Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a digital marketing strategy that helps to increase a business’s online visibility in search engines. Local SEO involves optimising your business’s website to engage new clients in the local area.
Local searches are those entered into search engines like Google with location-specific keyphrases such as "hairdressers near me" or "builders in Newcastle". 46% of online searches are classed as local searches, meaning users are seeking local information. So, it’s important for your business to be optimised for local SEO.
In this blog, we’ll discuss the best strategies to use to improve your local SEO and online visibility.
Who needs a local SEO strategy and why?
Your business needs a local SEO strategy if you have a bricks and mortar location or a service business serving a specific geographical area. It’s particularly important for small businesses.
Local SEO helps you reach a highly targeted local audience who are specifically looking for the products or services that you offer. A strong online presence and local visibility helps to increase your business’s credibility, builds trust with clients and can increase online conversions and sales.
Steps to improve your business’s local online presence
Local SEO helps your business shine in local search results, attracting clients searching for your products or services nearby. It's about being relevant (matching their needs), prominent (standing out from competitors) and discoverable (easily found based on location).
For a successful local SEO strategy, aim to optimise your online presence across various platforms, including claiming your spot in the Google 3-Pack. The local pack is a key feature on search engine results pages for local searches that typically shows a list of three nearby businesses relevant to the search query.
What steps can you take to improve your chances of appearing in the Google Local Pack?
Create and optimise your Google Business Profile
A Google Business Profile is a powerful tool for improving your local online visibility.
It’s free to use and easy to create one. Once you have created a Profile, it’s important to optimise it by filling out the descriptions with as much detail as possible, using keyphrases that describe your business and services naturally. Use your full business name, your address, local phone number and business opening hours. Next you should add photos, including your logo, shop front (if applicable), team images, product pictures and any other high quality, relevant images.
Here are some other strategies that will improve your local online visibility:
- Get customer reviews on various platforms
Online reviews play an important role in local SEO. Positive reviews can help build your online reputation, telling potential clients you’re a trustworthy business. They make your business stand out and can help your business appear more prominently. Actively encourage clients to leave authentic reviews on different review sites. Your Google Business Profile is just one review platform, there are also plenty of others, including Facebook, TripAdvisor and Trustpilot. Reviews from different platforms will improve your credibility. You should also interact and reply to reviews, both positive and negative, in a professional manner to build your relationship with the local community.
- Get relevant local citations. Ensure your business information is presented accurately, consistently
You should ensure your business is listed on local business directories, social media and websites. Your business name, address and phone number (NAP) must appear in the same format and consistently across all platforms, to convey your trustworthiness as a local business.
- Optimise on-page SEO
On-page SEO plays an important part in your overall online presence and is essential for increasing your visibility in local searches. You can improve your on-page content for local searches by ensuring you includ relevant local keyphrasess on your website pages, title tags and meta descriptions.
Another way to boost your credibility for local searches is to create blogs relevant to your business and include local events and news. Linking to local websites and getting backlinks will all help to increase your website’s authority and relevance when local searches are made.
- Mobile optimisation
As most local searches are made on a mobile, optimise your website content for mobiles. Mobile-first indexing is also a ranking factor. Check loading speeds of pages and ensure your website is responsive to ensure a good user experience.
WEBPRO offers a comprehensive local SEO service designed to get your business noticed locally online, maximising your potential audience reach. Contact us now to find out more!
Recap: Local SEO is an important strategy that every brick and mortar and service-based business should implement to get noticed in local online searches. Local SEO is all about making your business relevant, prominent and distance-specific for people who want to search and shop locally. One important strategy for getting your business noticed in local searches is optimising a Google Business Profile. Other important elements are reviews on different platforms, citations, ensuring your NAP is presented consistently, on-page SEO and mobile optimisation.
WEBPRO knows
97% of consumers search online for local businesses. If your business doesn’t show up in those searches, your potential clients will never make it through your doors!
