The Importance of Local SEO & How To Do It

What Is Local SEO 

Local SEO is the process of optimizing a website for local search in order to improve traffic, leads, and brand exposure. Finding local keywords, enhancing a business's Google My Business profile, and creating "NAP" citations are all common chores related with local SEO. Local SEO helps you to acquire local search territory and engage with searchers in your region, whereas traditional SEO focuses on enhancing your site's exposure on a national or worldwide scale. Many of the tactics used in SEO and local SEO are the same.

Local SEO experts tend to adopt the same strategies. Here are some examples of local SEO expert that are doing a good job: a Hong Kong SEO Consultant, these SEO companies, SEO Berlino (in Berlin), Smart Keyword in Paris or SureOak in New York.

Local SEO is a type of search engine optimization (SEO) that makes your company more prominent in Google's local search results. Local SE0 may assist any company with a physical site or that services a specific geographic region.

Because: Local SEO improves your website's ranks in the search results and in the local pack, a good local SEO strategy will benefit your business. It converts at the greatest rate of any local advertising medium. It raises your internet presence, particularly among nearby clients.

Small companies began to recognize the value of local SEO when Google's improvements were pushed out internationally. The upgrade enables search engines to grasp the context of search queries, which is why looking for a broad phrase like "books" will bring up local book stores rather than the Waterstones website.

The advantage of local search engine optimization is that it is completely under your control. Here are some things you should do to improve your local search ranking:

Optimise Your Google My Business Page

Make sure your My Business page is up to date. It should be completed in accordance with Google's rules, which include selecting the appropriate company category, uploading images, and providing original information for the descriptions. Include connections to all of your social media accounts, and make sure that all of your profiles and content contain geo-targeted keywords.

Your account will have been automatically updated if you used Google Local or Google Places.

Check Directory Listings for Accuracy

Locate your local citations and double-check that they all contain the same NAP information. The acronym NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone Number (and in some cases, Website!). Those three pieces of data must be accurate and consistent.

Look into getting listed in hyperlocal directories after you're on the big directories (Yelp, Yellow Pages, etc). (think Council websites, nearby markets, and so on).

Optimise Your Social Media Accounts

Local SEO doesn't require a website, which is a surprising reality. If you don't have a website, you'll need to create social media profiles to replace it. Even if you have a website, many clients will look up your business on Yelp!, TripAdvisor, or Facebook. All of them should include useful information such as contact information, locations, hours of operation, and phone numbers.

Your Google+ reviews will be one of the first things a customer sees when conducting a local search. If people click on your company, it appears on Google Maps. Assemble all of the most crucial facts in one location for them to view.

Start Asking for Reviews

Seventy-seven percent of internet customers read reviews before making a purchase. That implies the higher the number of favorable ratings you have, the more likely you are to attract new clients. With a notice on the entrance or on the counter, remind your customers to submit a review. Provide a monetary reward for leaving a review on one of your chosen platforms.

If you don't have a website, blogger evaluations are ideal. In return for a review, give bloggers a free product or a complimentary dinner at your restaurant. That way, organic search results will include more than just your social media profiles — genuine customer experiences with your company or product will be included.

When you receive a poor review (and you will), react kindly and explain how you are working to improve. You won't be able to please everyone, but you can address criticism head on. Likewise, don't just reply to negative feedback. Thank you to all of the users who have been so generous!

Make that your mobile site is error-free.

Google released a mobile-friendly algorithm upgrade earlier this week, making it more critical than ever to optimize your site. Make sure the most important content is emphasized and easily accessible on your mobile site. To make it easier for consumers to reach you, consider adding Click-to-Call, Book a Consultation (that connects to your calendar), or Reserve a Table Now buttons.

If you're still not sure that local SEO is important, consider this: every month, 3 billion search inquiries will include local phrases. You're missing out on a lot of potential business if your small business isn't optimized for local search (even if you don't have a website!).