Sometimes it is difficult to get acquainted with the tedious world of digital marketing and the new trends that are continually emerging in it.
Sometimes we hear about the importance of SEO for our business.
How what about the importance of local SEO?
Do not worry, if you don’t know what a local SEO is, I’ll explain it in detail here.
Besides, we will go through the benefits of the local SEO for your business and why you should work on your brand’s local SEO.
What is local SEO?
Local SEO or Local Search Engine Optimization, sometimes known as local search engine marketing, is an incredibly effective way to market your local business online, as it helps companies promote their products and services to local customers at the exact moment where the potential clients are looking for these services or products online.
This is achieved through a variety of methods, some of which differ greatly from what is known in standard SEO, and some of which are much easier to handle using local SEO tools and may require specific local services.
What is SEO Local Marketing?
Local SEO or Local Search Engine Optimization, sometimes known as local search engine marketing, is an incredibly effective way to market your local business online, as it helps companies promote your products and services to local customers in the exact time when you are looking for them online.
This could be achieved through a variety of methods, different than those used as standard SEO practices.
Some of these standard SEO practices are much easier to handle using local SEO tools and may require specific local services.
What is Local Search?
First, let’s look at the differences between a standard informational search and what is known as a local search.
According to Google, over 40% of searches have a “local intention.” While anyone in the world can find a place in the search engines results (aka SERPs) for a search query as “how to fix a blocked drain” when the question is more specific,i.e., “plumbers near me” or “the best plumber in (My Location)” then things change.
For this type of search queries, which usually include a location or “near me” (which are not even necessary if the search is done through Google Maps or if Google knows your location and assumes that the search has a local intention ), the search engines understand that what the user wants are business suggestions or location-based lists. Therefore that is precisely what they offer on the local search engine results pages (SERPs).
This difference in behavior and results is precisely the reason why local SEO is important and worth investing in it along with standard SEO.
What are the local SERPs?
What local businesses need most to improve traffic to their websites or through their doors is visibility into what is known as a local chart or chart 3.
This is the block of three business listings that appear below the map in the results shown after a Google search with local intent.
You will notice many things here that are different from the standard organic results, such as opening hours, review ratings, and even photos.
Although Google is becoming smart enough to get this information directly from your website, it is not where these elements come from.
Everything shown in the local package comes from the Google My Business profile, a critical part of local SEO marketing that is becoming more important as Google tries to satisfy more search queries directly in the SERPs (List of results of a search).
What is Google My Business?
Formerly known as Google Local, and for a while, including Google+ Local, Google My Business is, as the name implies, your company’s profile on Google.
Transmit information to a variety of places, including the local chart and Google Maps search results, but the most familiar appearance will probably be when you are at the top right (or top of the mobile) of a brand search for your business, as shown below.
This is what is known as the Knowledge Panel. Your GMB profile may include a large amount of information, such as the services you offer, contact details, business description, category and opening hours, but it is important to keep in mind that features such as GMB attributes, GMB questions and answers, and Google Reviews reviews are generated almost entirely by consumers, at best with experience in your business.
A large part of the local SEO is making your GMB profile as up-to-date and accurate as possible, so that you have a greater chance of appearing in the local box, and reliable and attractive enough to guarantee a click to your website or to Get directions to your local. Although incredibly powerful, Google My Business is just an example of what is known as ‘citation’.
What are local citations in directories?
A citation is any place where your company’s NAPW information (name, address, telephone number, website URL) appears online, usually in an online directory or on a company listing website.
These are particularly important for getting more searches because if you don’t appear in places that people are looking for businesses like yours, you are likely to be surpassed by competitors that do.
There are two types of appointments: unstructured and structured.
Structured citations usually appear in business listings and come from form fields that someone fills when claims a listing.
Unstructured citations are more likely to be the result of the press and social media, in which your NAPW information is visible and connected on a web page (perhaps through a piece of local news about the business ), but not in a structured format.
Obtaining citations for your local business is not only important; it is widely known as “The Holy Grail” in local search optimization.
While it is vital to make this a fundamental aspect of your regional SEO strategy, by building quotes on the most relevant websites, research shows that if they are not updated and cleaned regularly, there can be serious consequences.
Over 60% of consumers say they would stop using a local business if they found incorrect information in local directories.
How can I rank well in the local search?
So now that you know what local SEO is about, you’re probably wondering how to achieve success in it!
First of all, I recommend that you familiarize yourself with the three main elements of the local search ranking:
- Proximity: How close is your search engine business?
- Relevance: How important are your products and services for search?
- Prominence: What do other consumers say about your products and services?
What are the main local SEO services?
Thanks to the evolutionary nature of search engines like Google, local SEO can be a lot to work for.
The local SEO rules are always changing, and it can take a lot of time and effort to do the right thing.
This is the reason why so many SEO agencies and consultants invest in learning to do local SEO instead of broader SEO.
The rules are very different since your goal is to achieve different objectives.
In many cases, customers don’t care if the high visibility of your business in local search directories and business listings leads to more direct contact. As a result, you will notice more visitors than customers on your website.
We have covered some of the key things that help achieve success in local SEO; Here is an overview of all local SEO services that can make a difference:
Website location
Locating your website means including the name of your city, county or region naturally throughout your site.
For companies with multiple locations, this could involve creating separate pages or content centers for each different location.
Other tactics include getting involved in local community events and submitting articles and information about them on the site.
Creating citations in web directories
Make sure your business exists on a few of the prominent online business directories such as Yelp, Bing Places, Websst, TripAdvisor, Foursquare or Google My Business.
Not only will this help customers find your business, but it will also help you improve your search ranking by including your company’s name, address, phone number, and website URL (NAPW).
How to claim your Google My Business space
The claim on Google My Business page is a crucial step to help your company visualize essential Google services, such as local search results and Google Maps.
Google My Business, Bing Places for Business, Websst, Yelp, and any other popular web directory should always be the first online directory you own.
Review and rating management
Genuine and honest reviews are critical both to show the quality of your service and to send signals to the search engines that your site and service are reliable and useful.
The number of comments you receive, the general quality of the comments, and the authority of the review sites themselves are essential factors for ranking local searches.
Get quality, relevant backlinks
Naturally obtained backlinks from well-considered websites help search engines recognize your site as a reliable source of information and reinforce the “prominence” aspect of the local search algorithm.
Links from a business directory, local newspapers, bloggers, and business associations, as well as citations, can help improve the visibility of your search.
Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.
