Understanding and implementing local SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) strategies can empower your business with increased online visibility and the ability to attract local customers. If your company has a physical location or serves a specific geographical area, local SEO is a powerful tool at your disposal.
For instance, if you are a plumber servicing a group of suburbs and a person in your area wants to hire a local plumber, they might enter ‘plumber near me’ into their search engine browser. With local SEO, your business would appear in their search results, increasing the chances of your services being chosen over a competitor’s.
Local SEO boosts your website’s back-end technology and increases organic search results, which is excellent for local businesses.
What are organic search results?
Organic search results appear naturally on a search engine’s algorithm rather than paid advertising. Unlike paid ads, organic search results generally provide easy-to-digest information about a business’s services or products and are less promotional. They are ranked according to the relevance of the user’s search query and the quality of the website content. They can also be affected by user experiences such as page speed, loading time, and mobile optimisation.
Organic search results are a cost-effective way to attract more traffic to your website. If your website is set up correctly with key SEO strategies, this builds brand and website authority, encouraging a higher CTR (Click-through rate) as customers connect and engage with your business, which leads to higher sales conversions.
For many small—to medium-sized business owners, keeping up with SEO strategies is challenging. However, it is still worth it because SEO remains a key ingredient for boosting businesses and staying ahead of local competition.
The power of local SEO strategies to help your business
Local SEO is important because it involves strategic digital content marketing that converts browsers into buyers. Key local SEO ranking factors for businesses include optimising their Google Business profile (GBP), SEO, on-page ranking signals on websites and social media, and off-page signals such as backlinks and customer reviews. Areas to consider:
- Use a Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) to appear in local packs like Google Maps and search results. It’s important to ensure a business name, address, and phone number are correct and consistent across all web platforms otherwise search engines may consider the business less trustworthy, affecting page ranking.
- Consider additional local business listings and local citations on directories like Yelp and Yellow Pages, industry-relevant platforms like TripAdvisor, and social media platforms.
- Create localised, relevant content, including blog posts, landing pages, and social media posts, specifically targeted to your local customer audience.
- On-page SEO needs to include your location in web page titles, meta descriptions, and content.
- Reciprocal backlinks and local link building from reliable sources, such as other local businesses, online news publications, and blogs, also increase brand credibility. Don’t be shy about asking local businesses for a backlink!
Optimising your website for local search
For those who don’t know, a local map pack (also known as the Google Local Pack or 3-Pack) is a group of business listings that appear at the top of Google’s search results when someone makes a local query.
It usually includes:
- A map showing the location of the businesses.
- The top 3 local businesses related to the search.
- Business name, star ratings, reviews, address, opening hours, and directional links.
Update your Google business profile
It is essential to update your Google Business Profile via Google Search (Desktop or Mobile), so if you haven’t done this for a while, follow the instructions below:
- Sign in to Google using the Google account that manages your business profile.
- Search for your business name on Google or type my business. You should see your Business Profile dashboard in the search results.
- Use the menu options to:
- Check or edit your profile, including business name, hours, website, and contact emails and numbers.
- Update it with recent, engaging photos and videos.
- Professionally respond to customer reviews and feedback.
- Add updates or posts, including managing information on your products or services.
To update your business location via the Google Maps App on your mobile:
- Open the Google Maps app.
- Tap your profile icon in the top right of the page and select Your Business Profile.
- Choose the business you want to update.
- Tap Edit profile or other management tools such as photos, hours, and posts.
Engaging in local SEO services is not a one-time task but a commitment to keeping your business visible and relevant. Regularly updating your Google Business Profile, responding to customer reviews, and managing your business information are all part of this commitment.
The benefits of technical SEO and why every business needs it
Technical SEO refers to optimising your website’s infrastructure, so search engines can crawl and index it more effectively. It focuses on the backend of your website rather than front-facing content and link-building.
Crawling and Indexing
When search engines crawl or index websites, they ensure search engine bots can easily discover your site. These bots tell the search engines which URL is the main, authoritative page version, helping to consolidate ranking signals.
Site Speed
Customers will have a better user experience by using safe, reliable web hosting services with 99.9% guaranteed uptime and fast page load times. Tools like Google Page Speed Insights can help SEO technicians identify any issues.
Mobile-Friendliness
With more people conducting searches on mobile devices and Google using mobile-first indexing, your website must be mobile-responsive.
HTTPS Security
A secure website with web hosting providers offering free Secure Socket Layer certificates improves website stability, trust, and page ranking.
Structured Data / Schema Markup
Adding specific code that helps search engines understand your content better, such as keyword snippets, positive reviews, and detailed descriptions of events, can also boost SEO.
URL Structure and Site Architecture
The benefits of clean, readable URLs and a logical site structure help users navigate a website easily and improve search engine ranking.
If your website has not had a technical SEO audit in a while, BeOnTop can perform one to determine how it can be improved to encourage more traffic, new customers, click-through rates, and sales conversions.
How responsive web design affects SEO
A responsive web design (RWD) adapts web pages to ensure optimum usability and appearance, whether viewed on a desktop, tablet, or smartphone. This significantly enhances SEO because Google prioritises consistent, accurate content in its ranking algorithms.
Whether using templates or custom responsive web and UX/UI designs, businesses improve mobile optimization, site speed, and site usability by reducing bounce rates, contributing to higher search engine rankings, and increasing organic traffic.
Local SEO is an essential part of any digital marketing strategy. The benefits of small business SEO are worth the efforts of setting it up correctly and regularly maintaining it. It increases brand authority and trust, elevates a higher page ranking, attracts new customers, and encourages positive customer interaction and good reviews!
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is local SEO important for small businesses?
Local SEO is essential for small businesses because it helps build consistent and stronger customer relationships, building brand trust and reliability over time. This encourages local customer referrals, increases user engagement, and creates more sales opportunities.
What is the local map pack, and how does it help small to medium-sized businesses?
A local map pack (also known as the Google Local Pack or 3-Pack) is a group of business listings that appear at the top of Google’s search results when someone makes a local and intentional query relating to a product or service. It usually includes a map showing the location of the businesses, the top three local businesses related to the search, and business contact details.
How can local citations improve my business’s local SEO?
Local citations can significantly improve your business’s local SEO by helping search engines verify and trust your business information. They boost business visibility, improve page ranking, and drive referral traffic. Consistency is key, so try to source reliable directories specific to your industry and consider using citation tools like Moz Local or YEXT to help streamline the process.
Why is an SEO content audit important for local rankings?
An SEO content audit is crucial for local rankings because it helps identify issues impacting your website’s visibility and performance in local searches. This can affect how your business appears in customer intent-driven search results for your products or services. Checking whether your website has relevant, relatable, high-quality content and keywords will target your audience and improve local page ranking.
