Local SEO is a great way to get your business noticed by potential customers near you. By optimizing your website for local search, you can increase the number of visitors to your site and improve your conversion rates.
When it comes to local seo, the key is to find keywords that people in your niche use when searching for products or services related to your business.
Keyword research
Keyword research is a crucial part of any local SEO strategy. It helps businesses understand how people are searching for products and services they offer, which makes it easier to optimize content to meet those needs.
Keywords are the words and phrases that you want to be found for on search engines like Google and Bing. They help you rank higher in the search engine results page (SERP) and drive traffic to your website organically – and locally.
Local keyword research is different from national keywords because it’s tailored to your target market(s) and their intent. It also helps you target the exact type of searchers who are most likely to buy your products and services.
To start the local keyword research process, you should brainstorm ideas that customers might use when looking for your product or service. This will help you create a list of potential keywords that you can use in your local SEO strategy.
On-page optimization
One of the most critical elements in local SEO is on-page optimization. This includes optimizing your page titles and meta descriptions, as well as other on-site signals that can help you rank better in search results.
For example, make sure that your business name, address, and phone number are consistent across your website, social media profiles, and Google My Business. This ensures that Google understands where your business is located and can provide relevant search results to users.
While on-page optimization is often a time-consuming process, it can pay off in the long run by improving your organic rankings. This includes building up your content, adding internal links, and making your website easier to navigate for real people.
Another aspect of on-page optimization that can be helpful for local SEO is Schema markup. This is code that can be added to your website to tell Google what your pages contain.
Link building
Link building is a key part of any local SEO strategy. It helps to improve your rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs) for local terms, and it can also help to generate relevant, local referral traffic.
To get the most out of your link-building efforts, you need to understand what is involved in the process and how it will work for you. You’ll want to focus on links from websites that are highly relevant to your industry, target a specific region, and have high domain authority.
Using the right tools can make this job much easier. For instance, Respona is an all-in-one digital PR and link-building software that takes the guesswork out of outreach.
You can also use Google’s free business profiles and citations to build local links. This will help you to establish your brand as a go-to business in your community and drive relevant, local referral traffic to your website.
Social media
One of the best ways to boost your local SEO is through social media. These platforms are where your existing customers are, and potential ones are likely to be.
Facebook is the largest and most popular social media platform, and with over 300 million active users, it can be an important traffic source for your business.
It also makes it easy for people to find your location, which is especially valuable for brick-and-mortar businesses.
Instagram is another social media platform that can benefit your business, as it’s one of the most popular photo-sharing sites in the world. It’s not only an excellent place to promote your business, but it can help you rank in Google’s map pack.
In addition, customer reviews on social media can influence your business’s reputation. It’s important to respond to positive and negative feedback in order to maintain your brand’s positive image. Using a review management tool can make this process easier.