WHAT IS LOCAL SEO AND HOW CAN IT HELP YOUR BUSINESS?
Local search is very important for small businesses targeting specific communities. Consumers search for local businesses in many ways and it’s important to have your business show up in the local search results.
GET LOCAL TRAFFIC TO YOUR SITE – OPTIMIZE YOUR GMB PAGE
Google My Business is a free service that gives businesses a free listing on Google’s SERP (Search Engine Rank Page). With this tool, businesses can manage their business information get instant visibility. All accounts are verified by Google.
Your business information on GMB includes the following:
- NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number)
- Reviews
- Products and Services
- Hours of Operation
- News and information can be shared.
- Social media information
The information appears differently on desktop computers and mobile devices, but the essential information (contact / NAP) is all the same. This contact and other business information should match what you have on your website. This will be the “connector” to the “local seo juice” you will get when you are listed in directories (citations)
GOOGLE “LOCAL 3-PACK”
The local 3-pack might be going away. When doing a local search, Google used to show 3 top results. But now, it appears that Google has changed this to 2. You can see here a local search for “marketing agency” shows OpGo Marketing as one of the 3 in the local pack. To get results like these, you should follow all the standard SEO guidelines (secure site, mobile friendly, organized site, etc.), but then really focus on optimizing your Google Business page.
STRENGTHEN THE LOCAL SEO
To increase the recognition of your business with Google on a local basis you will need to do all of the following:
- Make sure your business information on GMB is completely accurate. Unless you post updates to your GMB page often, you might not come back here often after you set it up. But it is critical that you ensure it’s right. Everything should match what is on your site.
- Add your business to directories. These citations give your brand and website credibility. Only use high quality directories. (You don’t want to be associated with any spam sites.)
USE HIGH QUALITY DIRECTORY LISTINGS
Directory listings are not the same as a citation. A citation is any mention of your business online. A directory listing has complete information about your company. There are several sites like the Yellow Pages that will offer a free listing. You want to make sure that of all the “listings” you choose to enter your business on that the directory site has a high quality score. You can check this free through OpGo.
EARN ORGANIC TRAFFIC
Once you get traffic to your website, Google assesses how much people like your site through its algorithm. How much time are people spending? Are they clicking? Is there any engagement? So half the battle is getting people to your site, the other half is making sure your site helps people learn about your products and services so they can decide if it’s worth it or not (for both ends) to make contact. Just remember Google scores your site every day.
GET GOOGLE REVIEWS
As awkward as it might sound for some businesses to ask for reviews, it’s a big key factor in Google search results. Why? Because Google has evidence that proves sites (brands) with great reviews are better than those that don’t have great reviews. And if you are a search engine that wants to create a great experience for your users, you are only going to serve up the sites that provide the best user experience. (Aka – best reviews.)