Local SEO for local businesses.

Local SEO for local businesses: –

Search engine optimization (SEO) has become essential for local businesses looking to boost their website traffic.
Potential customers are unlikely to be willing to travel across the country just to buy takeout, no matter how good it is.
Aspiring to be prominent in the local area is a much better place to start.
The website will not only be relevant to those who search for it, but it will also have less competition locally than nationally.
Local SEO is a great way to promote online content to local users.
The goal is to make pages and services rank higher in search results for location-specific keywords.
SEO, search engines collect information from “signals” such as content, social profile pages and links to provide local and relevant results for the user.
However, there are clear differences between the two. Regular SEO would seek to attract a broader, national/international audience regardless of location, but with local SEO the goal is to attract users in the area currently.
A new practice, local SEO has evolved as a focus for search engines.
Google first recognized the need for a more geographically refined approach.
This feature provided access to information about local businesses in a similar way to a listing directory, all natively hosted on the Google platform.
Google’s local offering has changed its name and taken many forms over the years.
The introduction of Google Maps and with it the ability to get local business addresses directly from the smartphone.
These days, the search giant offers a tool called Google My Business that allows local business owners to edit and control their business information online.
However, Google is not the only search engine that focuses on local search, Bing launched Bing Places for businesses and Yahoo also has its “Yahoo! Small Business Service”.
Getting local SEO is very important if want to grow the business.
50% of all searches on Google are for local businesses.
SEO provides the ability to be one of the first companies a potential customer sees when searching for companies.
Local SEO tells Google that the business can provide a service that a local user is looking for. When Google recognizes relevance, it begins to push the website up the search results page, which in turn increases visibility.
Site structure, backlinks, and keywords play an important role in ranking the website.
When search engines rank locally, they rely on a variety of “signals” to ensure that the website/content is relevant to the user.
Google’s algorithm divides these signals into three categories to produce local search results.
These categories are relevance, distance, and prominence.

Relevance:

Having a good ranking for local SEO will show search engines that the website is relevant to a user’s query.
Search engines will look at listing information, keywords, and on-page SEO to determine if the website is relevant.

Listing information:

Search engines will examine the information in any online listing directory.
Google uses its own Google My Business service as its top local ranking factor.
If not already using these online directories, they often play a role in enhancing local SEO efforts, as well as improving overall online reach.
It is essential that the company’s NAP (name, address, phone number) is correctly quoted on all these accounts.
Duplicate listings are created when there are different variations of the business name, address or phone number in online directories and even something as small as a variable score can negatively affect local SEO results.
Need to make sure that the two functions are completed in the list:

Add a description of the company:

Don’t be tempted to leave the business description blank – it’s a great way for users and search engines to know if the business meets a need.
Should keep this information concise and unbiased, free from marketing offers or sales attempts.

Local category selection:

To help define relevance and ranking locally, select relevant categories for the list.
Think of these categories as labels that will define the business.

Keywords:

Keywords are a way of defining what the business is about.
They must be words or queries that users will search for.
It seems like a no-brainer, but to rank locally make sure to target keywords that are relevant to the business type and location.
Optimizing web pages using these keywords will naturally increase relevance and hopefully provide a higher chance of being favoured by the search algorithm.
Google will also analyze the content and structure of the website, so it is important to understand and implement on-page SEO.

Distance:

Proximity to the search engine is considered the highest-ranking factor in local SEO.
If are using a desktop or laptop, generally use a list of WiFi access points, which connect to as a location indicator.
When using a mobile phone or tablet, search engines will be based on the GPS location of that device.

There are two ways that a user can perform a location-based search:

Search not geographically modified:

This is when no location is specified in the search query. Google will try to show the most relevant results locally based on the information they have about the location of users.

Modified geo search:

When a location is specified in the search query.
Perhaps the user is visiting a neighbouring city and wants to book a restaurant in advance.
Google would display the most locally relevant results for the location specified in the search term.
Users tend to search like this if they are planning a day trip or vacation.

