Local SEO is a critical component of search engine optimization that is particularly relevant and important for businesses serving a local audience. The practice of local SEO helps your business gain online visibility in a specific geographic area in order to compete with other local businesses.

Benefits of Local SEO

Putting the time into local search engine optimization efforts for your business can have numerous advantages, including:

Boosted online visibility: Local SEO helps your business rank higher in local search engine results. Local businesses should aim to appear in the local search results pack that appears at the top of the page in a local search (the results that appear next to the map). Local businesses can also appear in the main organic search results as well. Customers use these local search results to find businesses offering the services they need and to learn more about those companies.
Increased physical and/or web traffic: By optimizing for local search, your business attracts customers nearby who are looking for your products and services. Potential customers are more likely to visit your website or stop into your physical location.
Improved credibility: Appearing in local search results with an active, well-maintained profile signals credibility to customers. Additionally, positive reviews further demonstrate to customers your trustworthiness and expertise.

Setting Realistic Expectations for Search Engine Optimization

Before beginning your local SEO effort, it’s important to set realistic expectations for results. Your business will generally start showing up in the local search results pack within a couple weeks after verification. You will likely be towards the bottom of the pack though, and depending on how much competition is in your area, that may be several pages down. That’s okay! This is what you are working to improve.

But remember, search engine optimization is a long-term game, not a quick win. If you’re an established business that has had a web presence for some time, you can generally expect to start seeing results around 4-6 months. If you’re a new business with a brand new website, it could take up to a year before you start seeing an impact. The results will be worth it though, so hang in there.

How to Improve Local SEO

Now that you understand the benefits of focusing on local search engine visibility, the next step is to learn how to improve local SEO.

Keyword Research

Start by doing some keyword research to identify the terms that potential customers might use to find a business like yours. In a nutshell, start by making a list of very broad keywords, such as your products or services. If you have access to SEO tools, you can type in these broad terms to discover further, more specific keywords and key phrases related to that topic. If you don’t have access to SEO tools, you can still do some good research by typing your broad terms into a search engine and looking at the “suggested search” or “people also ask” results, viewing the content of the websites that come up for your query, and exploring sites like Reddit or Quora where people discuss topics related to your business offerings.

Google Business Profile Listing

One of the biggest elements in improving local SEO is to create and optimize your Google Business Profile listing. Here’s what to do:

Ensure your business name, address, phone number, and website (NAP) information are accurate and consistent across platforms; add your location or service area and hours as well.
Craft a clear, keyword-rich description of your business.
Select your products or services and provide additional specifics on what these products or services include.
Add your logo and any photos of your business.
Make a practice of requesting Google reviews from your customers.
Add updates to your profile regularly. You can do this similar to how you might maintain your social media profiles.

Local Citations and Link Building

Local citations are listings of your business’s name, address, and phone number in online directories. These mentions on other sites act as a reference that validates your business. Citation sources may include your local chamber of commerce, platforms specific to your industry, Apple Maps, Better Business Bureau, local news sites, local tourism websites, Yelp, etc. Similar to citations, a backlink is a direct link to your website from a page on another website, such as an article about your business on a news website.

Localized Website Content

Create localized content for your website, blog, and social media platforms. This might look like:

Creating unique pages for different cities or neighborhoods in your geographic area
Highlighting your business’s involvement in the community on your blog
Writing about events or trends specific to your area
Sharing customer testimonials or success stories
Developing local resource guides
Adding local news and updates

Social Media Management

Posting on social media can improve local SEO through engagement with the community. Regularly posting on your profiles allows you to share location-specific updates, events, promotions, customer stories, and other information that is interesting to your local audience. Engagement with your customers helps to build a sense of community and also increases the likelihood of your posts showing in your customers’ feeds. Social media profiles often appear in search engine results, so make sure your business contact information is consistent. Finally, make a practice of encouraging customers to check in, leave reviews, or comment on your posts.

On-Page SEO

On-page SEO focuses on optimizing the content of your web pages to rank higher in search results. This involves adding location-specific keywords in your page titles, meta descriptions, headers, and throughout your content. Additionally, include your business contact information (name, address, phone) on all pages; the footer is a good spot for this, as well as a Contact Us page.

Conclusion

These tips provide a great start to helping your business move up in the local search results. Local SEO is essential for any small business looking to increase their online visibility, and taking these steps will set you on the right path. If you’d like to learn more about local SEO, or would like assistance improving yours, let’s chat.