Local SEO is the practice of optimising your online business to attract more business from relevant local searches. 

It is a digital marketing strategy that helps you optimize your website to rank better in search results and reach your local audience. By optimizing for your city and address, you help people find your business online and get them to visit it offline.

Local SEO is ranking in both –

Google Map Pack – They generate 33% of clicks in the Google SERPS and
Organic Local Rankings – They generate 40% of clicks in the Google SERPs .

Thus local SEO means optimizing your website to appear in both of these results. For Example, if you are searching for a plumber in a nearby area, your results might look like this.

Local Map Pack Results

Followed by Local keyword rankings below-

As you can see, most of the results are optimised for locations in the Meta tags. In this article , we will look at how does local SEO work and the right local seo strategy to appear in local search results.

Why is Local SEO Important

Local SEO is important for businesses that have a physical location for their store. In such cases, prospective customers may find their business online by Google search by using keywords specific to locations like

“Dentist near me” or “physiotherapist in kolkata”

That’s why it’s essential for your business to have an effective local SEO strategy so you can ensure your company appears as one of the top results when your audience looks for your products or services online.

Did You Know 

• Near me” searches have increased by more than 500% in the past few years
• 30% of all mobile searches relate to location

How Does Local SEO Work

There are three main factors used by Google to determine the local results for a particular keyword.

1. Proximity – Distance considers how far each potential search result is from the location term used in a search. If a user doesn’t specify a location in their search, Google calculates distance based on what they know about their location.
2. Relevance – Relevance refers to how well a local Business Profile matches what someone is searching for. Add complete and detailed business information to help Google better understand your business and match your profile to relevant searches.
3. Prominence – Prominence refers to how well known a business is. Some places are more prominent in the offline world, and search results try to reflect this in local ranking. For example, famous museums, landmark hotels, or well-known store brands are also likely to be prominent in local search results.

How to Check your Local Pack Rankings

To check your local pack rankings, use google to follow these steps:

1. Determine your target keywords: Identify the main keywords you want to rank for in the local pack results.
2. Perform a local search: Go to Google and search for your target keywords, including the city or region you’re targeting (e.g., “pizza delivery in New York”).
3. Check the local pack results: Look for the local pack, which typically appears at the top of the search results page and includes a map with three local business listings.
4. Note your ranking position: If your business appears in the local pack, take note of its position (1st, 2nd, or 3rd).
5. Check variations of your keywords: Search for variations of your target keywords to see if your rankings change.
6. Use a rank tracking tool: Utilize tools like BrightLocal, Moz Local, or Whitespark to track your local pack rankings over time and monitor changes.
7. Analyze your competitors: Take note of the businesses that consistently appear in the local pack for your target keywords, and analyze their Google My Business profiles, reviews, and other local SEO factors.
8. Monitor your rankings regularly: Keep track of your local pack rankings on a regular basis (e.g., weekly or monthly) to identify improvements or declines in your positioning.
   

SEO Strategy for Local Businesses [Local SEO Tips]

Below we will look at some local Search engine optimization tips to optimize your business for when local customers are trying to find you.

1. Optimize for Google My Business

To improve your local organic ranking on Google, the first thing you need to do is to create a Google business listing for your website. Update your business information, including your name, address, and phone number for better visibility. To maximize your business’s visibility in local listings, you need to ensure that your business information is accurate and complete in Google My Business.

Also Read: 13 Best Google my Business Optimization Tips

2. Engage on Social Media and Add Posts to Google Business Profile

There is even an option to add your social profiles to Google My Business. Simply go to your Google Business profile -> Click on edit profile and under the contact tab , you can update your social media profiles as shown.

Creating a post on Google business profile is simple and straightforward. All that you need to do is

1. Go to your Business Profile. 
2. Select Add Update.
3. Choose the type of post you want to create.
4. In the dialog box, fill in the details.
5. Publish or preview your post.

When you consistently create posts on Google Business profile, your business profile visibility increases on search results for local services.

3. Create Local Citations – Ensure Your NAP is Consistent Online

Citations play a crucial role in local SEO and can significantly impact your business’ online visibility and search engine rankings. A citation is any mention of your business’s name, address, and phone number (NAP) on other websites, directories, or online platforms. These citations act as a digital footprint for your business, signaling to search engines that your business is legitimate and trustworthy.