Prominence:

Prominence indicates how well known or prestigious a company is.
There are places in the real world that are considered more noteworthy, such as famous museums, hotels, and well-known brand stores.
They are likely to stand out in local search results.
Search engines will also analyze what makes the business unique compared to other local businesses competing for the same search queries.
To position well for prominence, build an online presence on the web.
Reviews, links, and citations are elements that can influence search engines to see the brand as a credible source.

Reviews:

Reviews are a free and powerful way to build an online reputation and can help inform potential customers that they are considering making purchases, while also telling search engines that the business is trustworthy.
If they go out of their way to generate reviews, one should be vigilant in responding to every review they get, good or bad.
This shows potential customers that care and shows active and attractive search engines online.
When responding to bad reviews, try to respond sensitively.
It can be difficult when feeling the review is unfair, but use it as an opportunity to be proactive in resolving any discomfort or negativity.
Even if that customer doesn’t come back, convince another potential customer to use the business.
Not all customers will automatically leave a review but can encourage them to do so by making the process a little easier.
Creating a follow-up email with a link and a review request can be a good enough suggestion to encourage customers.
Google My Business (and it should be) just log into the GMB account and go to the “Get More Reviews” card, here can generate a short URL that can send to customers.

Incoming links (backlinks):

Backlinks are basically external links that point to the website/content.

It is a bit more difficult to implement backlinks as it is basically all about different companies and bloggers linking to the website.

Quotes:

An online appointment is a reference to the name, address, and telephone number (NAP) of the online business.
Businesses that are frequently mentioned online in different sources are considered more valid by search engines.
Most citations come from some type of online business directory, but non-directory citations can also exist.

At a minimum, be sure to cite the following for local SEO:

Google My Business
Bing Maps
Yelp
Facebook

There are hundreds of ways to list the business online, but not all of these listing directories may be relevant to the category of the business.

If looking to get started creating the citations online, check out Moz’s “citations by category” page to determine which online listing directories are best for the business.

Keyword research for local SEO:

Probably already understand how keywords work in terms of general SEO.
While Google’s algorithm is great for identifying the relevance of queries that may not be obviously related, find out which keywords will be directly related to the searches users type when searching for local services.

Use Google Autocomplete:

To start identifying keywords for local SEO is to use the “Google AutoComplete” feature.
These are popular terms that are also searched for when searching for similar services.
Include key business information.

Optimize voice search:

Use service-in-location (SIL) keywords:

The keyword list should also contain the product/service to be offered along with the location where it operates.
It’s also a good idea to try to include location-specific keywords on the “About” page.
If having multiple locations, creating a page for each of the physical stores will be very beneficial for local SEO purposes.
If more guidance on keywords, Google’s Keyword Planner and SEMrush are great places to start.

Google My Business optimization:

Google My Business (GMB) is a service offered by Google to businesses looking to gain more control over their online identity.
It is a great tool to improve local SEO, not only does the GMB profile provide more visibility when potential customers search on Google, but it is also a key ranking factor.
The data provided in the profile is used to create signals that directly affect local packet classifications.
It is a function that Google uses to display the top three results of local searches and it looks like this:
This feature appears at the top of Google, so if the business manages to appear here, it will be one of the first a potential customer sees.
Here’s something to keep in mind when optimizing the Google My Business account:
Fill in all the data fields.
Not only is this important to create more qualification opportunities, but it also eliminates the possibility that someone else can complete it.
Anyone viewing the list can “suggest an edit”, which means that a user can add or change information in the list, resulting in incorrect information being displayed for the company.
Obviously, this will have a negative effect on the premises.
SEO efforts if the information differs from that on the website or other listing directories.
Just one of the reasons why it is really important that constantly check and modify the GMB account.

Manage multiple locations from one account:

If the company has more than one physical location, can edit and manage the data for each location.
Google allows doing this by creating a group of locations.
Make sure all installations are linked to a single GMB account and delete lost accounts that have been created separately.
Not only will it make it easier to manage the pages, but it will also show Google that these companies are linked.

