The Ultimate Guide to Local SEO In Layman’s Terms: To Boost Your Online Ranking
Ever wondered what we mean by Local SEO, how it differs to generic SEO and how to apply it to your website? In this comprehensive guide to Local SEO, I explore how to boost your online visibility with relatable language, tips for beginners and some quick wins. Divided into 24 easy-to-read sections with a handy table-of-contents for quick reference, it covers all you need to know to get started.
What is Local SEO?
When you search on the internet for local businesses, scroll just beyond the sponsored ads and you will see an area map pinpointing three local businesses that fall into the relevant search category – A, B and C. It shows their location, business name (linked to their website), address and phone number (or NAP details as they are known ie name, address, phone) and is listed above organic search results. Even without including a geographical location or typing the words ‘near me’, Google will detect that your search has ‘local intent’ (to use its common term). On a desktop, IP addresses determine location. On mobiles, location is deduced by connection signal or location services, if enabled. Priming your website for optimal ranking on the local Map pack 3, introduced by Google back in 2005, is what we refer to as local SEO.
If you’re not in the top three, you might be included on an expanded map if the searcher extends his search area. The pull-down menu (listed under ‘view all’) shows local registered businesses in order of prominence and continues over many pages.
Being in the top three rankings is where you want to be. It’s pure gold for revenue and sales traffic conversions as it literally puts your business on the map.
Why Prioritise Local SEO?
Local SEO is a must for local businesses such as interior designers, local estate agents and retail businesses
Why? Because local people visit shops on their doorstep and use local services, for convenience to save time and money. A high proportion of local marketing comes through local internet searches.
1. 4 in 5 consumers conduct searches to find local information
3. 97% of people learn more about a local company online than anywhere else.
Benefits of Local SEO for Small Businesses
The good news is that it’s free to register. The not-so-good news is that appearing on Google Maps is not automatic. Your website ranking is determined by several factors. Taking the necessary steps to optimise local SEO will move you higher up the listing.
Research shows that the results on page 1 get 67% of the clicks.
In other words, it’s a BIG DEAL.
Google Business profile allows business owners to link to automatic bookings with the Maps Booking API feature, adding their own booking button, useful for local service-based businesses. For local retailers, connecting their profile, to direct retail ordering, is an invaluable feature. This greatly enhances click-through rates presenting the client with a convenient user-friendly experience, that makes follow-through easy.
Local-based businesses must be’ in it, to win it’. So how do you get in the game?
How to Register, Claim and Verify Your Google Business Profile
The number one task is to register for Google Business Profile, formerly Google my Business, but first you must set up a Google account profile if you haven’t already done so (which will also provide you with a Gmail address). Chances are that you, or your website developer, will do this when you set up your website, integrating Google Console and Analytics to monitor and track your website’s traffic and performance. Keep all your business-related information under the same Google profile. It makes life easier.
Once signed into your Google Account, navigate to the Google My Business website to set-up, claim and verify your google-my-business listing. Follow Google’s steps to register, claim and verify the listing.
Why Accurate and Consistent NAP Citations Matter for Local SEO Success
When setting up your Google Business Profile you will be asked to provide information on your name, address and phone number (NAP data). This information must be both accurate and consistent across the board. You will need to keep a note of it to ensure it is duplicated on all internet entries. Google gathers this information from various online sources to verify your authenticity as proof that you are who you say you are, and your website and business are bona fide.
The Impact of Inconsistent NAP Citations on Local SEO Rankings
The more consistent online NAP citations you have, the more you’ll gain favour with Google for local SEO as each entry is a further endorsement of your business legitimacy. So how do you go about gaining further entries?
Boosting NAP Citations with Effective Endorsements for Better Local SEOs
Submit your data to other online directories such as Yelp,Yell, Bing Places, Apple Maps and Social Media eg Instagram and Facebook. Interiors-related businesses should also register with Houzz, a dedicated interior designer directory, which offers a free subscription in addition to the pro. Check out how to get a free business account on Houzz. You can piggyback off their SEO since they usually rank highly. Look out for other local business directories in your area too. NAP details for your website’s contact page and your Google Business profile should also be consistent.
Here’s a list of the top local citation sources for UK and the top local citation sources for United States.
Social media is worth mentioning here because your social media profiles can act as additional NAP citations. Claiming profiles on social media platforms such as Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and keeping a consistent business name across all platforms, will make it easier for Google to verify you which in turn will increase your local SEO ranking.
So how exactly do you go about optimising your local SEO?
Key Factors Influencing Local Map Pack Rankings
The top three factors for ranking include:
· Relevance
· Distance
· Prominence
Relevance
How closely your business and services match the search.
Distance
The proximity of your business to the search map directory. Whilst this isn’t something you can influence, take heart, there are other determining factors you can.
Prominence
Your reputation and brand recognition. Although this naturally favours well-known brands, local ones can build their kudos through an accumulation of high-star reviews.
