When you’re searching for a local business or service, where do you turn?
More than likely you grab your phone or open your laptop and rely on a search engine to fire back a plethora of results within a few seconds. Let’s face it: with the internet, searching is a breeze.
But have you ever wondered how businesses get featured on search engines like Google and Bing? To appear high on the list of a search engine results page (SERP), your content marketing strategy needs just the right combination of keywords, high-quality content, backlinks, algorithm insight, crawling patterns, and eye of newt. (I’m kidding about the eye of newt 😉). You can increase your chances of ranking high if you also add local SEO to your strategy.
Imagine being the first result on Google. It’s possible if you implement a few local SEO tips.
In this article, you’ll find three tips that will immediately improve your local SEO and push your webpage toward the top of Google’s rankings. But first, let me briefly explain what local SEO is and why it’s so vitally important to locally-based businesses.
What is local SEO?
According to SEOHacker.com, “Local SEO is the process of optimizing a website to rank for keywords in a specific geographical location. Businesses that have a physical location or serve a specific area will benefit greatly from local SEO.” It’s a strategy that Google and other search engines implemented around 2004. Its purpose was to improve results for searches that had a “geographic intent” (like restaurants, electricians, and real estate agents), making it easier for small and midsize businesses to compete more effectively on a local level with bigger national companies.
A quick example will help you understand this benefit and the value of adding local SEO to your online strategy.
A local SEO strategy will help ensure clients, customers, and patrons find your business when they’re looking for a business “near me.”
Let’s say you live in Philadelphia and are searching online for a bar to hand out with friends that night. You wouldn’t want a bar in San Francisco to appear in the SERP. Similarly, if a potential homebuyer is searching for “real estate agents in the Philadelphia metro area,” and you fit the bill, then incorporating local SEO will help to position you directly in front of this prospective client (and ahead of your competition).
Why does local SEO matter?
According to Milestone Research, between January 2020 and July 2021, traffic for location-based businesses had increased from 19.2% to 28.8%. (That’s a 52% increase!) If you’re not ranking for these local searches, you’re missing out on numerous opportunities.
Local SEO allows you to be the local business that gets the clicks.
Additionally, because local SEO emphasizes the geographic proximity of the searcher, you’re only competing for position with other similar businesses within your local area. If you relied solely on organic SEO, you’d be competing nationwide. A local SEO strategy will give you more visibility on a SERP, and because people will use businesses closer to home, local clicks are more likely to convert.
Use local SEO to increase brand awareness
1. Create a Google Business Page
A Google Business Page is an easy way to get your information in front of local searchers. Business Pages act as mini directory listings, and your information—phone number, address, and website—is displayed when someone searches for your business. In addition, a Business Page provides a platform for previous clients to leave reviews—which are coveted for both your business and for Google, alike. In fact, Google aims to display the most relevant and trusted reviews for all search terms. Meaning if your business listing includes an array of positive reviews, there’s a greater chance that you’ll show up for local searchers.
2. Have high-quality content on your website
Ah, Google’s algorithm—has there ever been a more confounding mystery? One of the few things we know for sure is that whenever Google updates their algorithm, they continue to add more signals that scan the content on your website. This means your website’s content (i.e., blog) plays a significant role in how high your Google Business Page will rank within a particular search result. Google deems websites that have long-form content more valuable, presuming that the topic is covered in-depth and searchers’ are more likely to find answers to their questions.
3. Double check your contact information
Your contact information—name, address, and phone number—on your website should be accurate and listed in text form, not as an image. This seemingly simple detail can oftentimes be overlooked, and it ends up negatively affecting your local SEO. Google compares your website’s contact information to what is listed on your Business Page. If the two don’t display the same information, your search rankings could suffer. Take a moment to ensure that your website and profile are consistent.
At the end of the day, you’re an agent that services a specific geographic region, and if you give attention to your local SEO strategy, you’ll give your online marketing efforts a valuable boost.