Check the location (s):

Google gives the option to verify the location.
This is usually done by mail with a verification postcard sent from Google.
Completing the verification process will positively impact the local package results and the organic search ranking as well.

Use Google My Business posts:

They are like social media posts found on Google.
If they appear in search results, these posts will appear on the GMB listing, both in the knowledge panel and on Google maps.
These are great ways to post about urgent events, like a webinar or a sale.
Also, use them to link to new blog posts.

Upload photos:

Adding photos is a great way to add a more human element to the business and it also allows users to get an idea of what the business is about.

Add a business description:

Google gives 750 characters for the business description, but it will only show 250 characters before it breaks into the Knowledge Panel.
So keep this in mind when writing the description. should include the most important information, keywords, and location at the beginning of the description.
When creating the business description, keep in mind that Google will review it to make sure it’s honest and not spam, so it’s worth getting familiar with Google’s guidelines.

On-page SEO for local businesses:

The web page accurately meets the requirements of a local search.
When creating the website and its content, there are key areas that need to focus on to ensure that are optimized for local SEO.

The following are ranking factors that can help improve the position on the search engine results page.

Title tags:

Title tags are found in the site’s HTML and tell users and search engines what that particular page is about.
Title tags will determine whether or not the business is relevant to a search.
The content of the title tag will be the title that appears on the search engine results page and also the title that will appear when the page is shared on social media.
From a local SEO perspective, the title tag should include the target location, page title, and company name.
Remember; When creating title tags, keep them concise (50 – 60 words is usually optimal) and avoid writing all of them in capital letters.
Create a different title tag for each page so that Google doesn’t see it as a duplicate of content.

Alternative text:

When it comes to creating an attractive website, images are vital. Not only do they provide visual context to the content, but they also play an important role when it comes to good SEO habits.
Alt-text is essentially a detailed description of what the image in question represents, this is good practice to ensure the site is more accessible and also allows Google to “see” the image and use it to understand the website and the relevance.
Be sure to include the keywords for the business type and location in the alt text if the image requires it.

Use keywords:

Keywords should not only appear in the meta description and title tags, but also in the body content.
Try to use the keywords within the first 200 words of the content page and make sure the chosen keywords are used naturally throughout the text as well.

Optimize meta tags:

Meta tags are a way to add website information to the HTML.
These are typically found in the <head> section of the Html page and include important information that can be used to identify the websites, such as the page title and a short description that will appear in search results.
Use meta tags for more advanced variables, such as telling search engines if a page is to be indexed (that is, considered for ranking of search results) or including instructions on how a web browser should render the page for mobile devices.

Improve the internal link structure:

Not only will consider the quality of the links pointing to the website, but also want to consider making sure that the website’s link structure is also better structured to improve the SEO ranking.
Internal links ensure that the user can navigate the website smoothly, it also help to classify the content in terms of page importance.
For example, the home page should be more important than the competitor’s page.
Create multiple location pages if having more than one physical store.
If the business has more than one physical store, recommended that create separate pages so that each individual location is classified on its own terms.
If creates multiple location pages, create separate content for each of the pages, any duplication of content on the website could damage the reputation of the sites with search engines, so make sure to find something unique for each one of the locations.
Verify that NAP data is consistent with the information that appears on each of the individual Google My Business pages.
Adding a Google map to the website can also help.

Create local content:

While it can be beneficial to write on broad topics and appeal to a wider audience if are looking to rank locally, benefit from focusing on writing on local content.

This is sometimes easier said than done, as it can be difficult to consistently create geo-related content.

Make sure the website is mobile-friendly:

Most local searches will be done on a mobile phone, so even if the desktop website is as good as it can be, make sure the mobile version of the website is just as good.
Use Google’s Mobile Optimization Test Tool to verify that the website is optimized.
People constantly use their mobile phones to search for businesses, so a simple layout and easily accessible key information should be the priority.