10 SEO Techniques for Maximizing Local Visibility
If you’ve managed to rank some of your web pages and blog posts at the top of the search results, you’ve done a great job with your SEO strategy.
But if you’re a local business, it’s important not to miss out on local search engine optimization.
Why? It’s one of the keys to attracting customers to your brick-and-mortar location.
In fact, 97% of users turn online to find a local business.
So, don’t miss out on this opportunity to gain new customers with local search.
Follow the SEO techniques outlined in this article to understand local search intent, boost organic traffic to your website, and, ultimately, achieve higher local search rankings.
Local SEO is different from your usual SEO techniques. You have to consider the search intent of users looking for local products and services.
Let’s check out some best practices for ranking in local searches.
Contents
- 1. Set up a Google Business Profile
- 2. Gain backlinks from local businesses and directories
- 3. Leverage local trends in niche markets
- 4. Use location-specific keywords
- 5. Conduct local keyword research
- 6. Use E-E-A-T to boost credibility
- 7. Make sure your website is mobile-friendly
- 8. Use structured data
- 9. Create locally relevant content
- 10. Manage online reviews
- Conclusion
1. Set up a Google Business Profile
If you’ve ever searched for a local business in Google, you already know what a Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) looks like.
It features a company’s name, address, phone number, website link, and customer reviews.
GMB allows you to manage your online presence across Google, including Google Search and Google Maps.
To set up your profile:
- Sign in to the Google account you want to use.
- Choose how you want to verify your account.
- Enter your phone number and website URL.
- Enter your business’s service area.
- Search for your business category.
- Enter the name of your business.
Now, you have a GMB profile, which can help potential customers find you and get information about your business.
To further optimize your listing, consider adding images, a business description, a logo, and regular posts to update customers on what’s happening with your business.
2. Gain backlinks from local businesses and directories
Backlinks are a major Google ranking factor, whether for local or regular searches.
Being able to generate high-quality backlinks signals to search engines that your website content is authoritative and valuable to visitors.
To maximize local search visibility, look to build a backlink profile by submitting your business to local directories.
Find general directories that allow you to create a profile for your business, like Yelp, Yellowpages, Bing Places, Apple Maps, and Foursquare.
If you’re in a specific niche, you might find other directories to submit to, including:
- Hotfrog: A wide range of service businesses listed with customer reviews
- NextDoor: App for neighborhoods where people can post/chat/recommend businesses they’ve used
- FreeIndex: Local businesses from home repair to web design to solicitors
- Business Directory UK: Any and all business services; UK-owned since 1999
- Cylex: Local business directory
3. Leverage local trends in niche markets
Local businesses often overlook the power of aligning with niche interests to boost their online presence.
Take, for example, the world of PC games. This sector isn’t just a global phenomenon - it’s also a hive of local activities and communities.
You can tap into a dedicated audience by incorporating keywords related to popular local PC gaming events or gaming cafés in your SEO strategy.
This method attracts traffic and brings in a community that shares specific interests.
Imagine a local gaming café using SEO to highlight weekly gaming tournaments or a computer store optimizing its site with the latest PC game releases.
Take this example from Meta, a new gaming cafe and events arena in London.
(Image Source - Playnewmeta)
This targeted approach maximizes local search visibility. It also fosters a connection with a passionate demographic, thereby enhancing local engagement and relevance.
4. Use location-specific keywords
To improve local visibility, use SEO techniques that optimize content related to location-specific services.
82% of online shoppers have done a “near me” search. This allows searchers to find relevant local businesses based on their location.
Using the search query “near me” in your website content can help you rank for local searches in the areas you serve.
Consumers also use similar terms and phrases, including “around here,” “nearby,” “close by,” “close to me,” and “local.”
To incorporate these keywords in your content, just include the type of business you run or your industry. Then, add on “near me” or another related keyword.
For example, if you own a local bakery, you might use the keyword “local bakery near me.”
You can also get even more specific with your local search keywords. Thinking about your potential customers’ search intent is crucial here.
If you offer courier services in New York City, then your target audience is probably looking for these particular services in that area.
So, you might use keywords like “express courier service New York,” “express delivery Manhattan,” or “urgent courier Brooklyn.”
Screenshot provided by the author
This helps position your company’s site in local New York search results, making it more visible to customers looking for specific services in the city and its neighborhoods.
Or, let’s say you offer travel services, such as RV rentals. You can strengthen local visibility by incorporating specific geographic terms into your web content.
Mentioning specific locations, such as RV rental in San Francisco, in rental service descriptions can help capture the interest of local customers looking for travel options near them.
5. Conduct local keyword research
There’s more to local keywords than “near me” and “[product/service] in [location].”
Consumers use other keywords to find local businesses.
Use a keyword research tool to see what your target audience is searching for. As you play with these tools, you’ll likely find several long-tail keywords representing a higher search intent.
This means that people searching for these keywords are often ready to make a purchase.
For example, using your keyword research tool, you might input “Italian restaurant in London.”
Some long-tail keywords that show up might include:
- Best Italian restaurants London
- Best Italian restaurants in London Greenwich
- London Greenwich Italian restaurants
Because these keywords are more specific, it indicates that customers are more likely to convert.
Incorporate these relevant keywords into your blog posts, landing page content, title tags, and other important elements to boost local SEO success.
Just make sure to avoid keyword stuffing, as this can hurt your search engine rankings.
6. Use E-E-A-T to boost credibility
Develop an E-E-A-T strategy to strengthen your company’s local search presence.
