How to do Local SEO?

• Claim and update all business listings
• Add specific location pages on your site
• Maintain consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone)

The presence of competitors is one universal challenge that cannot be avoided. In a society where dogs rule, a local business must have the most giant dog in town. It will be challenging to defeat businesses that have auto-generated local listings or have been in the local SEO industry for years.

Another challenge that numerous local businesses must address is Google’s constantly changing list of ranking factors. Small businesses attempting to establish a local presence may have their strategies significantly disrupted by Google algorithm updates such as the Possum update, which permitted companies outside a municipality to vie for local rankings if they provide services in that region.

Now is the time to begin contemplating how these ten local SEO tips can help you advance your company.

Claim your business listings

Your business generates a listing over time, and duplicate listings inevitably accumulate. It is essential to claim all listings under your company’s name, eliminate duplicates, and maintain accurate and current information on the remaining listings.

Although the task of locating all of these listings may appear daunting at first, some excellent resources are available that simplify the procedure for anyone. Moz Local is an exceptional tool for pinpointing every listing associated with your company.

Input your company’s name; remember that it must appear exactly as it is (including capitalization, abbreviations, and so forth) on your website. After choosing your business from the search results, Moz will present you with all duplicate, complete, inconsistent, and incomplete listings associated with your company.

Add location pages to your website

While perusing your website, search engines locate the most relevant results to include in the search engine results page. Implementing separate landing pages for each location of your business allows search engines to identify and direct users to the appropriate area quickly.

Include suite numbers and decide whether to write streets, avenues, roads, and so on as a whole or in abbreviated form. Remember, how you present the information on these pages will determine how you update it elsewhere, so consider this when choosing the format for your location information.

Improve NAP consistency

Your company’s name, address, and phone number (NAP) must be consistent across all platforms for search engines to return it as a relevant result for the user.

In this case, greater attention to detail is required than usual; more than simply entering your name and address is insufficient. If your company name includes the letters LLC, Co., or Inc., include them. Additionally, consider the formatting of the streets, avenues, roads, and suite numbers. Maintain consistency. Use the website’s location information to determine this.

A substantial portion of this uniformity is adjustable through the Moz Local search tool and enhancement procedure. Further, we will discuss how your Google My Business listing is an excellent foundation.

Update All Things Google My Business

Users from all over the world rely on your company listings every day for accurate information. This must be straightforward and instantaneous for your SEO for the search engine to recognize.

Through your Google My Business (GMB) account, you can verify the accuracy of your name, address, and phone number. You should also incorporate a concise yet informative business description, a website link, and operating hours. Improve the visual appeal of your listing by incorporating your logo into the avatar or profile picture and updating the interior, exterior, and product images. These images should be superior quality, as blurry or pixilated images appear careless and unprofessional.

If you manage multiple locations, GMB provides a practical article on mass uploading that streamlines the process of updating information and maintains organization.

Attain Reviews

Reviews are critical. They not only serve as a local pack ranking factor, but they also differentiate your listing. Motivating contented clients to provide a positive Google review to express gratitude for a pleasant experience can significantly outperform virtually every local SEO strategy.

The review improves your ranking and increases the amount of space your result occupies on the results page. This is a strategy to implement: increasing the amount of real estate your company occupies on pages outside the local pack through schema markups, subpages, etc.

Social proof is an additional significant advantage to acquiring evaluations. When searchers see five stars, they can immediately tell that your company has received high praise from your peers. As a result, by acquiring reviews, you address three significant conversion factors: ranking, clickthrough rate (CTR), and conversion rate optimization (CRO).

Use the Google AdWords Keyword Planner to your advantage

We highly recommend using this excellent, cost-free tool to determine your local SEO keywords. It will assist you in determining which keywords have the least competition and the highest search volume and locate terms that your local audience is also interested in.

Get backlinks from sponsorships and partnerships

Concentrate on the low-hanging produce. Compile a roster of the corporations and organizations with which you maintain partnerships or provide sponsorship. This may also encompass philanthropic or fundraising initiatives in which your organization has participated. Inform these individuals of your past interactions with them regarding your involvement and request that they incorporate a hyperlink that leads back to your website.

