A Comprehensive Guide to Local SEO

Local SEO is a cost-efficient and fundamental process of every business.  It is common for entrepreneurs who want to gain a heightened level of exposure and visibility online.  Regardless of whether you are a marketer or a business owner, your SEO practice should be definitive and comprehensive to advance your SERP ranking.  Google is starting to emphasize Local SEO, and now is the better time to analyze and implement your SEO efforts.  Many resources are available online, but none will provide you with a definitive guide to Local SEO.

 

Guide to Local SEO: Getting Started

 

Local SEO can quickly overwhelm those who lack the experience and knowledge.  If you have the resources, consider hiring a professional service; a bit expensive for some, but the ROI will be higher.  Your SEO efforts will start with analyzing and auditing your online properties (such as your website, blog, Business Page, Social media account, and others).  Website Audit is necessary to find an element with low performance and find a solution to optimize it.  It also grants you a comprehensive understanding of your business's online value and how to enhance it.  Through analysis and audit, you will also have a better view of your industry's competition.

 

The Local SEO Process

 

Your team can now determine the right plan to attack through the data gathered on the analysis and audit.  The program should then be implemented, which will create results that need to undergo a detailed review for the following months. This period will be mainly involve testing and refining your Local SEO.  If an element in your website or landing page is still performing poorly, your strategy needs to be adjusted. Under the Local SEO, some components and properties need to be improved and optimized.  You will start with your Business Page, landing page and website, building citation, mark-up, and a whole lot more.  Every process includes a lengthy and intricate process that needs to be completed before proceeding to the next step. 

 

 

My Business Page

 

For instance, when dealing with your my Business Page, you will need to find and record first the actual My Business page; it will then be followed with a verification system.  After claiming the page, attach the business name to your company e-mail address, which will improve the legitimacy of your business and enhance the credibility of the page.  Proper information should be added to the page and listed under the correct category.  Adding a great introduction, including your operation hours, is also recommended.  And if you think this is quite long, this is just for the My Business Page and not even on your landing page.  The Local SEO process concerning your official site is more complicated and comprehensive.

 

Localizing Social Media Page

 

After claiming your My Business page, it is time to build a social media page that targets your local audiences. Be sure that the information listed here is the same as what's written on your page and other local listings. Promoting accuracy and consistency also helps in your Local SEO efforts. It is not enough to post content regularly, listen to your audience, and be present in the conversation that mentions your brand. Respond to every question your prospects post and offer them a valuable solution.

 

Creating Local Content

 

This method must be linked with your other Local SEO strategy. For instance, you can share the content you will create in your social media profile. Blogging has always been the core of every company's SEO efforts.  As we've always said, content is the king. Developing high-quality content is a chance to showcase your expertise to your local audience. It is also the backbone of a healthy link-building strategy. Do not just carelessly post content, be sure that it follows the latest search engine algorithms. Consider content repurposing by adjusting your old content and localizing them.

How Powerful Local SEO Marketing Is To Small Businesses

 

Search Engine Optimization can be an overwhelming process for small businesses. They will be required to compete with prominent players in the same industry. These companies often have more consumer affinity, brand recognition, resources, and prestige. However, this does not necessarily mean that SEO will no longer be a powerful marketing platform for small businesses.    Competition is smaller when you are tackling Local SEO. Companies will only have to compete with the other local business. It increases your chance to maximize your online visibility.

 

One of the main reasons small businesses are using Local SEO is that it will help them target the audience within the area where they plan to establish their business. It makes it a potent tool for the business that has recently started its venture. They begin by advertising their companies on local directories and resources such as Yelp, Google My Business, and Craigslist. Be sure to upload only high-quality videos, images, and other related content to your business to improve your Local SEO.

 

Developing Partnership

 

Another powerful part of Local SEO is the possibility of creating a partnership between two businesses. Local SEO serves as a connection between them, and it also assists in enhancing social sharing. During this process, the company owner or the marketer will have the possibility to meet clients who can help them improve the value of their business. Connecting with the bloggers and the business owner will allow you to take a different approach to your business.

 

Interact with Your Audience

 

Based on the latest research, the number of searches performed on Google that take place on mobile and wearable gadgets is steadily increasing. According to the study, the online world is slowly shifting from desktop to mobile and to wearable devices. Because of this, the Geo and proximity-based searches will frequently occur, which places importance on the Local SEO.   Website is considered as an extension of your business. It serves as your business' face in the online world. By implementing Local SEO, you make it a lot simpler for your audience to interact with your business. It is easier for them to study and locate your company by updating it with engaging and informative content essential for business growth.

 

Improved Online Visibility

 

If you have followed the proper instructions to improve your Local SEO, you will enhance your online presence and improve your profit. The amount of traffic that your site will receive will exponentially increase as soon as you grow your SERP. Based on the statistics, 61% on laptops and 78% on mobile searches have converted. The increased visibility of your business can be primarily attributed to Local SEO. Business owners need to make sure that they share the appropriate content with their audience to drive the online search to their website.

 

Simple Local SEO Link Building Strategy

 

Local link building is an integral part of Local SEO. However, before starting with your link building, you need to know the difference between local and regular links. The regular link is what you usually use for a national campaign. On the other hand, the local links are links from local sources, such as websites related to your city. For instance, if you are running a law firm in Houston and want to build your local link, you will probably consider linking to Houston colleges and universities, Houston newspapers, and others.

 

Simple Link Building Strategy

 

When analyzing the strategies that we mentioned below, understand that there are instances that may not work for you.

 

Citation Building

 

A citation is basically a website that mentions your business's name or contact information. This specific mention will most commonly include a link that points directly to your website. This type of mention holds merit to the search engine algorithm that affects the credibility and authority of a website. This citation can be categorized into structured and unstructured citation building. Structured is the mentions that you receive on local business directories and listings. Unstructured are the links from the blogs, event listing, news website, etc. You will probably think it is just an average directory building, but it's different.

 

Business Association

 

One of the most straightforward links to get would be from the local business association, especially if you are willing to pay for the membership fee. Check for the local professional association in your area. Your link building will have a dramatic boost if you mention the professional association since they are considered a relevant and credible site. When joining a local association, make sure that the Google spiders crawl their site.

 

Your Existing Relationship

 

Using your existing relationship will definitely be beneficial for your local business. Every business will have to work with another company if they want to succeed, even just about Local SEO Link Building. Look at the people working with you, such as the supplier of your goods or the courier company that delivers your product. Their official site may have a partner or vendor page; most businesses will showcase their partners in the industry. If they do not have the Partners Page, you can simply write a testimonial about their company.

 

Job Pages

 

Finally, the job page can also be used in your Local SEO link building. If you have a job page on your official site, you can use this to promote your page on national and local job directories. You must add all the necessary details about the job opening. This kind of link is super easy to build, and they are quality links. It is the best opportunity for you to boost your local presence. Remember that Local SEO is not only limited to creating targeted content and keyword. You can conduct limitless link-building techniques that are ideal for your business.