The Importance of Geo-Targeting in SEO and Ways to Go About the Process

There is no business organization in this day and age that does not seek refuge in the various approaches and techniques of SEO. Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is an umbrella term.

It seeks to improve the quality of your website and tries to understand the rubrics of an ideal website laid down by Google so that efficient strategies can be devised to improve the ranking of the website on Google’s SERPs.

Now, it is important to understand that there is a myriad of ways that a search analyst can go about tweaking the quality of a website. There are several on and off-page SEO factors that need to be considered.

For instance, one of the most important elements of SEO is content. Content is the king, and it is crucial for websites to have crisp and valuable content so that the user experience can be enhanced. This eventually leads Google to elevate the website on its SERPs and provide it with all the visibility and exposure required.

Speaking of a hoard of essential SEO elements, one element that we have decided to focus on in this article is that of geo-targeting. Efficient geo-targeting is an incredibly important factor in the domain of Search Engine Optimization and websites can confer more value to a website and thus, can make it more visible on the search engines.

On a similar note, we shall be discussing more on the importance of geo-targeting in SEO and see how it serves to be an excellent ranking factor of websites.

What is Geo-Targeting?

Geo-targeting, in the simplest terms, is the process of understanding the geography of your users and delivering content or advertisements to them on the basis of the same.

Take a hypothetical situation, for instance. You might have a business of delivering furniture to people in Los Angeles.

Geo-targeting allows you to understand who your target audience should be and the strategies that you must deploy to reach out to them.

It helps you target the right keywords based on location; in this case, Los Angeles and assists you in designing your SEO campaign in that way.

So, with the help of geo-targeting metrics, you can rank better for the searches involving Los Angeles.

Google’s Emphasis on Geo-Targeting

Not long ago, Google emphasized how important it is for websites to include the technique of geo-targeting. It clearly mentioned in one of its core updates that geo-targeting shall confer more value to websites.

And even after a series of core updates since then, this factor has not changed.

So how do you go about the process of geo-targeting?

In the sections that shall follow, we shall explain the process of geo-targeting and enlighten you on the measures that you can take to fashion a successful geo-targeting SEO campaign.

Creating a Geo Targeting SEO Campaign:

There are a few things that you can do to enhance your SEO campaign and make it specific to the geography of users you are dealing with.

The measures are simple and shall not require much of your time in addition to the amount you already invest in your regular website optimization.

Using Location-Specific Keywords for Starters

It is no secret that keyword research is the most important and an integral part of any successful SEO campaign.

It all begins and boils down to keyword research.
Therefore, while you are going about your usual keyword research drill for the SEO campaign, make sure that you target some useful location-based keywords.
So, if you want to rank for your furniture business set up in Los Angeles, you need to target keywords that relate to the nature of your business as well as the location specifically.
Always take your user’s search intent into consideration while targeting keywords, and that itself shall prove to be a great strategy.

Take Your Local Search Seriously

Studies have shown time and again that approximately 73 per cent of the internet searches compounded of local searches.

In fact, the local search results appear on Google before any other organic results, and you must try to optimize your websites in such a way that it appears on this local search results pack.
It is a great idea to sign up for GMB or Google My Business to appear in this search results ecosystem.

You Must Create Landing Pages that Are Location-Specific

Creating location-specific landing pages will give you just the right edge for your website to appear as the one that they are looking for. If you are wondering as to how that would happen, here is what you need to know.

If they happen to click on a banner that takes them to a landing page that specifically caters to their geographical area, you shall be in a win-win situation.
You can also use several tools that are available in the market. These show the location of your target audience so that you can target them and optimize your landing pages accordingly.
This will make your website more relevant and show up on Google’s search results.

Use and Experiment with Relevant Languages

Studies have also shown that most of the local searchers constitute of users from countries that do not speak English.
And therefore, if you do not care to experiment with languages, you might leave a lot of money on the table.
And no, this does not mean that you have to have a website that must have content in one particular local language.
It means that your website must allow the option of a language switch so that it is user-friendly and can appear on the local search results.
Experimenting with languages of your target users is an essential and an essential geo-targeting tool. And you must use the tool optimally.

Consider Match Marketing

Roping in efficient match marketing practices is also a very crucial strategy of geo-targeting.

This means that you need to examine and evaluate the needs and requirements of your users at different locations and deliver them advertisements and the like based on those requirements.
This will lead them to land on your website and will help you with your conversions. And while you are at it, it is vital that you remember that the marketing message on your site is the same as your geo-targeted ad.
You might not get the hang of the process initially, but as you experiment more with it, things will start making sense and give you the results.

Experiment with Visual Elements

This part might sound remotely related to the methods of geo-targeting, but it makes for a great strategy, nevertheless.

You must understand the colors and the layouts that shall work well with your users belonging to different locations and keep experimenting to find out the best one for your business.
You might have to change the layout of the landing page according to the location. It has been observed over a series of studies that the visual elements of the landing page have a significant impact on your target audience.
It might drastically improve the conversions and is, therefore, a very important geo-targeting tool.

Also, Consider Matching Currencies

After languages and visual elements, one other element that serves to be a vital geo-targeting strategy is the process of matching currencies.

Try displaying the currency of the location of your visitor and check if there is any difference in the rates of conversions.
Is your page doing better than what it used to when it had no currency of the location displayed on it? Or is it the same as before?
These are a few things that you must check to understand how including the different currencies of different locations of your target audience is affecting the conversions and sales.
This insight will help you understand what works and what does not while optimizing the landing page to meet the geo-targeting standards and improve your ranking on the SERPs.

In a Nutshell:

Geo-targeting is an extremely important part of SEO, and also an integral one at that. There are a few basic SEO techniques that you must always, and by default, deploy to optimize your website.

But there are also a few other advanced SEO techniques and strategies that you must learn and implement to get better results.

Geo-targeting happens to be one of those strategies that help you to identify the needs of your users from a specific location and optimize your website in the same way.

Identifying what works and what does not is imperative to put a working and efficient SEO campaign in place. That is how you can target more people and have a better reach for your business.