The Importance of Local SEO for Location-Based Businesses
When it comes to running a location-based business, getting prominent online visibility is crucial. Besides having a professional website, your target customers should be able to find your business online when searching for the products and services you offer. Local SEO helps to do that as it is a subcategory of traditional SEO that focuses on increasing your online presence so you rank high on SERPs and make profits.
This blog outlines the key concepts of local SEO, its importance for location-based businesses, how to use it perfectly to grow your business, and other relevant things. Let’s dive in.
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO is a subcategory of SEO that helps a location-based business to improve its visibility in the local search results, mainly in the “Map Pack” or “Local Pack”.
Why Local SEO is Important for a Small Business
Local SEO optimization is always important for your location-based small business be it a tea stall as more than 46% of online searches have local intent, which means users look for products/services near their location. Plus, 92% of online searches will choose businesses ranking on the local search results’ first page. So, you should optimize local SEO to increase your local visibility, attract the maximum number of target customers, and flourish your business.
How Does Local SEO Work?
You should learn the key elements and strategies of local SEO to understand how it works effectively for your localized business. Local SEO strategies comprise both on-page and off-page SEO techniques, mostly focusing on Google.
On-page optimization is optimizing the website elements so they get more search engine optimized and easily accessible. Here are the key elements of on-page local SEO:
- Keyword Optimization :Perform thorough keyword research for local SEO to add relevant keywords with a local intent to the content. For instance, you can target keywords like “the best pet store in Mumbai” if you run a pet store in Mumbai.
- Meta Tags Inclusion:
Add location-based information to your meta title and description to boost your website visibility to local searches. - Content Development :
Draft engaging and informative content, such as blogs, guides, and landing pages, to target local customer interests. - Mobile Optimization:
Ensure your website is responsive for mobile phones since Google displays mobile-friendly websites at the top of SERPs.
- NAP Citations:
Add the same Name, Address, and Phone Number (NAP) to your website, online directories, and social media profiles. - Schema Markup:
Use schema markup for local SEO to add structured data about your business, such as name, address, contact number, and business hours, to search engines.
Off-page optimization works on the external website elements that affect your local business’s search engine rank. Here are the key components of off-page local optimization:
- Local SEO Link Building:
Get the best backlinks for local SEO from localized websites, sources, and directories. Such local SEO backlinks help in boosting your website’s trustability in the SERPs.
- Social Media Presence :
You should be active and prominently visible on social media to boost your local SEO business. Plus, you should keep engaging with your target customers and share content across social media to increase your online visibility.
- Business Reviews:
You should request the satisfied customers to post positive reviews about your local business on Google, and Yelp. The more positive reviews your business gets, the higher the search engine ranking and the more trust you can build with target customers.
Local SEO and Google My Business can work together to get the desired results in location-based SEO. Google My Business is a free Google tool that helps local businesses increase their online visibility, mainly on Google Maps and Google Search.
Here are the tips to optimize GMB Listing:
- Create a Good and Updated Profile:
You should create a proper and updated profile. Add correct information, such as your website URL, a short description, and operational hours.
- Select the Related Categories:
Ensure you select the right categories that correctly represent your business, products, and services. Google can clearly understand your local business and display it to the target searchers on the SERPs.
- Post High-Quality Images:
Upload high-resolution pictures about your business, and offerings. The attractive visual content can exceptionally boost your GMB listing.
- Request for Business Reviews:
You should always ask your satisfied customers to post good reviews on the GMB listing. Positive reviews improve your search engine rankings and help in building trust with target customers. - Share Frequent Updates:
Post regular events and updates via your GMB listing that can keep searchers engaged with your updated content.
Benefits of Local SEO
Here are the key local SEO benefits that can do wonders for your small business:
- Increased Online Visibility:
The best local SEO strategy can increase your online visibility in the local search results. Once people search for your products/services in your location, your business tends to get visible at the top of SERPs, mainly in the Local Pack. Target customers will notice your business quickly because of the increased online visibility, which increases website traffic and conversions.
- More Credibility:
Visibility in the local search results, mainly in the Local Pack, can increase the credibility of your local business. In today’s digital world, people tend to relate high-ranked businesses with credibility, which makes them more interested in choosing you over your competitors. The high trust ability of your brand can significantly increase CTRs and conversions.
- Wider Reach:
Local SEO ranking helps your local business to widen its reach. As your website ranks high for the target keywords, you tend to reach target customers looking for the products and services in your location. High search engine ranking increases the chances of conversions and traffic quality.
- Affordable Marketing:
Unlike traditional marketing strategies, local SEO is an affordable strategy to reach the maximum local target audience. Paid advertising is costly and can’t deliver beneficial outcomes like organic search rankings. Once you use the most effective local SEO tools and strategies, your local business can get long-term visibility without spending on advertisements.
- Enhanced UX:
Website optimization and GMB listing for mobile phone users are crucial elements of local SEO. By doing so properly, you can improve the UX of your website because of which people would enjoy accessing it. The better mobile responsiveness keeps users happy and meets Google’s priority for mobile-optimized websites and ranking them high on the SERPs.
How to Do Local SEO
Check the points below to learn how to implement local SEO to grow your small local business.
Here are the on-page optimization tips to follow for your website:
- Optimize Meta Tags:
Add the most relevant keywords to your meta title and meta description. - Optimize for Mobile Phones:
Create a responsive web design and optimize your website on mobile devices to boost mobile-friendliness. - Use Local Structured Data:
Execute local SEO schema markup with structured data to provide details, such as blogs, articles, and guides highlighting the latest news, trends, and local events, to meet the target local audience’s needs and interests.
- Draft Location-Centric Content:
You should write enriching content that meets the needs and interests of your local target audience. Such location-specific content includes blogs, articles, and guides, that highlight the latest news, trends, and local events.
Here are the local link-building tips that you should follow:
- List Business on the Local Directories:
You should list your local business on local directories, such as Angie’s List, Yellow Pages, and Yelp. You should add the same NAP information in all the directories. - Get Local Citations:
Earn local citations from local firms and chamber of commerce websites. Such citations are the mentions of the NAP information of your local business. - Increase Local Outreach:
You should try to increase the outreach of your local business by connecting with the most famous influencers, bloggers, and companies. Content collaboration and getting backlinks from localized sources can help in widening the local outreach of your business.
How to Assess and Track the Success of Your Local SEO Techniques
Local SEO can’t be done quickly at a time and demands consistent efforts and evaluation. When it comes to evaluating the success, you can use the best local SEO tools and analytics such as:
- Monitor Google Analytics:
With Google Analytics, you can monitor your website traffic, conversion rates, and user behavior to check how local SEO affects your business’s online performance.
- Check Google My Business Information:
You can track the GMB performance, such as listing, clicks, views, and user actions. - Evaluate Google Search Console:
You should evaluate your website presence in Google SERPs and fix any issues that may affect your search engine rankings. - Use Local SEO Tools:
Make the most of the free local SEO tools, such as SEMRush, Bright Local, and Moz Local to track local citations, keyword rankings, and your local SEO performance. As you keep tracking and adjusting the local SEO strategies for small businesses, your efforts will maximize the ROI.