Building a strong citation profile on reputable websites and directories can help enhance your business’s online reputation and drive more traffic to your website and physical location.

Optimizing your business Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) consistency is crucial for local SEO success. One tip for ensuring NAP consistency is to have a consistent format across all online platforms where your business is listed. This includes your website, social media profiles, local business directories, and review sites. Ensure that your NAP details are accurate and up-to-date on all platforms.

4. Perform a Local SEO Audit

A local SEO audit is an analysis of your local business’ organic (unpaid) visibility in search engine results pages and all the elements that contribute to its performance. This includes your Google Business Profile, website, and online business listings.

This is how you do a local SEO audit step by step and benefit from local SEO

Audit your Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile is your local business listing on Google, appearing in map results on both Google Maps and Google Search. To start your audit, ensure that you have added your business to Google and completed the location verification process.

Once verified, sign into your Google Business Profile and check that your business information is complete and accurate. Consider updating your photos and videos to showcase your business effectively. Respond to any reviews, especially those that violate Google’s guidelines, and answer any questions in the Q&A section.

To identify the search queries your Business Profile ranks for, review the “Searches breakdown” in the “Insights” report. For a more comprehensive analysis, perform local keyword research to determine the best target keywords for your business.

Audit Your Local Business Website

In addition to your Google Business Profile, you want your website to rank high in organic search results when someone enters a relevant keyword. Start by checking your website rankings in Google Search Console, focusing on the “Search results” report to see your keywords and average positions. Keywords ranking in positions 5-15 are generally the best candidates for improvement. Also, check your click-through rate (CTR) to ensure your title tags and meta descriptions are effective.

Also Read: How to Increase Website Conversions Rate 

Audit Your Online Citations

Online listings or citations referring to your business’ name, address, and phone number (NAP) create additional avenues for prospects to find you online. Ensuring that your citations are correct and consistent across directories is crucial, as Google uses this information to verify your Business Profile.

For a comprehensive Local SEO Audit for your website, contact SEONerds [Send us a Message]

5. Local Link Building

Local link building is when you attract links from websites with the same local audience as your own. This could be local publications, blogs, business sites, or directories. 

By building links on locally relevant websites, your website gets in front of people who may actually buy from you. Links from local publications, even if they have lower domain authority, can result in attracting local clients.

Here is how you build local links for your search engine optimisation.

a) Finding local competitors – You can find your local competitors by entering the appropriate location-specific search terms on Google and seeing what results turn up.

b) Checking their backlinks – The next step is to check the backlinks of these competitors from the same location you want to rank for. 

For example –

• Fusion Accountants had links from LondonLovesBusiness, a London-based business publication.

Analyzing the backlink profile of several websites in your area should reveal some local websites you can get links from.

Related: Proven Link Building Techniques to Enhance Client Closing

6. Optimize Your Website for Local Search Rankings

[URL, Title Tags, Headers, Meta Description, and Content]

Every time you write a piece of content, you need to optimize the content for search engines by using high-volume  location specific keywords in the URL, title, header, meta description, and body. 

It is also a good practice to optimize the home page for single-location websites. eg; dental services in bangalore or best physiotherapist in kolkata.

Also Read: 30 Most Effective Ways to Increase Traffic to Your Website 

7. Add Location Pages to Your Website

Adding multiple location landing pages in your website is a good way to communicate to Google about the relevance of the location for the search results.

A local landing page is a web page designed to show people and search engines where businesses operate. It can include details on the service area a business covers, directions to a physical shopfront, and information about the staff and services available at that location.

For example, the following website has optimized well for their local listings by adding multiple location pages in the footer.

8. Perform Local SEO Keyword Research and Write Local Content

Local SEO keyword research involves finding keywords that people search for when looking for local products, services, or amenities in their area. There are 2 types of Local SEO keywords 

• Explicit local keywords that specify a location or include a  term like “near me”
• Implicit local keywords that don’t specify location but still have local intent

The process of local SEO keyword research is simple.

List Solutions that your business provides and the different locations you serve. Use a simple keyword research tool to find a combination of keywords for your location and services your provide.

Example – best physiotherapist in Kolkata

or best restaurant near me

Find a list of such similar keywords using keyword research tools like SEMRUSH and AHREFS and priortize these keywords based on local search metrics. 

