Getting noticed online can be challenging for anyone, but it’s hard to doubt how crucial it is in this day and age. For small businesses especially, one of the best ways to get noticed is through an online presence and using local SEO is essential for making that happen. Local SEO is important, especially for small businesses that operate on a regional level as opposed to a national level. Though national SEO primarily focuses on ranking in searches for the entire country, local SEO takes a step back, instead focusing on appearing in search engine result pages within a specific locality.
There are several ways businesses can improve their search engine rankings (order of appearance on result pages) that can ultimately boost their site traffic.
What is Local Search Engine Optimisation (Local SEO)?
Going back to the beginning, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation, so local SEO is a type of search engine optimisation strategy that assists small businesses in becoming more visible in the local search results on Google.
1. Local Search Simulation
This is one of the most powerful Google local ranking factors that, if used effectively, will help your business rank highly. A good strategy is to always begin by researching keywords using the best keyword tools available. Knowing what your customers are searching for can help you target your content towards them. The fact that Google abolished its local search filter makes it hard to simulate Google local search results from a different location.
Though things have gotten a little complex, you can try things such as incorporating the ‘near’ parameter in your URL. After you have put the query, the SEOs will add the ‘&near=cityname.’ Using this trick produces results that would have appeared if you were in or near that particular location.
2. Seek Reviews from Happy Clients
It’s important to ask your happy clients to write positive reviews regarding your business. Besides optimising your Google My Business presence, it’ll make your business more appealing to local buyers, encouraging them to make a purchase. Sources have it that at least 88% of online buyers treat reviews like personal recommendations. At the end of the day, we want proof a business is going to follow through on their promises.
Getting online reviews from clients can be tricky, but the best way to approach it is asking them to consider writing one every time you close a sale. You can also deliver them a post-purchase text or email asking them to provide reviews about your products or services. It’s also important from an SEO and professional perspective to respond to the reviews that you already have on the website.
3. Create a Google My Business Account
Optimising your business profile is one of the most effective ways to improve your ranking on Google Maps. It’ll also help you gain strong visibility in Google search local results. To gain access to your company profile and get started with these optimisations, you’ll have to come up with a Google My Business Account.
You’ll need to supply all the requested details in the Google My Business account dashboard. The same details will then be added to your Business Profile. This newly created business profile will then show up in Google Search local results, Google Maps, and Google Search Knowledge.
4. Have a Responsive Design
Another way of improving your local SEO is making your website as mobile friendly as possible. With a responsive design, your site can adapt to any device used by your customers helping you avoid display issues and making the site easy to use.
As a local enterprise, you should understand that most people will use their mobile phones to access suppliers near them. Therefore, for potential clients to find information about your business, your website should be adapted for mobile devices. If your website doesn’t work on their device or pages won’t load correctly, customers will get tired of waiting and go somewhere else.
Consider improving the user experience by giving your site a sleek, attractive design and simple features for easy navigability. This will make customers interested in your page, so they will keep coming back whenever they need products and services from your business.
5. Optimise for Voice Search
Our user experience with search engines is constantly innovating, and we expect voice search to be the next big thing. As a result, it is crucial to consider how to optimise for the different ways people search – focusing more on how they ask questions when they talk into devices, instead of what they type when searching for information.
When using voice searches, customers tend to use long-tail keywords (i.e. longer phrases) as opposed to when typing search queries (which are often shorter and to the point). Therefore, it’s important to tailor your website to fit a more conversational tone of clients speaking into their mobile and desktop devices. For instance, you need to adjust it to account for traditional question prefixes such as what, when, who, why, how, etc.
6. On-Page Signals
There are a variety of on-page factors that need to be considered when your site faces rigorous analysis for local rankings. The first thing (and arguable most important) step is to only use keywords relevant to the information you are sharing on the website. Search engines are designed to ensure that websites only use keywords that are relevant and strategically placed. If you’re keyword ‘stuffing’ and the words aren’t relevant to your content your site can be penalised as a result.
Relevancy is crucial for local search engine optimisation and can help your website rank in given areas of your industry. There needs to be important details such as an address, phone number, and name since they assist in the on-page ranking. These details are used by Google to realise vital proximity data for your rankings.
7. Get Online Citations
Online citations and directories are the new yellow pages, and their reach is significant. Through citations, you can get accurate information on the internet about various businesses in a particular locality. Citations also help your efforts to get local backlinks from credible and authoritative sites. Today, most clients prefer using citations and directories to get products and services and contact details of their preferred dealers. Search engines are designed to use citations to ascertain necessary information about various businesses.
8. Backlink Profile
Backlinks are some of the most important local search ranking factors that your local business needs to thrive. Local enterprises should try to attract links from relevant, local, and authoritative websites to impact their websites positively. Getting good backlinks can be difficult; however, it is crucial to note that when it comes to other sites connecting to yours, quality plays a central role.
While getting backlinks to your business site from other highly authoritative sites is an important factor to get priority placement in search results, it can be time-consuming to earn. If you prefer, you can find an SEO agency to work on acquiring the highest quality backlinks for you. But to avoid getting caught out, make sure they’re using ethical, white-hat strategies.
The Bottom Line
Understanding the elements and factors that affect local search engine optimisation ranking is an important way to commence your local search marketing expedition. Content on the internet is forever expanding, so to give yourself a higher chance of being seen you need to use the tips mentioned above to make your business appear in Google’s local search results. The points above are some of the most commonly used Google local ranking factors and must be used to gain a competitive edge. It’s fair to say local SEO isn’t easy for small and medium-sized businesses but when done effectively can make a significant difference to your business. If in doubt, contact an agency like Digital8 to help.
