Local Search Engine Rankings 5 Things You Must Know

Local search engine optimisation is vital for local businesses that serve a particular community to attract their target demographic. Forty-six percent of Google searches are local.

Please take a moment to think about it. When you need car repairs or a plumber to fix your kitchen sink immediately, you perform a local Google search.

From dentists to daycare centres, there isn’t a business on the planet assisting their community face-to-face that should ignore the potential local SEO has to drive business. When you apply local SEO to your website and social media channels, you’re increasing your visibility to those that need your services. 

SEO is More Relevant Now Than Ever

There are few rumours on the marketing streets that SEO isn’t as relevant or as important as it used to be. Create quality content, they say, and you’ll be fine. However, that could not be further from the truth.

Every business, local or national, should employ the perfect mixture of search engine optimisation and high-quality content. It would be best if you still cared a whole lot about SEO, especially if you’re local, and here’s why.

Local Searches are on the Rise

As more consumers use their phones to find what they need, the instance of local searches is rising, with no end in sight. Most people connect a location to their voice or text search, and seventy-one percent of people look up a business location before they go to that business in person.

So, if you play your SEO cards correctly, you could easily show up in the search results of your competitors. That’s the magic of search engine optimisation.

Local SEO Builds Brand Awareness

If potential clients aren’t finding you at the top of Google results for a local search, it’s a heck of a lot harder to build brand awareness or encourage them to come to your place of business. Word of mouth and media advertisements are great, but let’s face it, the world uses the internet to find what they need.

In short, SEO is still very much a thing, and your business needs it to survive online.

5 Things You Must Know About Local SEO

SEO is an endlessly confusing topic. There is so much information (and misinformation) available regarding it, that’s it’s nearly impossible to read through. Throwing local SEO into the mix can muddy the waters even more, especially for beginners.

Let’s take a look at five things you should know about local SEO.

Keyword Research

Every excellent SEO campaign begins with keyword research. If you’re focusing on local SEO, you’ll want your keywords to revolve around the purpose of your business, as well as your location, such as “candy store in Brisbane, Queensland”.

You will eventually build your web content around two or three localised keywords. You can employ a blog in the future to branch out on the keywords you want to use and increase your reach.

Claim Your Google Listing

Claiming your free Google My Business Listing is imperative to a successful Local SEO campaign. Be sure to optimise this listing with the keywords you’re using for your website. Also, include as many details regarding your business as possible.

My Business Listings will also appear in Google Maps, so at the very least, include the company website, hours of operation, customer reviews, location, photos, company logo, and product or service category. When customers can find you when searching for the service you provide, your traffic will spike.

Complete Online Listings and Directories

There are plenty of business directories located on the World Wide Web. They are essentially listing sites that categorise businesses within a niche, location, or service. These sites require your address and additional information that pertains to local companies.

Due to this, it makes sense that these sites would benefit your local online presence. Try to complete as many of these listings as possible, because it will genuinely contribute to your local SEO strategy and get you started on the right foot.

Create Backlinks on Review Sites

Many people use their reviews to fuel local SEO. Since, so many consumers use reviews to decide whether or not to purchase a service or product, connecting your company to review sites and creating a link back to your website is the perfect way to gain a little extra traffic.

The more people click a link that leads back to you, the more authority you’ll achieve with Google, improving your rank. It never hurts to showcase how amazing your business is.

Share High-Quality Localised Content

A great way to optimise your website to attract local clients is to create content on your website. Make sure your name, address, and phone number are visible, either in the header or footer of your site, and the contact page.

Also, writing and publishing blog content surrounding local keywords, such as “copywriting agency in Bangor, Maine” will push your site up further on Google. You could use this phrase in your homepage content as well, but make sure not to over optimise. Google will penalise for that.

The Importance of Local SEO

If you’re a local business owner, then you want to implement local SEO to gain traction in your local search engine rankings. Not only does it allow you to create awareness around your business, whether it’s new or established, but it helps get a leg up on the competition. Start planning and executing your strategy today.