Once you’ve identified different local keywords to target, optimize existing website pages for those keywords using on-page SEO best practices. 

For new local content, create pages that meet the searcher’s intent based on the top ranking pages for your target keywords. 

QUICK TIPS:

1)Prioritize optimizing existing pages before creating new ones, as they can generate results faster.

2)Your Google Business Profile is also important local SEO content. Optimize it with local keywords in the business description and choose accurate categories. A complete profile can help rank in the local pack.

9. Perform Schema Markup for Local SEO

Schema markup is a type of structured data that helps search engines better understand the content on your website. By implementing schema markup for local SEO, you can provide search engines with more information about your business, such as your address, phone number, operating hours, and customer reviews. This can help improve your visibility in local search results and attract more potential customers to your website.

Here are some steps to perform schema markup for local SEO:

1. Identify the relevant schema types for your business: There are various schema types that you can use for local businesses, such as LocalBusiness, Restaurant, Hotel, etc. Choose the most appropriate schema type for your business.
   
2. Include essential business information: Ensure that you include all the important information about your business in the schema markup, such as your business name, address, phone number, website URL, operating hours, and geo-coordinates.
   
3. Add customer reviews and ratings: Incorporating customer reviews and ratings in your schema markup can help improve your credibility and attract more customers. You can use the AggregateRating schema type to display your overall rating and the Review schema type to showcase individual customer reviews.
   
4. Use the correct format: Schema markup can be added to your website using different formats like JSON-LD, Microdata, or RDFa. JSON-LD is the recommended format by Google as it is easier to implement and maintain.
   
5. Test your schema markup: After implementing schema markup on your website, it’s essential to test it to ensure that it is working correctly. You can use tools like Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool or Schema.org’s Markup Validator to check for any errors or warnings in your schema markup.
   

By implementing schema markup for local SEO, you can help search engines understand your business better and improve your visibility in local search results. This can lead to increased website traffic, phone calls, and ultimately, more customers for your business.

10. Optimize your Website for Mobile Optimization

Optimizing for mobile means ensuring that your website is easily accessible and navigable on mobile devices. With the majority of local searches happening on smartphones, having a mobile-friendly site is important for local SEO.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to making your site mobile-friendly:

• Responsive Design: Implement a responsive design that adjusts to different screen sizes, maintaining a seamless user experience across devices.
• Optimize Images: Compress images to reduce loading times, ensuring that they render properly without slowing down the site.
• Simplify Navigation: Make navigation straightforward with clear, easily clickable links and a simple menu structure.
• Test User Experience: Regularly test your site on various mobile devices to ensure it appears and functions as intended.

With these 10 local SEO basics, you can easily appear in local seo rankings for your particular business or niche.

Local SEO Tools

Now that we’ve covered how to optimize your business for local SEO, let’s explore some practical tools you can leverage to improve your ranking in the areas where it matters most.

1) Whitespark – Whitespark offers local listing management, recommends where to list your business, examines your competition, and robustly builds and monitors your citation growth for better local search rankings.

2) Screaming Frog – Screaming frog is best for local website audit. It analyses your website from a technical standpoint and helps uncover issues for technical SEO.

3) MOZ Local – Less expensive than most of its counterparts, Moz Local will ensure your business listing has been verified on Google and Facebook and distribute your listing across the search ecosystem.

4) AHREFS – AHREFS is one of the best tools for a local SEO campaign. With AHREFS, you can easily optimize your site for local search terms, perform local backlink analysis and appear in top local business listings.

5) BUZZStream – Buzzstream is a valuable tool for your local SEO efforts because it streamlines the process of building local citations and acquiring backlinks from relevant websites. It easily helps you find local websites and blogs, simplifies the outreach process and helps manage your relationship with local influencers and bloggers.

Need Local SEO Services?

[Improve Your Local Business Visibility with SEONerds]

A local SEO company, like SEONerds, specializes in optimizing a business’s online presence specifically for the local search landscape. This involves tailoring strategies such as Google Business Profile optimization, local keyword targeting, and managing local online directories.

The benefits of partnering with such experts include higher visibility in local search results, attracting more foot traffic, and building local brand awareness.

By understanding the unique dynamics of the local market, a local SEO agency can significantly impact a business’s growth and reputation in its immediate geographical area.

Contact SEONerds for Local SEO for your business today.

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