Your Introductory Local SEO Guide

Imagine this: You search for “best Italian food near me,” and a group of three local search results pops up at the top of the search engine results page. Their locations are indicated on a map of the town you’re currently in, and you see ratings and reviews with each restaurant listing.

You choose the result with the best review after clicking on their website and discovering from their driving directions that they’re just down the road from you. In this scenario, your experience was made possible by local search engine optimization (SEO).

Local SEO is a fantastic way to market your own local business to people in your area. But what is local SEO, and how does it work? Read on for a full local SEO guide!

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What is local SEO?

Local SEO is a facet of search engine optimization that helps your website reach nearby users in search results. With a local SEO strategy, you can rank for searches with local intent, such as those with “near me” in the search query or those seeking information about nearby services or businesses.

Why use local SEO?

Many local businesses, such as bakeries, retail stores, bowling alleys, law firms, and more, utilize local SEO to target users who are closest to them and more likely to convert.

A dry cleaning business in Philadelphia wouldn’t want their business listing to show up in the search results for someone currently in Nebraska, would they? That dry cleaning business will have the most success by targeting the customer base closest to their place of business.

By optimizing local SEO, a business can better draw leads from the closest and most relevant traffic, which leads to an overall increase in return on their business’s marketing efforts.

Local SEO is a proven Internet marketing strategy for driving in-store visits, online sales, and real business growth. Up to 88% of users who perform a local search on their smartphone visit a relevant store within a week. Utilizing local SEO is your best option if you want to be the business that shows up in your target audiences’ search results.

How to optimize for local SEO

There are many ways to approach SEO, but there are a handful of best practices to follow to help your business grow in local search results. Below is your local SEO guide for driving the best results.

Optimize your Google Business Profile listing

The first step you should take in optimizing for local SEO is creating or improving your Google Business Profile listing. Your listing may show up in the local 3-pack — a group of about three business listings displayed on the first page of search engine results.

These listings often receive the most impressions and clicks due to their preferred position on SERPs, and your business can land one of these premium spots by optimizing your Google Business Profile. Ensure that your business hours, services, name, and contact information are all up to date.

For added value, consider uploading a Google post or promoting an event on your listing as well.

Rake in the reviews

When researching restaurants in your area, do you ever look at the reviews and ratings? If you’re like the vast majority of Internet users, the answer is yes.

Reviews and ratings are a significant trust factor to not only users but search engines as well. Businesses that encourage positive reviews on their Google Business Profile listing, their website, and review sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor are more highly favored by users and search engines.

Ensure your name, address, and phone number (NAP) information is consistent

To signal to search engines that your business is what it says it is and is located where it says it’s located, ensure that your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) are the same on all of your listings across the Internet.

Inconsistent NAP info can hurt your visibility in search results. If Google isn’t sure which information is accurate, it may avoid showing any of it.

Build location-specific pages on your website

If your business has more than one location, consider building location pages on your website. These pages will provide users (and search engines) with your NAP and other location-specific information, such as business hours, parking information, directions, promotions, and more.

Include the location of your business wherever possible

To alert Google that your business is in or near a location, include your city, county, or state name wherever it makes sense. This may include your title tags, meta descriptions, location page copy, and “About Us” page.

Create local content

Assert yourself as the local authority for your industry by creating and publishing local content. This content is most commonly stored on your website’s blog or news page but can be applied to other areas if it makes sense for your website structure.

Examples of local content for a veterinarian office in Boston may include “where to buy organic cat food in Boston” or “best dog parks in the Boston metro area.”

Make sure your website is mobile-friendly

Users often conduct queries with local intent on mobile devices. When you’re out shopping with friends in a town you don’t go to often, do you look up places to eat for dinner on your phone? This is the case for many users, so make sure your website is mobile-friendly.

Participate in your community

A great way to improve your local SEO is by being active in your local community. Sponsor local events or sports teams, hold fundraisers at your storefront location, or donate to a local charity. You may earn free press from local news outlets about your community contributions.

Ensure online news stories that mention your business include a link to your website. These links can further build your domain authority and increase your local rankings on SERPs.

Perform a local SEO competitor analysis

Understand how your local competitors are doing in their local SEO efforts. Ask questions like:

• Are they showing up in the local 3-pack?
• Do they have specific location pages on their website?
• Where do they mention their location? Think title tags, meta descriptions, and on-page SEO copy.
• Are your competitors creating local content on their blogs?
• Are their websites mobile-friendly?

Then, incorporate what you learn into your local SEO strategy.

Learn more about local SEO

Interested in learning more about local SEO and other high-impact trends in the SEO industry that could propel your business to the next level? Then our email newsletter is an excellent resource for you! Subscribe to learn more about digital marketing from industry experts.

For comprehensive information about our industry-leading local SEO services, check out our pricing and list of services. When you partner with us, you’ll get help implementing all the above tips and more.

Just call 888-601-5359 or contact us online to get started today!