Local SEO vs. Organic SEO: Key Differences
It’s important to understand that ‘local intent’ searches operate separately from organic searches using different algorithms. Locality is not an important feature for typical organic searches.
Generic SEO ranking uses the following criteria:
Relevance
The same criteria used for local SEO.
Authority
How reliable, credible and trustworthy the site is.
Usefulness
This covers user-friendly factors such as organised sections, workable links, page speed and mobile friendliness.
Websites that rank well for generic SEO often also rank well for local SEO as many of the techniques employed for ranking are the same.
Effective Keyword Research Strategies for Local SEO
Choosing the keywords that most closely match those of your potential customers, can determine the ‘relevance’ ranking factor, so it’s important to focus on conducting local keyword research. Although Google is getting better at detecting local search intention, it helps to include reference to geographical locations such as your local town and county or for US customers, city, state and metropolitan district. Sprinkle them throughout your key words and phrases.
5 Ways to find what local people search for:
Check out the ‘searches related to’ or ‘related searches’ section on Google search for additional alternatives or the ‘people also ask’ section.
· Use Keyword planner tools such as SEMRUSH and Ahrefs or Google Keyword Planner.
· Check language used on forums such as Quora and Reddit and local community FB groups.
· Check out the category terms shown on your Google Business Profile when you type in related keywords.
· Analyse competitor’s keywords to determine their strategy and leverage the words they are using.
High-Volume Keywords vs. Easy-to-Rank Keywords
In an oversaturated market it’s hard to rank for highly competitive phrases so you need to get savvy, particularly if you are a new business or have a new website and want to rank quickly. This process involves looking at lower monthly search volume words that fall into the category of ‘very easy’, ‘easy’ or in some cases, ‘medium’ (difficulty) to rank for. This may include long-tail phrases rather than single words and words with untapped potential. Aim for a figure of below 60% ranking difficulty, but with enough traffic to make the choice worthwhile. You can find this information by analysing patterns on keyword planning and SEO software tools such as Semrush.
Newbies should aim to rank for keywords with lower search volume to get some initial traction, introducing higher search volume words later, as the business becomes more established. Why? Because you wouldn’t run before you can walk. If you think about it, it makes perfect sense. You wouldn’t start competitive league sport at the top. Unless you had beginner’s luck, you would lose every time against more established players. Start at the bottom and your chances of winning are greater. You get more confident as you begin to acquire some wins, your game improves and you move up the ladder. It’s only a matter of time before your competence level increases as you consistently practice and you’re up there competing with the top players. Now you can afford to introduce some higher volume words. Remember slow and steady moves the needle.
On-Page Local SEO Best Practices
Title tags are key for SEO. Add location but don’t just bolt it on the end. Think of creative ways to include it.
Title Tags
Titles need to sound natural and enticing, but concise, so avoid keyword stuffing that sounds awkward. By concise we mean approximately 50-60 characters to ensure that your title isn’t truncated mid-flow. Google’s imposed limit is based on the pixel width available in search results. As a best practice, keep the crux of your title within the first 50 characters and never extend it beyond 80 characters. If Google don’t like your title tags, they may rewrite them for you, to ensure they better align to the search. If you want to stay in control, it pays to get it right first time.
Title tags are the blue descriptions that you see under your URL site. Checking site:yourdomain.com allows you to view your current title tags.
Meta Descriptions
Unlike title tags, meta descriptions do not directly determine SEO ranking. However, they are an important feature for enticing traffic as they provide more information on what the site is about and contain valuable keywords that might resonate with the reader.
Include target keywords to highlight the benefits and USP of your business at your location. Add keywords and once again try to balance a compelling tone with a natural flow.
Optimising Mobile Design for Local SEO
Most local searches take place on mobile, so it’s crucial to optimise for different mobile screen sizes. Use responsive design for compatibility. Ensure your font is visible, legible and easy on the eye, in terms of size, style and colour against the background. Remember many older people rely on reading glasses and sometimes they search without! It’s easy to get irritated if a website’s difficult to read and many will simply give up and move on. Another way to optimise your mobile is to keep your menu simple and avoid pop-ups which can be intrusive for mobile design.
By 2021, mobile devices will influence more than $1.4 trillion in local sales.
Faster Loading Websites for Better SEO
Patience is key. In this digital age, people are short on it. They simply don’t have the time to wait for a page to load. So, check your page loading speed to avoid visitors seeking a faster alternative.
There are a host of clever ways you can achieve this using a web designer or technical SEO expert. Here are some tried and tested methods:
· Choose a high-performance-optimised host for your website.
· Compress images using specialist software tools such as tiny png.
· Ensure you use the correct file format when updating files and images.
· Reduce the number of redirects, which automatically transfer the visitor to a new page.
· Use caching software to copy and store files allowing quick access for returning visitors.
