How to Improve Your Local SEO

TechsPlace | Local SEO is vital for targeting local areas to get more customers and establish your business within the local community.

Unfortunately, many businesses struggle when it comes to maximizing their local SEO and using it effectively. Too often, businesses don’t approach it the right way and end up failing, deterring them from doing it again in the future.

However, having the right strategy and techniques in place can go a long way to ensuring that you improve your local SEO, resulting in more customers, more sales, better visibility, and a stronger local presence.

Listed below are eight tactics that can improve your local SEO:

Create a Google My Business Profile

• The most effective way you can rank higher on Google for local searches and rank on Google Maps is by creating and optimizing a Google My Business (GMB) profile. This profile works similar to social media pages: you provide details about your business, including your NAP (name-address-phone number), and automatically acts as a starting point for people searching for your product or services. But creating a profile isn’t enough: you have to optimize it, which generates the results you want. To optimize your GMB, ensure that you:
  • Verify ownership of the business by providing a real name and address
  • Provide up to date information about your business, including your NAP, logo, acceptable payment methods, the product or service you sell, and locations. Make sure you update these as the times change
  • Upload plenty of photos of your business
  • Publish posts on your GMB, similarly to your social media platforms
  • Encourage your customers to conduct reviews and respond to them

Use Local Keywords

• Just as your keywords are used to target specific audiences, the same logic applies to local customers: your keywords must be relevant to the area. It makes sense. Use Google’s Keyword Planner to filter keyword searches based on the locations you want to target (namely, suburbs or regions). You will then have a collection of popular search terms for that area to use for your search engine optimization process, including content, links, and URLs.

Create Locations Pages

• While this might be tedious, location pages are vital for your business if you have more than one location, or if you want to target multiple areas. These pages provide specific information related to the store location, area, or region and are designed for one purpose: to bring in users through these particular location searches. Each page has to have unique content and should only specific keywords targeting that area. At a minimum, these pages should include:
  • Store hours and NAP details of the store (such as parking availability) and only if you have a unique store in said location
  • Individualized descriptions of the store, region, or area
  • Details about the area and how you can assist users
  • Google Maps attached to each location page

Create Localized-Based Content

• Having content that targets specific areas can be super helpful in generating interest in your business. Localized news or content can work as it ranks for searches and helps speak to customers about a local issue. An example would be a real estate business that writes content for specific news or events occurring in an area it targets. This strategy will help you get ranked in each particular location. Some content ideas can include:
  • Local news stories, activities, or events
  • Videos about local charities or causes that your business supports

Optimize Your Social Media Platforms for Local Searches

• Optimizing your social media profiles should be a given when it comes to getting the best out of your local SEO. It works similarly to your GMB profile: you optimize it with local keywords, create a link back to your website, and provide information about your business. If you have multiple locations, then each profile page will follow the same process, but merely have different details. This approach will ensure that you zone into target areas and develop a strong relationship with your users.

Take Advantage of Online Business Directories

• Business directories did not go out of fashion. They’re very much alive online and should be used when improving your local SEO. The likes of Yelp, BrightLocal, Better Business Bureau, and YellowPages, are valuable tools to have when it comes to spreading your brand in local areas. It works similarly to your GMB account: you create a profile and update it with your NAP details to enhance visibility and boost your local SEO. Just make sure that you include the following information in each of your business directory profiles:
  • Accurate business details that are exactly like your GMB profile
  • A thorough description of your service or products
  • A backlink to your website, preferably your homepage, but also specific location pages if you wish to target certain areas

Build Links to Your Website

• Link building is a tried and true formula that works. You create high-quality backlinks from strong authority sites (like social media profiles, content, business directories, and GMB) that build organic traffic to your site. Make sure that you create links that are powerful and will benefit your site. There is nothing worse than getting links from a dodgy or off the radar site. It won’t help your rankings. The more links you have, the stronger your SEO will develop over time.

Optimize for Voice Search

• As people tend to use voice searches (thanks, Siri), you need to adjust your strategy to target these requests. You’ll have to use more long-tail keywords within your content and optimization process, while ensuring that you have a more conversational tone, considering that people do not speak formally at all times. You will also have to consider the questions that people ask when voice searching, as it is different from how they type out their searches. Applying these differences might be difficult, but it is worthwhile to improve your local SEO.

Using these eight tactics can impact your local SEO and ensure that your business becomes a center point in your local community.