Local SEO
Introduction
Local search engine optimization (LSEO) is a great way to attract customers who are physically nearby. This form of SEO is especially important for retail businesses and restaurants, since these are often locally-focused businesses. If you have a local business and want to be able to capture more of your local market, then this guide will help you get started with local SEO.
What is local SEO?
Local SEO is the process of optimizing your website for local searches. It’s different than regular SEO because it focuses on search engines that are more relevant to you, such as Google, Bing and Yahoo!
Local search results are different than regular search results. They’re usually more relevant to users’ location and can provide more accurate information about their needs. Plus, local searches tend to be more focused on the user’s location (e.g., “best pizza in my town”).
Why is Local SEO important?
Local SEO is more important than ever. While it’s true that Google has been favoring non-branded keywords in favor of local search engines like Yelp, TripAdvisor and Google+ Local (to name a few), it’s still important to have your business listed on these platforms.
Local Search Engine Optimization helps you get traffic from people who are nearby. Without local search engine optimization, you’re missing out on potential customers who may be interested in what you have to offer but don’t know about it yet!
What are the benefits of local SEO?
Local SEO is a great way to get traffic when people are nearby. When you target your local customers, you’re able to reach your most valuable audience and increase conversions.
Local SEO allows you to target your customers more effectively. Just like any other form of marketing, local SEO can help you better serve the customer by personalizing the experience for them. For example, if someone searches for “best pizza in Los Angeles” on Google Maps and clicks on a restaurant that’s close by their house and offers delivery services, they can order right away instead of having to leave their home or office!
How do you get started with local SEO?
The best way to get started with local SEO is by creating a Google My Business page and filling it out completely. This will make your business appear on the map, which means that people searching for services in your area will be able to find you. Once you’ve created your page and added accurate information about your business, add photos of the interior and exterior of your space as well as any relevant images from previous projects or events.
It’s also important to keep in mind that Google My Business pages are updated frequently by users like yourself, so if there are any inaccuracies within the information provided on other sites (like Yelp), they will likely show up here too—which could hurt its ranking over time!
Google My Business (GMB): The NAP Factor
NAP is the name, address and phone number of your business. You should be consistent across all your local listings, which makes it easier for customers to find you on different platforms.
The importance of consistency comes into play here as well. If one listing has a different phone number or email address than another, it may not be taken seriously by Google or other search engines as a legitimate business entity. This can be costly if you have several listings with inconsistent information because you run the risk of having one or more removed from SERPs altogether.
Additionally, consistency will allow Google (and Bing) to easily detect that the same business exists across multiple platforms and websites—which makes sense if they’re trying to verify whether they’ve found a legitimate company or an imposter pretending to be one! Consistency helps build trust between businesses and customers alike by providing consistent contact information that can be used for verification purposes like placing orders over the phone or purchasing products online via e-commerce platforms like Shopify (the most popular).
Google My Business (GMB): Keywords and Category
- Choose the right keywords and categories.
- Make sure your business is listed in the right category.
- Make sure the categories you choose are relevant to your business.
- Make sure the keywords you choose are relevant to your business.
Google My Business (GMB): Images, Questions & Answers, Posts
You can use Google My Business to add images of your company, answer questions from customers, and post news and updates. These actions will help you build trust with customers in your area.
- Images: Adding photos of your business will help customers see exactly what it is that you do.
- Questions and Answers: Questions are answered on GMB in the Questions & Answer section, which appears when people search for local businesses on Google Search or Maps. You’ll be able to respond to common questions like “What time does [business] close?” or “Does [business] accept credit cards?”
- Posts: Posts are available only on mobile devices with the Google My Business app installed at this time; they let you share news regarding events at your business or other relevant information with nearby users who may be interested in what’s happening at your establishment.
Optimize your website content to be more relevant to local search queries
It’s important to optimize your website content so that it’s relevant to local search queries. To do this, you’ll need to use the keyword planner from Google and find out what people are searching for in your area. You can also use other tools like SEMrush that provide suggestions based on keyword research.
When optimizing your site for local search, it’s important that you’re using keywords in a way that makes sense for users and prospective customers. It’s also important to ensure that your site is optimized for mobile devices and can be viewed easily by those searching on their smartphones or tablets. Another thing you should consider when optimizing your website content is including local information or news updates about events happening in your community within the text of each page (as well as meta data).
Get quality backlinks to your website.
To get your website to the top of Google’s search results, you need a good backlink strategy. Backlinks are hyperlinks that point to your website from other websites. By increasing the number of high-quality backlinks pointing to your site, you can help boost its ranking in local search results and increase traffic from relevant searches.
The best backlinks to get are those from local business websites and directories, as well as news sites and blogs with a readership in your industry or area of expertise. You can also use social media sites like LinkedIn or Facebook as a way to increase the reach of your content while building up authority around the topic on which it focuses.
Local search engine optimization is a great way to get traffic when people are nearby.
There are many benefits to local SEO. The first is that it’s more effective than other forms of search engine optimization (SEO) because it’s targeted. With local SEO, you can target people who are looking for businesses in your area and boost their chances of finding yours. This can be done through a combination of paid advertising on the internet and organic search engine optimization. They’re also likely to spend more money on your products or services by comparison with someone from another state or country far away from you, who may not have even thought about visiting your website before they came across it in their search results!
Local SEO isn’t just good for businesses, though: if you’re searching for something nearby, then chances are that anyone else looking for the same thing will be interested in seeing listings for companies located close by too! As such, there should be plenty of revenue potential here as well – especially if everyone keeps coming back again and again over time.”
Conclusion
When you’re trying to get more visitors to your website, local SEO can be a great way to increase your visibility. By focusing on keywords and phrases that people are likely to use when searching for businesses in their area, you’ll be able to rank higher on Google Maps and Bing Maps.