Conduct local link building

Link building is crucial for a business, especially when obtaining links from sponsors and associates. To maximize the effectiveness of your link optimization efforts, cultivate relationships with local websites relevant to your industry. Acquiring links from websites with significant domain authority in your area will significantly contribute to progress.

Utilize social media platforms

Given that social media platforms are cost-free, it is not surprising that they can effectively maintain audience engagement. Google will extract search results from your social media platforms, including your business’s LinkedIn and YouTube profiles, Facebook profiles and reviews, Twitter accounts, and recent messages.

 When it comes to local SEO, optimizing your on-site and off-site SEO strategies is more important than ever for clients and customers looking for your local business.

Local competition is more intense than ever, and you can guarantee that your competitors are at the top of their rankings if you are not.

Title and description tags still matter

You can modify the title and description sections in HTML to correspond with the substance of your web pages. Your title and description elements display their content in search results.

This text should be approached as a “mini-advertisement” that requires careful crafting.

Your title and description are your only opportunity to attract a searcher’s attention and convince them to click on your link to visit your website from the search results; therefore, carefully consider the content you include in these sections of your web pages.

When Google omits or deems title and description elements inadequate, it frequently generates alternative text or “rewrites” them. (Moreover, Google’s creations could be more impressive.)

Both should characterize the page’s content and incorporate relevant keywords to increase their visibility in search engine results pages. 

The maximum length for title tags is typically 50 to 60 characters, while the maximum for description tags is 160 to 200. Make effective use of this available space.

Address these aspects concerning your audience. What will they find remarkable? What factors will influence their decision to click on your link instead of the others on the page? The consideration of these inquiries is crucial when composing title and description tags.

Attempt to visualize your title and description on a desktop and mobile device using an emulator such as Yoast’s SEO Plugin for WordPress if you need clarification on the appearance of your title and meta description elements or the maximum number of characters you can use.

In SEO, creating titles and descriptions is considered an art form.

If this text is not distinctive, compelling, and descriptive, your click-through rate will suffer in a sea of competing search results, which can be detrimental to your rankings.

Additionally, excessive numbers of characters or words may cause ellipses to terminate your text. 

Currently, this might not qualify as a genuine calamity. Certain SEOs even advocate exceeding the maximum character limit. However, this strikes me as unprofessional, mainly when it interrupts your thought process amid a sentence.

Most common mistakes with Local SEO

Having established the significance of local SEO for your business, the following are some prevalent local SEO errors that you may be committing at this moment:

1. No directory listings

Before featuring your business in search results, Google will conduct a legitimacy check to ensure it is legitimate. They accomplish this, in part, by perusing your directory listings.

You can maintain your NAPW (name, address, phone number, and website) and additional details about additional business details in online directories.

Although many companies disregard directories, they will initially appear when customers enter service-specific or geo-specific keywords, overshadowing their website presence. If properly applied, this will benefit local SEO. It will make it easier for consumers to find promotional and useful information through keyword searches.

Establishing Directory Listings:

Start by compiling a list of online directories into a spreadsheet. For reference purposes, one may consult the directory listings of their competitors. Proceed to populate those directories. Inconsistency in the contact information across these listings may need to be clarified.

2. No Google My Business Listing

Utilizing Google My Business is advisable to ensure that your website achieves higher rankings in local search results. It has evolved into the benchmark for local search.

Establishing a Google My Business Listing

Several stages are required to create or claim a Google business listing:  

Create or sign in to a Google account using your business email address.  

Claim an existing business listing or create a new business profile.  

On Google Maps, pin down your company’s location.

This is a list of the regions that you serve. Google permits twenty service areas in total.  

Include your contact details, such as your website address and telephone number.  

Confirm the listing.

3. Poor quality website content

Indeed, your website’s content is essential for local SEO as well. Excellent content informs customers about your products and services and increases your company’s credibility. However, informative and high-quality content is not sufficient for local SEO. Additionally, you must localize your content. This will make targeting local audiences easier.

Methods for localizing web content:

Localized content ought to comprise information that is pertinent, precise, and beneficial to the specific community.

