Local SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is an incredibly effective way to market your local business online. It helps businesses promote their products and services to local customers at the exact time they’re looking for them online.
If you are running a local brick & mortar business then you are probably targeting clients in your locality or nearby areas in your city. But how will you tell search engines about exactly where your business is located in order to provide the information to your local clients. If you are looking to target a specific audience in a specific location then optimizing your business for “Local Search” is very essential.
Let’s discuss some very effective ways you can easily optimize your local business to be discovered by your local clients.
1.Researching Local Keywords
With local search, the foremost thing you have to do is to perform a thorough Keyword research to add high volume local Geo-Specific Keywords along with your Industry-Specific Keywords like “Real Estate Companies In LA”, “car rentals in CA”, “Digital Marketing Companies In Seattle” etc.
On- Site Local Optimization:
2.Optimize Your Page’s Title
The Title Tag of your landing page should be optimized with the specific location in mind you are trying to optimize your business as it will the first thing to appear in the SERP & is very important to include your location in your Title Tag for Local Optimization.
3.Optimize Meta Description Attribute
Your Meta Description should include your Geo-Location along with niche keywords & contact number as Google might use it in the snippet in its SERP.
4.Have a Contact Us Page with Full Name, Address & Phone Number(NAP)
Contact Us page should have the original name, address & phone number of each location. You should ensure that NAP elements are consistent throughout the website.
5.Include Name, Address & Phone Number(NAP) In The Footer
Placing Name, Address & Phone Number(NAP) of your business on every page of your website will boost your local relevancy when crawled by bots but only ensure that you are using text not images.If you have multiple locations then make sure to list all the locations in the footer.
6.Optimize H1 Header Tag With Specific Location
Don’t forget to include your specific location city or state in H1 Header Tag to boost your local relevancy.
7.Include Your Location In Your Content
8.You should mention your specific location in your content if you are aiming to optimize your business for “Local Search”. If you have multiple locations then it is convenient to create a single page to optimize the locations rather than creating multiple pages with location & keyword combo.
9.Embed Google Map In Your Site
You can embed Google Map via several plug-ins on your website to let Google know where exactly you are located in order get your business on “Local Map ” results.
10.Include Location In ALT Text For Images
Since search engine, bots cannot read images & can only see ALT Text in images you can use your location in the ALT Text to optimize your page for local results.
11.Place Your Targeted Location, City, State In URL
You can leverage your URL structure by including specific locations & city to enhance your ranking in “Local Search”.
12.Integrate Client Feedback about Your Product & Services In Your Landing Pages
13.Use feedback from local clients from the cities about your products & services to build credibility among your local clients.
14.Offer City Specific Special Offers For Your Products & Services
Offering city specific offers can help search engines to differentiate one location from another
Arrange City Specific Events For Launching Your Products & Blog About Them
If you can organize city-specific events & get them to cover by local press & media then you can get a huge traction by highlighting them in your blog
Off- Site Local Optimization:
15.Get your Business Listed On Google My Business
This is the very first thing you should do optimize your site for local search.Just visit My Business fill all the details & get your business Verified by Google.
16.Get Reviews from Your Customers
Request your customers to leave a Review your business on Google on your profile & respond to them accurately to show off your customer service skills & can create opportunities to bring in more clients.
17.Build Citations By Listing Your Business On Local Search Directories
Try to enlist your business in all the leading local search directories which can give tremendous visibility to your brand & will eventually help to boost your ranking in “Local Search”.