About the author
Joe McCord is the General Manager of Digital8 – Brisbane’s premier full-service digital transformation agency providing web design, app development, digital marketing and more. Joe is a dynamic, cheerful creative thinker with an innate ability to identify growth hack opportunities and design deployment solutions.
Going back to the beginning, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation, so local SEO is a type of search engine optimisation strategy that assists small businesses in becoming more visible in the local search results on Google.
1. Local Search Simulation
This is one of the most powerful Google local ranking factors that, if used effectively, will help your business rank highly. A good strategy is to always begin by researching keywords using the best keyword tools available. Knowing what your customers are searching for can help you target your content towards them. The fact that Google abolished its local search filter makes it hard to simulate Google local search results from a different location.
Though things have gotten a little complex, you can try things such as incorporating the ‘near’ parameter in your URL. After you have put the query, the SEOs will add the ‘&near=cityname.’ Using this trick produces results that would have appeared if you were in or near that particular location.
2. Seek Reviews from Happy Clients
It’s important to ask your happy clients to write positive reviews regarding your business. Besides optimising your Google My Business presence, it’ll make your business more appealing to local buyers, encouraging them to make a purchase. Sources have it that at least 88% of online buyers treat reviews like personal recommendations. At the end of the day, we want proof a business is going to follow through on their promises.
Getting online reviews from clients can be tricky, but the best way to approach it is asking them to consider writing one every time you close a sale. You can also deliver them a post-purchase text or email asking them to provide reviews about your products or services. It’s also important from an SEO and professional perspective to respond to the reviews that you already have on the website.
3. Create a Google My Business Account
Optimising your business profile is one of the most effective ways to improve your ranking on Google Maps. It’ll also help you gain strong visibility in Google search local results. To gain access to your company profile and get started with these optimisations, you’ll have to come up with a Google My Business Account.
You’ll need to supply all the requested details in the Google My Business account dashboard. The same details will then be added to your Business Profile. This newly created business profile will then show up in Google Search local results, Google Maps, and Google Search Knowledge.
4. Have a Responsive Design
Another way of improving your local SEO is making your website as mobile friendly as possible. With a responsive design, your site can adapt to any device used by your customers helping you avoid display issues and making the site easy to use.
As a local enterprise, you should understand that most people will use their mobile phones to access suppliers near them. Therefore, for potential clients to find information about your business, your website should be adapted for mobile devices. If your website doesn’t work on their device or pages won’t load correctly, customers will get tired of waiting and go somewhere else.
Consider improving the user experience by giving your site a sleek, attractive design and simple features for easy navigability. This will make customers interested in your page, so they will keep coming back whenever they need products and services from your business.
5. Optimise for Voice Search
Our user experience with search engines is constantly innovating, and we expect voice search to be the next big thing. As a result, it is crucial to consider how to optimise for the different ways people search – focusing more on how they ask questions when they talk into devices, instead of what they type when searching for information.
When using voice searches, customers tend to use long-tail keywords (i.e. longer phrases) as opposed to when typing search queries (which are often shorter and to the point). Therefore, it’s important to tailor your website to fit a more conversational tone of clients speaking into their mobile and desktop devices. For instance, you need to adjust it to account for traditional question prefixes such as what, when, who, why, how, etc.
6. On-Page Signals
There are a variety of on-page factors that need to be considered when your site faces rigorous analysis for local rankings. The first thing (and arguable most important) step is to only use keywords relevant to the information you are sharing on the website. Search engines are designed to ensure that websites only use keywords that are relevant and strategically placed. If you’re keyword ‘stuffing’ and the words aren’t relevant to your content your site can be penalised as a result.
Relevancy is crucial for local search engine optimisation and can help your website rank in given areas of your industry. There needs to be important details such as an address, phone number, and name since they assist in the on-page ranking. These details are used by Google to realise vital proximity data for your rankings.
7. Get Online Citations
Online citations and directories are the new yellow pages, and their reach is significant. Through citations, you can get accurate information on the internet about various businesses in a particular locality. Citations also help your efforts to get local backlinks from credible and authoritative sites. Today, most clients prefer using citations and directories to get products and services and contact details of their preferred dealers. Search engines are designed to use citations to ascertain necessary information about various businesses.
8. Backlink Profile
Backlinks are some of the most important local search ranking factors that your local business needs to thrive. Local enterprises should try to attract links from relevant, local, and authoritative websites to impact their websites positively. Getting good backlinks can be difficult; however, it is crucial to note that when it comes to other sites connecting to yours, quality plays a central role.
While getting backlinks to your business site from other highly authoritative sites is an important factor to get priority placement in search results, it can be time-consuming to earn. If you prefer, you can find an SEO agency to work on acquiring the highest quality backlinks for you. But to avoid getting caught out, make sure they’re using ethical, white-hat strategies.
The Bottom Line
Understanding the elements and factors that affect local search engine optimisation ranking is an important way to commence your local search marketing expedition. Content on the internet is forever expanding, so to give yourself a higher chance of being seen you need to use the tips mentioned above to make your business appear in Google’s local search results. The points above are some of the most commonly used Google local ranking factors and must be used to gain a competitive edge. It’s fair to say local SEO isn’t easy for small and medium-sized businesses but when done effectively can make a significant difference to your business. If in doubt, contact an agency like Digital8 to help.
About the author
Joe McCord is the General Manager of Digital8 – Brisbane’s premier full-service digital transformation agency providing web design, app development, digital marketing and more. Joe is a dynamic, cheerful creative thinker with an innate ability to identify growth hack opportunities and design deployment solutions.
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