For example, your content should emphasize relevant and valuable information to New Yorkers if you are based in New York. You may discuss the most recent Broadway productions or survival strategies for a particularly severe winter. However, if your company is located in Hawaii, discuss topics familiar to residents and visitors, such as popular surfing spots or nearby watering locations.

4. Duplicate listings

Duplicate listings are among the most frequent errors made by inexperienced SEO practitioners. The account associated with the listing may become unmanageable if the responsible party loses control of it or the business changes its name. Alternatively, a staff member may develop an interest in creating new business listings and pursue it as a leisure activity.

Regardless of the circumstances, you possess numerous listings. Furthermore, this is extremely detrimental to your SEO. You will confuse not only Google but also your prospective clients. This may result in a severe negative perception of your website by Google, which could lead to its removal from local search results.

Avoiding duplicate listings:

To prevent this, you should follow a standardized procedure when creating listings. Update your NAPW, eliminate duplicate listings, and guarantee that your business has only one listing.

5. Ignored Negative Reviews

Negative evaluations are an inevitable aspect of conducting business. In the realm of search engine optimization, disregarding dissatisfied consumers is an absolute no-no, regardless of the temptation. It will negatively impact not only your company but also your local search results rankings.

In 2021, Google’s highest-ranking executive, John Mueller, affirmed that customer ratings impact local search rankings and results. As early as June of that year, the integration of star ratings into organic search results had begun.

Additionally, if your company has a one-star rating, individuals are unlikely to act on it, even if it does appear in search results.

Strategies for handling adverse reviews:

Responding to negative evaluations is the initial step in addressing them. Ensure that your response to each negative review is unique. Customers will become even more irritated when a templated response is provided. One could even interpret it as a disdain for their concerns, potentially leading to a public relations crisis.

Additionally, you can express your position on social media platforms, assuring your audience that you are trying to address the situation. Alternatively, you can report them to the review site to have them removed if you can provide proof that they are such.

6. Keywords Not Localized

Regarding general SEO principles, it is advisable to utilize high-volume keywords. Local SEO, on the other hand, hinges on the strategic implementation of localized keywords. More than a mere emphasis on targeting keywords individuals seek is required. Locals should search for the keywords you should target.

Methods of Localizing Keywords

Consider using keywords that maintain geo-specific recognition and trends while targeting your audience’s needs and queries. Additionally, identify service-specific and geographic keywords likely to capture your intended demographic.

For example, consider your products to be baked delicacies. Naturally, you will want to target local consumers interested in purchasing bread and pastries. Under these circumstances, customers are more likely to search for “best cookies” or “best chocolate cake.”. To make it localized, include your city or community’s name at the start or end of the keyword. We will now refer to “Best cookies” as “Best cookies in San Diego” and “Best chocolate cake” as “Best chocolate cake in Altadena.”

Utilizing tools such as Google Trends and WooRank can help determine which of these keywords produces the highest volume of traffic.

7. The site does not list any contact details.

If you do not have contact information, you overlook opportunities requiring customers to communicate with you. Additionally, the absence of contact details complicates the process for search engines to determine which regions your website serves.

Let’s say you run a pizza business in Queens, but your website has noneeds contact information, including a physical address. How does Google determine which local search results to prioritize? Although your website will likely rank in national search results, that is useless if you conduct business exclusively in Queens.

Ways to Prevent This

Ensure your website has a contact page containing all your contact information. Include your email address, phone number, and social media profiles. Additionally, including a Google Map on the location page of your website is beneficial.

8. The website’s images need more optimization.

Common issues contributing to poorly optimized web images include the absence of metatext, excessive file size, and inadequate URL structure. It can impact your website’s rendering page, which in turn can affect its critical web functions. Failing to optimize your website’s images will result in substantial traffic losses.

Methods for Optimizing Website Images

Examine your images to see if there are opportunities to optimize them using image optimization plugins and tools. Compressing excessively large images can increase your website’s loading performance. Numerous paid and free image-resizing utilities are available online.

Additionally, make sure every image has alt text. Without it, Google’s algorithm will struggle to determine your image’s subject matter, reducing the likelihood of your image appearing in image search results.

