5 min read
5 Simple Steps To Improve Local SEO
Share
Local search engine optimization (SEO) is all about increasing your visibility as a local business to people using search engines nearby. Believe it or not, the online presence of businesses with physical locations or storefronts makes an impact on their in-store sales. Think of all the times you’ve looked up the hours for a restaurant down the road. That’s just one example of SEO that is in complete control of the owner and costs nothing to maintain. If you’re looking for more brand exposure, traffic to your website, and sales as a local business, here are some tips to improve your local search engine optimization (SEO).
While there are many SEO practices that are very technical, we’ll show you some simple steps to improve search rankings for your area today!
1) Optimize Your Google My Business (GMB) Listing
Optimizing your GMB listing is one of the simplest and most effective ways to rank on Google Maps and local Google Search results. This involves adding photos, posting updates, getting reviews, and having accurate and up-to-date hours and contact info. In order to access your Business Profile and optimize it, you need a Google My Business account. Once you provide all of the required information to set it up, that information will be added to your business profile and appear on Google Search local results, the Google Search Knowledge Panel, and Google Maps.
2) Manage and Respond to Reviews
Encouraging happy customers to give reviews will help with your Google My Business listing. Reviews can influence your Google search and Maps ranking. Google also states that responding to reviews is important too, as it “shows that you value your customers and the feedback that they leave about your business.” There are several effective, and proven successful ways to encourage customers to write reviews, such as creating and sharing a link for your customers to write reviews. Additionally, having good reviews will encourage more people to buy from you. According to BrightLocal’s 2017 Local Consumer Review Survey, 85% of customers believe online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
3) Optimize Your Website For Mobile
A mobile-friendly website is crucial because more than half of global website traffic comes from mobile devices. Google prioritizes mobile page load speed when ranking websites for searches, which is significant since most website traffic comes through Google. A study from Acquisio showed that 75% of all mobile searches with local intent lead to in-store visits within 24 hours. Below is a list of online tools that can help you determine if your website is mobile-friendly:
4) Target Local Keywords
Be sure to use keywords and phrases on your website that are relevant to local customers. A useful tool for finding keywords and how many searches they get is Google’s Google’s own Keyword Planner. Once you have your keywords, use them in your meta content, copy, and URLs. Furthermore, you can include mentions of landmarks and hotspots in your content. Another great way to target local keywords is to create content based on local stories or events. Writing blogs that speak or relate directly to local issues can be a great way to capture local customers’ attention.
5) Utilize Online Business Directories
Online business directories are websites like Yelp and YellowPages, but there are many more. Getting your business name, address, and phone number into these directories helps visibility and also boosts your local SEO. Some listings may even show reviews taken from other local sites while crawling the web. Similar to Google My Business, make sure to include the following basics:
- A link to your website
- Business name, address, and phone number
- A good description of your business
- Quality photos of your business’s location and/or team members.
While we don’t offer SEO as a direct service at Madak, we do keep SEO top-of-mind when developing websites for our clients, as well as Local SEO when working with small businesses on developing an online marketing strategy. As a part of our Services, we do a complete online audit of your business, and provide recommendations to jumpstart your marketing. Have a question? Get in touch with us.
Related Blogs
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostru.
How to Plan Your Social Media Posts
There’s no ignoring the relevancy of social media in business. Apps like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter are some of the most convenient platforms people and businesses can use to interact with other people, influencers, and brands. This is why social media is now such an important part of so many companies’ digital marketing strategies. Social media can still be a daunting place. How do you organize your content? How can you create a sense of structure and strategy with your posts? How do you make sure the photos, graphics, and captions all make sense together? Fear not! We’ll discuss the answers to all these questions and more in this article.
.webp)
How to Write a SMART Goal + Resource Download
Setting and achieving goals is critical for the success of every organization. Though most companies are more than capable of setting goals, whether or not those goals are realistic and reachable is a different story. Disorganized and impractical goals can lead to several negative situations, including employee demotivation and stakeholder disappointment. This is why as a productive professional or a manager of any kind of process, you first need to know how to write SMART goals — goals that are specific, measurable, assignable, realistic, and time-related. In this article, we will be taking a deeper dive into what SMART goals are and the best method for creating them. We even provide a free SMART goal template for you at the end!
How to Create Welcome Emails for New Subscribers
Setting up welcome emails is one of the best strategies you can use to communicate with your subscribers and show that you value them. When people subscribe to you, you have a small window of time to make an impression and show them that their decision is wise. This can be difficult to do if you’re unsure of the essentials for welcome emails. While you want to put a unique spin on the emails you send to subscribers, you also want to cover all of the bases that create an effective welcome email. We have previously covered the ins and outs of email marketing campaigns and email automation. Now, you can learn about creating welcome emails that make a real difference in the way your customers view you! This article will describe the best way to create welcome emails for new subscribers to ensure that your email campaigns have the intended effect.
Reimagine Your Digital Impact
Transform your website, pitch decks, sales collateral and more, all with transparent, upfront, pricing.