Making Local SEO Work For Your Business

Many businesses and corporations have closed due to the current pandemic, allowing small and local brands to survive in the local community. Customers are looking for alternatives while established businesses located in malls and other public spaces bear the repercussions of lockdowns and physical constraints. However, many small and local businesses lose out on any online platform to attract a larger audience in their community. That is why it is critical to capitalize on local SEO and make it work for any business.

Local SEO is essential for a company that aims to serve a neighborhood. Unfortunately, as local SEO possibilities expanded and began to take center stage, competition for local search traffic heats up. Customers' attitudes toward online search are also rapidly shifting. There's a chance you'll never find someone who hasn't done a Google "near me" search for any product or service. Many online users depend on these searches, whether searching for a nearby laundry shop or the closest gas station.

Why Does Local SEO Matters?

Local search is highly beneficial to a small business success. Since 46% of all Google searches are directed toward local content, if your company isn't tailored for local search, you might be losing out on potential customers who are ready to buy in your area. Therefore, if you want your company to remain significant, local SEO is essential.

People who use search engines usually see two distinct sets of search results. These two types are the "snack packs" and the standard organic results. These "snack packs" appear on the first list of products. It shows the top three local business listings that are relevant to the search query. Moreover, companies that appear in "snack pack" results have more page clicks and traffic than those that do not appear on this list. That is why working on your local SEO is critical for your brand to achieve online success.

Working on your local SEO will help get more physical traffic and draw more leads to your business. Your online exposure increases as you work your way up to being included in the snack pack. Local SEO also enables you to create a significant amount of exposure as people in your area look for terms relevant to your market. This marketing approach also encourages you to compete with competitors, giving you a chance to be a successful home-grown brand.

Ways To Make Local SEO Work For Your Brand

Local SEO can be a valuable driver for driving traffic to your physical store, as well as making your brand a household name. To do this, here are few suggestions for making things work for you.

1. Begin With Google My Business Listing

That is most likely the first and most important job you would complete for your Local SEO efforts. Google My Business is free for entrepreneurs that can assist you with your web presence. This tool would require your business' name, precise location, and other details to decide whether or not your company is genuine. If you've proved to Google that your company exists and is legitimate, it can award you the most desired spot in the snack pack.

Use local keywords with clear backlinks to your site to boost your Google My Business page and its results. Also, make sure your business is included in other directories and local listings. You also need to include essential details in your business profile, such as a working phone number, exact address, operating hours, and a link to your website. Having all these details will significantly help improve your local business.

2. Work On A Local Content

Content will still be a critical component of developing your online identity. It is the lifeblood of all your SEO efforts. When you work on your content, concentrate and streamline your subjects on what is happening around you. You can do this by building your content about social relevance in your area, recent updates in your area, health protocols, community service initiatives, and other interesting posts about what's going on in your locality.

Although writing about general issues can draw a large audience, it is often more appropriate to narrow the attention and write something relevant to the community to attract a local audience. You can use interactive content like polls, surveys, videos, 3D, and live streaming. Building these types of content is more accessible now as you can easily find design software for beginners that let you create compelling content without spending too much on your budget.

3. Have a Consistent Online Information

A citation or your online company directory is another critical consideration in your local SEO. The citation refers to a set of individual company listings found on various websites. When you add your company to legitimate and reputable online databases, Google is notified that your company exists.

When developing a citation plan, keep in mind that continuity is essential. It means that all of your NAP should display the same information. Otherwise, Google would have difficulty deciding which of your NAP is right and will not include you in any search engine results. In addition, avoid errors as far as possible, such as misspelled sentences, incorrect abbreviations, and missing phone numbers.

4. Establish Links With Authority And Relevance

Links have a substantial impact on ranking. It is not enough to have a vast number of connections pointing to your domain. You need a high-quality link from pages that have experience, legitimacy, and trustworthiness. Creating local content is also an excellent way to gain backlinks from respected local businesses.

When rating local content, Google considers the amount and consistency of backlinks to your website. As a result, it is critical to diversify the connection portfolio by acquiring links from other high-authority pages. When you produce high-quality local content, you open the door for companies in your area to naturally connect to pages on your web pages. You may also contact business leaders and bloggers in your niche and request that they share and connect to your brand. Earning trustworthy backlinks can make the site rank higher in local search results while also increasing brand recognition.

5. Think Mobile-First

Mobile devices now take more than half of the percentage of all internet traffic. As a result, you must ensure that your SEO for local business plan involves responsive design. Because of Google's mobile-first indexing, responsive design is more critical than ever for ensuring that your local business ranks at the top of search results. Responsive design means that your content and web pages appear correctly regardless of the screen size used to reach the site. Not only does responsive design affect the local SEO rankings, but it is also needed for increasing conversions.

6. Work On Your Social Media Presence

Social media plays an integral part in SEO that is often ignored. About anyone who owns a mobile device is a member of at least one social media site, making it one of the simplest platforms to use to improve your local SEO. As the pandemic forced many people to stay at home, many of your audience can be found on social networking sites. When a customer looks for a nearby service, the social media of the company or service also appears on the results page. Your social media will provide your customers with a quicker understanding of your brand and its offerings, which will aid in the decision-making process.

Final Thoughts

Physical traffic is critical, especially if you have a storefront. Although having an online presence is vital these days, focusing on your local SEO will significantly impact increasing traffic to your brick-and-mortar shop. Your aim in doing local SEO is to not only become accessible online but also to rank among the top three company listings in search engine result pages. Therefore, concentrate on refining your efforts to provide the best local SEO strategy for your business.

About the Author:

Maricar worked as a marketing professional for almost a decade and handled concerts, events and community service-related activities. Leaving her corporate job for good to pursue her dreams, she has now ventured in the path of content writing and currently writes for Softvire Australia and Softvire New Zealand. A Harry Potter fan, she loves to watch animated series and movies during her spare time.