Google created the concept E-E-A-T, which stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
Although it doesn’t directly impact rankings, it can help build trust around your business and team members.
Local SEO tactics that relate to E-E-A-T are:
- GMB profile posting, customer photos, employee bios, founding date, completed projects (Experience)
- Local service pages, blog posts, Google reviews, reviews from 3rd-party sites like Facebook, and niche directories (Expertise)
- Local links, social following, Wikipedia presence (Authoritativeness)
- Local reviews and testimonials (Trustworthiness)
The E-A-T-T concept is especially important in the health and wellness industry. Consumers should feel like they can trust healthcare companies to give them the most accurate information.
Wellness company Hims & Hers effectively uses E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) principles on its website when addressing hair loss issues.
Here’s how the brand achieved success in implementing E-E-A-T:
- Medical Expertise & Experience: The valuable content on the Hims & Hers website is backed by medical expertise. They collaborate with qualified healthcare professionals and experts in the field of dermatology and hair loss. This ensures the information provided is accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
- Authoritative Content: The platform publishes authoritative content written by medical professionals and experts. Articles, guides, and resources related to hair loss are crafted with a focus on accuracy and relevance. This authoritative approach helps establish the brand as a reliable source of information.
- Trustworthy Information: Hims & Hers prioritizes the trustworthiness of the information they present. The content is fact-checked, and sources are cited to provide transparency and assurance to the audience. This commitment to trustworthy information enhances the overall reliability of the platform.
7. Make sure your website is mobile-friendly
Given the growing prevalence of smartphones and other mobile devices, it’s crucial to guarantee a seamless browsing experience for mobile users visiting your website.
In the fourth quarter of 2021, mobile devices accounted for 63% of organic search engine visits.
And 42% of millennials who perform a local search will visit a business most of the time. They’re also 50% more likely to conduct these local searches on the go.
Optimizing your website for mobile devices will allow you to appeal to these users who need information as quickly as possible.
This involves implementing a responsive design that automatically adapts the website layout to accommodate various screen sizes and orientations. This ensures optimal viewing and usability on smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices.
Your website should also have a fast loading speed and be optimized for mobile users. To do this, work on minimizing page size, compressing images, and employing caching techniques to guarantee swift page loads, even on slower mobile networks.
House of Joppa demonstrates effective mobile optimisation strategies. The Catholic jewelry store enhanced its website’s loading speed for mobile devices by compressing images, minimising code, and using caching to help content load more quickly.
As a result, the company not only achieved faster page load times but also saw an improvement in its local SEO success.
8. Use structured data
Structured data is critical for helping search engines understand what a webpage’s content is about.
This also applies to local search. So, be sure to implement structured data types like:
- Postal addresses
- Geocoordinates
- Local business
- Reviews
Schema markup is a specific type of structured data that you add to your website to provide explicit information about the content on your page.
Different types of schema markup values include:
- Organization schema markup: This type of structured data allows you to improve your website snippet presence and Knowledge Graph entry in the search engine results pages (SERPs). It includes your business contact details, social profile links, and logo. (EX: Headquarters: 123 Main Street, Cityville, Country.)
- Website schema markup: Provides information about your overall website, including details like your site’s name, URL, and description. (EX: https://www.example.com)
- Breadcrumbs markup: Helps to define the hierarchical structure of your website, including a page’s position within the site’s structure, which offers a clear navigation path. (EX: Home > Category > Current Page [with corresponding URLs])
- Site navigation schema markup: Provides details about the navigation elements of your website. It helps search engines understand your site’s menu structure, links, and hierarchy.
- Video schema markup: Offers additional information about videos embedded on a webpage. It includes details such as the video’s title, description, duration, upload date, thumbnail URL, and more. This helps enhance the visibility of video content in search results, which can lead to richer snippets.
9. Create locally relevant content
To gain more organic traffic from local searches, create high-quality content that’s relevant to the areas you serve.
For example, you can create blog posts, landing pages, product descriptions, and how-to guides and tutorials that appeal to different locations.
Consider creating landing pages for different geographical areas. Improve the user experience by adding internal links.
For example, if you’re a dentist serving the greater Atlanta area, create landing pages for locations like Buckhead, Midtown, Decatur, Sandy Springs, and Alpharetta. You might also choose to do this for each service you offer, such as cleanings, extractions, dental crowns, etc.
As a result, you can build a strong internal linking structure that strengthens your site’s SEO strategy.
This will help boost search engine visibility for several services in different locations.
10. Manage online reviews
Trustworthiness is huge when it comes to SEO. Google and other major search engines want to show searchers the most relevant, valuable content.
Screenshot provided by the author
Businesses that meet these standards are more likely to rank high in the SERPs. One way to show search engines your business is trustworthy is by the number and quality of your reviews.
This is why online review management is so important. So, be sure to respond to reviews, whether they’re positive or negative.
This shows your customers that you care about their brand experience and understand the importance of engaging with your target audience.
Plus, reviews can turn a negative experience into a positive one.
Follow these tips for managing online reviews:
- Try to respond within 24 hours of receiving a review.
- Apologize and offer a solution.
- Personalize your response.
- Monitor and follow up.
- Keep it professional.
Conclusion
If you take anything away from this blog, remember this: to boost your local SEO rankings, you must boost trustworthiness.
To do this, incorporate relevant keywords, build a strong backlink profile, and create high-quality content.
Search engine algorithms look for this when determining which websites to rank for.
By following these SEO techniques, you’ll be well on your way to boosting local organic traffic to your site.
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