Many marketers and business owners have testified how local SEO has not been an easy feat to take. Well, it is not really because of their lack of effort, but more of their lack of knowledge on where to put their efforts. On that note, this article will be discussing some tips to help you improve your local SEO. Also, it’s worth mentioning the fact that having a physical location can be your most significant advantage while you are implementing your local SEO practices.
What is local SEO?
Have you ever noticed in your search results pages that there is a top listing of companies or businesses together with a Google map—in the case of Google search engine—and a five-star ranking at that? If you have, then you’ve witnessed what I am referring to as the local SEO. While you may not be on the top positions of search results that are seen all over the world for specific keywords, showing up as one of the top-ranking sites in your local place will still give your business a competitive edge, most especially if you’re targeting to be the number one in your locality. Below are some ways that will provide a solid foundation for your local SEO.
1. Be a member of Google My Business
If you want to take over the local results in Google rankings, then you must consider submitting your business to be part of Google My Business. Once you have been approved, your Google My The business page will contain your business’ necessary information, including working hours, contact number, your address shown on Google maps, and search results. Also, you can put pictures and other media content in your business profile so that people can get to know your business better.
2. Next is to enter your top local directories
Getting your business a Google My Business page is only a start because your next step would be to submit your business to another entry, which is the top local directories. You must know that directory services can be acquired for free as well as premium. If you choose free directory services, then expect a waiting phase meaning you have to wait sometime until your directory submission gets moderated then approved by service moderators. As for the premium service, there will be a submission fee for your entry.
3. Pay close attention to customer reviews
More often than not, functions that accept local business entry submissions are accompanied by an option for your customers and viewers that will allow them to write reviews about your business. While review matters, it is essential to know that a large volume of reviews won’t get your ranking rise in your local listing. Instead, Google algorithms will weigh in your positive and negative reviews meaning if you have 15 positive reviews and two negative ones, then you will be ranked higher than a competitor who has 20 positive reviews and six negative reviews. Hence, you have to ensure that you are offering quality products and excellent customer service to your customers. Lastly, train your customer support specialist to handle customer reviews in a professional manner.
4. On-site optimization also plays a huge role
Once you have accomplished the first three steps, now, the last—but certainly not the last—thing to do is to optimize your website in such a way that you can attract valuable local traffic. Some of the essential critical players in on-site optimization are keywords, title tags, and website structure, so works on improving those along with the other components.
