Things You Can Do to Improve Your Local SEO Rank

Local SEO is quite different from typical SEO endeavors. To be successful in local SEO, you have to emphasize several geo-oriented factors but also work on ‘traditional’ SEO factors with your location(s) in mind. Here are some critical local SEO tips that will boost your local SEO rank if you implement them properly:

1. Register your location on Google Business Profile

Local registration on Google Business Profile is crucial if you have a brick-and-mortar store. This local SEO service is free, and if you engage users on your Google Business Profile, you’re 50% more likely to drive them to your website.

To access it, you must register and create a full profile (address, phone number, URL, description, hours of operation, and images). You will also need to pick one or more service categories that best represent your business. Your entry will appear on the map after it has been verified by postcard or phone.

If you don’t already have one, set up a landing page to guide your potential customers to. It should include local info about the serviced location and the NAP in the footer (name, address, phone number.) These details need to coincide with the ones in the Google Business Profile listing.

Ensure that your listing leads to a responsive webpage, as many local queries are performed on mobile devices.

Choosing the right categories for your Google Business Profile is crucial for attracting the right customers. This ensures that your business appears in relevant searches, connecting you with potential customers actively looking for what you provide.

Last but not least, reviews are vital to your position in the local list of results. You can ask for them after checkout or set up email capture on your site and contact customers to get online feedback. Whatever you do, you need those reviews.

We have created a unique, easy-to-use system that allows you to streamline this process and get you reviews on multiple sites. Sign up now and get the first month free at getbrightreviews.com 

2. Structured citations

Include your site on business directories such as Yelp, Thumbtack, Yellow Pages, etc. If you are taking over the business, you can check where it’s listed using the Moz Local tool.

Moz also offers a service that will post your business in 5 main aggregators that Google uses when displaying local search results. They have a small fee, but it’s recurring, at $9 per month. Bright Local offers 1600 directory listings, but it’s a lot pricier at $3 per listing.

Yext is another big player in this market, with 82 listings at $499/yr. With Yext, however, keep in mind that they will delete your entries if you don’t pay up. If you are not budgeting for an automated service, you can input all the data yourself, check out this link of all the sites Yext uses. Just remember that you will have to make manual changes whenever you change your address, phone number, etc.

3. Local link building

Link building at a local level is tricky but doable. You need to focus mostly on local influencers and how to reach them. That means trying to reach local newspapers, perhaps getting featured on “Business Spotlight” lists, and having links from other local businesses. They may not have the authority larger sites have, but those links will carry more weight in local search results.

The pages you are trying to rank should contain mentions of your location. You need also to interlink related pages on your own website and have all those pages link to your main money page. That is what’s called siloing your content.

In this case, the local landing page for your business would receive links from other pages on your site that also mention your location. Blogging about valuable local information will help here. Try some of these ideas:

• Checklists
• Buyers Guides for your type of products
• Local News in your field
• Articles about seasonal or important upcoming events
• Posts about mentions of your company, such as accolades, awards, sponsorships, etc.

4. Taking advantage of offline and off-Google local opportunities

Give local publications something to talk about if you want them to cover your business. Get involved in local events, organize food drives, sponsor Meetups, interact with other business owners in specialty workshops, hold a workshop yourself, etc.

Off-Google opportunities refer to social networking. Your social network reviews and involvement in local groups are crucial here. Facebook groups are great for spotting opportunities, but Google Plus also features communities where you can advertise your business.

Interact with potential clients in groups and make a point of having a social persona. Responding to messages and offering valuable information can establish you as an expert in your field.

If you can’t find relevant local groups, start one yourself, but remember that you have to budget time for every social network you’re in. It’s better to be present on one network than absent on five.

5. When you have multiple locations

When you’re dealing with a number of locations, create separate web pages for each city you represent. Remember that Google penalizes your site for not having unique contact on each page. If that happens, your domain will be bumped out of search results, and all your other page rankings will suffer.

Having two pages will also allow you to have Google Business Profile listing in both towns. So, make sure your NAP data is accurately represented on each of those pages. Be sure also to register structured citations for every location whenever possible.

Keeping the above-mentioned local SEO tips in mind, you can perform link-building for each location. Since the audience is different, your citations should be different and appropriately represent your local target audience.

6. Optimize for Mobile Devices

In today’s digital landscape, where mobile devices are the dominant force in online browsing, optimizing your website for mobile is no longer a suggestion but a necessity.

With about 60% of searches originating from mobile devices, a number that continues to climb, neglecting mobile optimization equates to turning away a significant portion of potential customers.

To capture this vast mobile audience, your website must be responsive, meaning it seamlessly adjusts its layout and content to display perfectly on any screen size, whether it’s a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

This adaptability ensures a consistent and user-friendly experience across all devices, preventing visitors from encountering frustrating navigation or distorted content, ultimately leading to a positive impression of your business and an increased likelihood of converting visitors into customers.

Conclusion

These local SEO tips are critical for boosting your business’s visibility on search engines, but remember that the digital landscape is constantly evolving. Don’t rely solely on these strategies; diversify your approach to local SEO.

Stay updated on the latest trends and algorithm changes to discover new and innovative ways to enhance your business’s online presence. Consistent and correct implementation of these local SEO tips, combined with an adaptable strategy, will significantly benefit your online visibility and drive growth.