Link-Building Strategies for Local SEO Success
As with generic SEO, the more referring domains you have, the higher your ranking authority. This refers to the number of live external websites that link directly to your website. Here are some techniques you can use to build local links:
Host events at your premises for local community groups asking the host to link to your website’s Google map directions when they market their group online.
· Ask for referrals from complementary businesses you support, that align well with your own.
· Get featured in local newspapers, magazines and online publications.
· Support, get involved and sponsor local events and community activities.
· Volunteer or promote yourself for guest speaker spots on related podcasts or local radio.
Traditional generic link-building strategies also work to build links for Local SEO.
How to Track and Monitor Local SEO Performance
Use the Map Rank Tracker from Semrush. It’s currently free for your first campaign. See where your business profile ranks in Google Maps. You can also use free or pro versions of specialist software tracking tools to help assist. Regularly tracking your progress will help you identify areas you need to improve.
How to Embed Google Maps to Optimise Local SEO
Embedding Google Maps on the contact page of your website is a way to optimise SEO whilst also making it easier for customers to find you.
Improve Local SEO by Geotagging
Geotagging images adds geographical metadata in the form of longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates to your photos to assign them a location before they are uploaded to your website. Several specialist tools exist to help you do this. Here’s how you can geotag a photo in windows 10 or 11 .
Highlight Local Landmarks
· Unique amenities available at your business location
· Location-based products and services
· Local events, history and landmarks
· Local team members including bios and photos
How Schema Local Business Markup Boosts Local SEO
A technical SEO expert can add schema local business markup to your HTML which helps search engines read and understand your data.
· Structuring your data helps Google understand what your page is about which increases traffic.
· Your Google listing can be greatly enhanced to make it stand out, which gives you the edge.
Whilst this isn’t essential SEO, it can give you a competitive advantage.
Enhancing Local SEO Through Google Business Reviews
Reviews matter. Clients read these before deciding to buy from you, appoint you or check you out. They are a powerful endorsement for potential customers who want to know how others rated your service.
Searchers will prioritise high volume, good quality, up-to-date reviews and highly starred ones that exceed their competitors. So don’t forget to ask for them!
· Always proactively ask for Google reviews.
· Make it easy for clients by giving them a shareable link. (Click ‘Ask for Reviews’ in the edit section of your Google listing).
· Timing is everything. Ask when the client has received good service from you and experienced a positive interaction.
· Follow up if you need to. People lead busy lives.
· Always take the time to appreciate good feedback to foster loyalty.
Monitor reviews regularly. This enables you to quickly respond in a professional positive manner to mitigate any damage from unjustified comments if by chance you receive a bad review.
Optimise Your Google Business Profile
Include keywords in your Google Business Profile and ensure they are consistent with your website to strengthen SEO, once again ensuring that it sounds natural and never forced.
Once established, don’t neglect your Google Business Profile. Regularly monitor it, to keep it up-to-date with photos, business opening hours and regular posts about your latest news, events and special offers.
Content Marketing Strategies to Boost Your Local SEO
Last but by no means least, this ultimate guide to local SEO, would not be complete without mentioning content marketing to optimise your SEO through a supply of regular blogs. As with generic SEO, regular consistent blog content aligned to your keywords and core services will optimise ranking. In moz.com/beginners-guide-to-SEO, content is ranked second most important in all SEO factors, topped only by Googlebot’s crawling and indexing of your site, without which your site would not be listed. Why so important? Because SEO blog content should include what your searchers are looking for (thereby increasing the search relevance through the use of SEO keywords). To strengthen Local SEO, use local geographical keywords in your blogs. For an interior designer, for example, this might include:
· A case study that focuses on interior design in your location
· A local event you have attended and supported
· Spotlight on your local business premises and the benefits you offer to the local community.
Simplifying Local SEO: One Step at a Time
So, there you have it, your ultimate guide to Local SEO.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed. Don’t be. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Take each step at a time.
Think of it like building a framework. Once you have the key, you can understand which piece to start with and how the pieces fit together. This guide will ensure you start off right and successfully navigate the challenges. Remember that SEO results can take approximately 3- 12 months to gain significant traction. But the results are worth it. When all the components come together, the benefits can be dramatic and worthwhile, creating passive income whilst you sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labour. In the meantime, you will notice small wins as you progress on the journey. It’s a details game. The more you practice it, the more it makes sense and the greater the kick you get out of seeing visible results. Statistics show that SEO is key for generating traffic and revenue.
We have already seen at the beginning the importance of online searches for local businesses.
Time to get started?
Written by Jane Eley
Freelance Copywriter
www.janeeleywriting.co.uk
Content & Copywriter specialising in, (but not limited to), home interior and lifestyle brands.
Looking for help with long-form blog content to optimise local or organic SEO? Get in touch. I can help with website copy too.
