Do you want your business to be found locally on the search engines? Well, that’s possible. All you have got to do is follow the local SEO optimization tips and get your business and brand reflected in the search engine’s result. Are you searching for some useful local SEO tips that can help your business stand out in the local search engines? You have come to the right place! In this post, we will discuss the significance of local SEO tips in the current era and the tips on how to make the most of the local search engines. Before we get started with the local SEO guide, let’s have a quick look at the meaning of local SEO and how it is different from the standard search engine optimization.
Local SEO and the standard SEO are almost the same except for the fact that the former involves localized searches, i.e., the searches based on a specific location. For instance, grocery stores in my town, dentist clinic near me, the best educational institutions in my state, or the best food stores in my country are all the examples of localized searches. If you have the brick and mortar business and are looking for the right tips for introducing your brand in the local search engines, read the following article: https://www.clickslice.co.uk/local-seo-services-london/ or alternatively check out the below-listed tips.
- Google My Business Optimization
Google My Business profile is one of the first and foremost factors that you must take into consideration to launch your online business. Google My Business is responsible for displaying the essential details of your business to your potential customers and visitors. From the name and address of the organization to the hours of operations and services rendered, everything can be found on Google maps and knowledge graphs.
According to the studies, Google My Business is the most significant factor that helps companies to get their brand displayed and ranked on Google Maps. If you haven’t already created the Google My Business profile, it is time to design one and optimize it for search engine ranking. Creating this page is super easy. You only need to fill in the business information, i.e., the NAP details, website, category, etc. Pay attention to the category section as what you are going to enter in the space will tell your customers what exactly you do. Try to add as many features (relevant to your services and brand) as possible. Once you have filled the details, you will need to verify your account (which can be done via e-mail, phone, or postcard). As soon as you have completed the ‘Google My Business profile set up’ part, you are ready to move to the next step, which is Local NAP citation.
- Getting Local NAP Citations
NAP refers to the Name, Address, and Contact details of the company. NAP citations is an important part of your local business search engine optimization as it accounts for approximately 13% of the search engine ranking factors. It is worth noting that a lot of people consider using the business directories to conduct their research on businesses and brands (so, it’s not only Google where your customers find you). Make sure that citations inconsistency can result in plenty of ranking problems. As it is the only way Google and directories can find you and reflect your business details to your potential clients, any inconsistency in NAP citation can take your client to some other company. NAP citations don’t necessarily link to your company, but search engines use this information to confirm the authenticity of your business. Hence, you can negatively affect your local search ranking by not updating or modifying the business information.
If Google finds your business details unreliable, it may downgrade your search engine ranking. It is advisable to manually check all your NAP listings to ensure that information is up-to-date and 100% accurate. You do not want to make it hard for your customers as well as Google to trust your company’s reliability.
- Local SEO On-page Optimization
Just like the standard SEO, you need to optimize your local search engine pages to make it easier for your potential customers to find you. Apart from NAP citation and Google My Business strategies, local SEO on-page optimization is a crucial step for local businesses. Here are some tips to optimize your site for search engines.
Optimize the meta-description, title, sub-heads, and content – To make your website appear on the first page of the search engine directories, optimize the site’s content. For that, you will need to insert the keywords and the city name in the title, headers, and content. However, you must write the content for customers rather than search engines. Don’t insert keywords everywhere; instead, try to place it smartly throughout the content.
Follow the Schema Format for NAP – As mentioned above, making your NAP information displayed properly on the website is crucial. Try to display it in the schema format for better ranking. The NAP information should be accurate and current. Also, add the business hours in the NAP display list.
Add Clear Calls to Action – Your aim is not limited to having visitors and organic traffic to your page, but to convert the visitors into your customers. In simple terms, you want to generate lead. And the best way to do that is to ensure that the contact information is precisely displayed on the website. It should be easy for the users to contact you or hit your store. The better you guide the visitors, the higher the chances they will convert into your customers.
Display reviews – Users believe in reviews and testimonials. So don’t forget to include the customer’s reviews on the page
Make it Mobile friendly – It might seem like a no-brainer fact (and it is), but making your website mobile-friendly is an important step to a successful online business. As most of the people search through their smartphones, your website should be compatible with mobiles so that it provides a better user experience.
Follow these tips and boost your online business’s ranking. Good Luck!