nearly 14 minutes before making a decision.
What makes an SEO campaign successful?
An SEO campaign starts with setting specific measurable goals and finding the right keywords or topics to target with your content. Once you have this information in hand, the next step is to create the content, optimize it for SEO and publish it.
Is local SEO paid?
For a one-time project focused on analysis, research, cleanup, and local SEO optimization, the average price for a local SEO project ranges from $300 to $1,500, with an average price of about $750.
Who needs local SEO?
Any business with a local target market can benefit from local SEO; however, there are certain types of businesses for which local SEO can really work wonders. Here's a look at six of them:
- Medical services
- Law offices
- Bars and restaurants
- Plumbers
- Pet services
- Real estate
How much does local SEO cost per month?
Typical local SEO campaigns cost between $300 and $2,000 per month, depending on your business needs, competition, and location.
