Key On-Page Optimizations for Local Organic SEO: –
- Learn how to improve rankings on organic local SERPs.
- When most people think about local SEO, they are by default to their Google business profile, local citations and backlinks.
- These are definitely beneficial when trying to capture “close to me” results.
- However, on-page optimization also plays an important role in the signals sent to search engines to influence local rankings.
- On-page SEO also helps in getting a higher rank in organic results and MapPack results.
Here are five on-page optimization tips to help increase local visibility in search.
1. Make sure the NAP is stable:
- NAP stands for name, address and phone number.
- These three general pieces of information can make or break a local SEO strategy.
- Make sure these bits of information are prominently displayed on the site.
- Footer is a great place to keep a nap because it appears on every page.
- It is better to link NAP to Google Map.
- Also, display the NAP on the Service Area pages and on the Contact page in the Body.
- Consistency is important.
- It is important that this crucial business information is the same everywhere potential customers find it online and that Google compares it to ensure its accuracy.
- It enables crawlers and bots to connect dots between Google business profile, website and other local citations via the web.
2. Improve on-page content:
- Site content is an opportunity to show both customers and search engines that are authorized in the area to provide the service.
- Include specific details such as landmarks and street names along with services to be provided in this area. Make it clear why the customer needs service in a specific area.
- Noise from there, better customer experience for the customer.
- Think about what the customer thinks.
- If looking for service, what terms are used?
- Does it include the local metro, city or even the surrounding area?
- The answers to these questions will help determine the type of content needed and what keywords should be included in this content.
- These keywords help to target both combination searches and GPS-based searches.
- This is where “near me” searches come into play.
- Google compares user location (using IP or geolocation) with sites that serve the user’s locale to provide these search results.
- Optimize these keywords across entire service pages or on target pages created specifically for the service and target service area.
- Each of those pages must be hyper-targeted and optimized for that particular location.
- Don’t be shy here; this can be a landing page for many location-based searches.
- Tell the customer why they trust enough to click on the next page or CTA.
- Do not forget to do research.
- Customers living in an area know the general terminology and content of that area.
- If they come up with something out of the ordinary, then they have to re-think their position.
3. Optimize header tags:
- Understand that header tags are important when it comes to SEO.
- Create additional real estate to create high-target header tags, including local-based keywords + services, by creating local-based service pages.
- Having great header tags gives site visitors and crawlers a basic idea of what they should expect when reading the entire structure and content of the page.
- Be careful not to fill in the keywords in the header tags in a way that is unnatural for both visitors and crawlers.
4. Internal Linking:
- Use the power of internal linking across the site to educate both the customer and the search engines available to serve customers in that local area.
- Add location names to the content on the page and use them as an anchor link to the service area pages.
- Also, get a little creative and create widgets, lists and blocks that contain multiple links to service areas on top-level pages for SEO boosts.
5. Local Business Schema:
- Schema markup helps search engines better understand the site.
- The local business schema type contains important and relevant information such as addresses, reviews, working hours, social media accounts, geographic shapes of the service area, and sections in the code that may not necessarily be on-page content.
- Bots and crawlers without putting it all on one page about who, what, where and why to trust.
- This gives a little more control over the information stored there instead of relying on search engines to identify the various resources on the Internet.
- Everything is optimized and ready to go, it seems to have a real impact on local SEO strategy.
- There are many tools for a quick examination.
Local search results tools:
- SERPs view the local area targeted by SERPs in a simulated environment.
- This is exactly what local Falcon, Merkel and BrightLocal are doing with local search results tools.
- With these tools, by having the option to view Google Maps, select options like desktop and mobile, and get granular as a zip code level.
Geo-grid local ranking tools:
- Geo-grid local ranking tools such as Local Falcon and Local Viking are slightly more visible and monitor map results in the selected area.
- These tools are great for scheduling periodic scans that capture snapshots of results and keeping track of how well the site has performed locally on maps.
- Since these scans are also keyword-based, this is an effective way to monitor optimizations in content and title tags.
Google Business Profile Analytics:
- While doing the optimization, if successful, a boost will appear in the Google business profile metrics, such as clicking on the site, calls, or requests for driving directions.
- As visibility increases, one should naturally see an increase in traffic.
- Keep in mind when optimizing for on-page local SEO, keep it simple and business-related.
- Once customers see what is being offered to them and where they are looking for what they want, the rest is natural.
- Even with rapid changes in the local SEO space, a solid on-page strategy will be a winner for all.