9. Social media profiles that are dormant

Undoubtedly, social media has emerged as an indispensable component of the contemporary business environment. Most individuals consult companies’ social media profiles before making purchases or utilizing their services. However, if your social media account is dormant or, worse, needs more activity?

Furthermore, your social media activities may indirectly impact your rankings. Google typically ranks sites with a comprehensive social media profile higher despite social media presence not being a ranking criterion. For this reason, maintaining active social media profiles is crucial for local SEO.

Guidelines for Sustaining Active Social Media Profiles

Managing a social media profile for SEO differs from managing a social media account for marketing. However, incorporating social media marketing strategies can improve SEO.

To maintain the activity of your social media profiles, publish content at least once per week. Likewise, interacting with your followers can be beneficial. This helps Google and your customers determine whether or not you are actively conducting business.

10. The website needs mobile optimization.

Statistics indicate that mobile devices currently conduct over sixty percent of all online searches. Without mobile optimization, your website is consequently losing out on significant traffic.

Site Optimization Strategies for Mobile Search

It would help if you began by assessing the mobile-friendliness of your website. Utilize the Mobile-Friendly Test tool, provided your website has installed a Google Search Console.

Additionally, you can make straightforward adjustments to your website to make it more mobile-friendly, including:

Eliminating pop-up advertising

To enhance the performance of a website, maintain a straightforward interface design.

Ensure button sizes are suitable for mobile devices.

If these methods do not work, you can employ an SEO expert or a web developer to optimize your site for mobile devices.

11. Inconsistent NAPW

The acronym “NAPW” represents “name, address, phone number, and website.” In essence, it contains the most critical information about your digital listing. If an unreliable NAPW is used, local customers cannot locate your establishment, communicate, or interact with you.

Methods for Guaranteeing a Consistent NAPW

Incorporate your area code into your NAPW configuration to facilitate easy discovery by individuals and search engines. Additionally, ensure that the NAPW information remains consistent across all platforms, mainly when updating or creating new listings.

12. No customer reviews

This is another novice error made by the majority of business proprietors. When a buyer is making a purchase decision, customer feedback is critical. Additionally, they facilitate remote communication with search engines about the value and worth of your offerings. However, a straightforward Google search will reveal the number of local companies that need reviews.

Strategies to increase customer reviews

As previously stated, consumers will likely provide reviews if they have had a truly remarkable experience or have a valid complaint. Without a doubt, you do not want the latter. To increase the number of positive customer evaluations, it is essential to deliver exceptional service consistently.

While acknowledging the potential challenges, the bare minimum you can do is motivate your devoted clientele to provide reviews. You may give a discount voucher or complimentary items to all individuals who provide a review. Make sure you write the evaluations organically. It is only a matter of time before Google’s algorithms can differentiate between organic and paid reviews. Such a scenario could significantly impact your ranking.

13. Poor technical SEO

Many believe that SEO consists solely of backlink creation and keyword usage. However, it entails a substantial amount of technical labor. You must monitor, among other things, your site’s crawlability, schema, and CSS. We refer to them collectively as technical SEO.

Although it may be tempting to disregard the technical SEO of your website, doing so is of the utmost importance. It is equally important to monitor the technical aspects of your SEO strategy, such as building backlinks and conducting keyword research.

Strategies for Improving Technical SEO

Undoubtedly, technical SEO maintenance for a website is not a simple undertaking. You may, however, conduct a technical audit of your site using tools such as WooRank’s site crawl function. This will assist you in identifying areas for improvement and where you are committing errors. You may employ an SEO expert to handle these responsibilities.

14. Absence of a target audience

As previously stated, not all online users represent potential customers. Therefore, it is critical that your content reaches the appropriate demographic interested in your product or brand. Concentrating on this aspect, audience targeting enables you to convert website visitors into paying customers.

Methods for Enhancing Your Audience Targeting Approach

To enhance audience targeting, ensure that you:

Identify the appropriate niche market segment for your purchasing stages.

Identify suitable long-tail keyword phrases that pander to particular search patterns.

15. Multiple URLs leading to the same page

Indeed, this may occur, notably if you have redirected visitors to your most recent page after creating multiple identical pages on your site. Without further ado, this can significantly harm your SEO. Google might become confused and classify your webpage as spam.