Let\u2019s face it folks, business listings in the phone book don\u2019t pull in local customers the way they used to. When was the last time you even saw<\/i> a phone book, let alone used one? That\u2019s what I thought.<\/p>\n
Now, if local customers are looking for a product or service, they turn to Google search (or on rare occasions, some other search engine<\/a> like Bing or Yahoo). If you\u2019re the owner of a small business, you may be in despair about this, thinking \u201cWoe is me, searchers will never see me \u2013 big, national chains own the SERPs.\u201d<\/p>\n Quit panicking and listen \u2013 a good local SEO strategy can help. With the right search engine optimization, you can get to the top of the local search results. Take a minute to calm down and breathe, and then we\u2019ll teach you how to lift your local search ranking.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As we said before \u2013 people aren\u2019t exactly flipping through the yellow pages to find what they\u2019re looking for anymore. You need to make sure you\u2019re reaching your potential customers whenever they perform an organic search. You may think that a strong online presence or digital marketing strategy won\u2019t do much good if you\u2019re a small business owner with a brick-and-mortar store \u2013 but just trust us.<\/p>\n We\u2019re not just talking out of our asses. Consider this: 30% of mobile searches are done for local listings, and 78% of those searches result in an in-store purchase<\/a>. With the rise of mobile devices, local customers are searching for business information on the fly \u2013 and if you don\u2019t have your business online and searchable, they could be cruising right past you.<\/p>\n Besides \u2013 when it comes to local searches, you\u2019re not competing against every national chain to reach the top of the search engine results. Local SEO is a little bit different from traditional SEO. Don\u2019t freak out; we\u2019ll break it down.<\/p>\n When a customer searches on Google for a product or service, the first thing Google will deliver on its results page is a map and multiple locations that fit the search query. This is known as a local pack and is essentially a business directory of the top three spots Google thinks potential customers should see.<\/p>\n The ranking factors for local SEO include:<\/p>\n When it comes to local SEO, some of the signals the ranking factors pick up on overlap with traditional SEO, such as keyword research and link building. This is good for targeting the top of SERPs across the board. But when it comes to local SEO, things like your Google Business Profile and NAPs (no, not that kind of nap) come into play as well. What\u2019s a NAP? Don\u2019t worry \u2013 we\u2019ll get to that in a minute.<\/p>\n Hopefully, now that you know it\u2019s not hopeless when it comes to reaching the top of the local search results, you feel motivated to knuckle down and ace those ranking factors. Great! Let\u2019s get you started. Here\u2019s some Local SEO expert advice on optimizing your local online presence.<\/p>\n All SEO starts with the same step \u2013 keyword research. The difference is you\u2019re looking to optimize for location keywords \u2013 this means taking the name of your state, city, or even neighborhood and combining it with your major SEO terms.<\/p>\n When it comes to keyword research, there are many different local SEO tools you can choose from. Semrush has a tool that allows you to research your local competitor\u2019s website<\/a> and what keywords they\u2019re ranking for. This can help you see what geographic phrases are bringing them the most traffic.<\/p>\n You can also let Google autocomplete show you what people are most likely searching for in your area. For instance, when you throw \u201cpizza\u201d into the Google search bar, the first few results are \u201cpizza near me,\u201d \u201cpizza canfield,\u201d and \u201cpizza Youngstown Ohio.\u201d These are common geographic keywords that you want to work into your online presence.<\/p>\n Now, we\u2019re not saying you should change your business name to include geographic keywords<\/a>. But \u2013 you do want them on your website. A great way to build localized content is landing pages with location details. If you have multiple locations, take the time to make a service page for each one to hit that audience.<\/p>\n When crafting blogs or social posts, consider your local keywords and how you can work them in \u2013 especially in your meta descriptions, which will signal to your target audience it\u2019s relevant, and in your title tags, which will signal the algorithm.<\/p>\n Another big way to build your local SEO relevance is your Google Business<\/a> profile. GBP (formerly Google My Business \u2013 or GMB) is like a free local SEO tool \u2013 and is basically your key to placing high on Google Search\u2019s local pack and Google Maps.<\/p>\n You put your business information in GBP \u2013 your business name, address, phone number, website \u2013 etc. so that people know where to find you. Verifying your business on Google boosts your relevance and reputation in Google\u2019s algorithm eyes (obviously), but it can also help build credibility with your potential customers.<\/p>\n Get Online Reviews<\/p>\n Another way to build credibility with your target audience (and with the Google search engine) is to rack up customer reviews on your GBP. This helps build your prominence with Google. Online reviews anywhere you can get them \u2013 Amazon, Yelp, Facebook \u2013 can all be a great boost to your local SEO.<\/p>\n Have you been waiting and waiting, and no customer has left a review on your social media or your GBP? Try offering a promotional discount for customers who leave a review of your services online \u2013 that\u2019s always a good way to motivate folks. (We know you\u2019ve fallen for it at least once!)<\/p>\n A local citation is any spot online that mentions your business information, such as business name, address, and phone number (or NAP \u2013 see we told you we\u2019d get to this). GBP is one. But this can also be blog posts, online directories, landing pages<\/a> \u2013 anything online, really, with your info. The more places you have NAPs that are consistent with their information, the more trustworthy it appears to be to the algorithm, and the more likely it is to place high on the local SERPs.<\/p>\n You do have to watch out for potential fraudulent entries. Anyone can create a NAP by posting your information online \u2013 and they could post the wrong information. You want to make sure that not only are you submitting your information to as many online directories as possible, but also monitoring for potential false citations and disputing them.<\/p>\n Backlinks are one of the strongest ranking signals \u2013 for regular ol\u2019 SEO and local SEO.\u00a0 These are links on other sites that link back to yours \u2013 thus increasing its prominence and the algorithm\u2019s trust in you. Regular and local link building strategies are pretty similar, but here are some ways you can especially boost your local backlinks:<\/p>\nWhy SEO Is Important For Your Local Business<\/h2>\n
The Local Pack<\/h3>\n
Local SEO Ranking Factors<\/h3>\n
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Local SEO Tips<\/h2>\n
Local Keyword Research<\/h3>\n
Include Local Keywords in Your On-Page SEO<\/h3>\n
Level-Up Your Google Business Profile<\/h3>\n
Get Local Citations<\/h3>\n
Build Backlinks<\/h3>\n