What is local SEO and why does your business need it

Local SEO is optimizing your website to rank better for a local audience. In short: you need to optimize your web presence so people know where you are and how to connect with you. You are targeting an audience that is located in the same geographical area as you are. Local SEO is one of the essential components to every business and brand across search engines.

While it might sound overwhelming, it’s entirely feasible to succeed with some patience and perseverance. There’s no better time to connect with a potential customer than when they need you.

Here are a few tips to make your website more local friendly:

1. Google Places for Business

Google My Business is an online tool where you can tell Google about your business. Such as the kind of business you are, where you’re located, the hours you’re open, and more.

It feeds information to a variety of places, including the local pack and Google Maps search results.

2. Google+ Local

You will then need to link your Google Places page to a Google+ Local page. This page is more focused on social interaction. Google+ account is going away on April 2, 2019

3. Optimize Online Directories and Citations

Consistency is key, be sure your citations are complete across the board. Discrepancies like misspellings, lack of suite number or wrong phone number can be problematic. If Google can’t determine which information about your business is correct, your business may not show in search results.

A citation is any place your business’ NAPW (Name, Address, Phone number, Website URL) information appears online

4. Engage with Social Media and Add Posts to Google My Business

Google considers content shared on social media king. Now that you’ve carved out a your Google My Business page, share the page on social media.

As you may have guessed, this is the tip of the iceberg. We’ve only covered the beginners basics in local SEO. Now here’s an overview of every local SEO service that can make a difference:

Understand your rankings

Compare rankings against your competitors to view ranking trends for many locations.

Manage your reputation

Track and grow your business’ reputation by tracking and analyzing your online reviews

Website ‘localization”

‘Localizing’ your website means including your area, city and county throughout your site. Businesses with several locations, this could involve creating separate pages for individual locations.

Getting quality, relevant backlinks

Organically obtained backlinks from well-regarded websites help search engines recognize your site as a trusted source of information. This recognition boosts the ‘prominence’ aspect of the local search algorithm.

Local search marketing is highly targeted and timely

The top reason people perform local searches is to find a business. The second most common reason is to find a product or service. Many local customers are looking for a specific business’, don’t have a specific business in mind.

By using local seo you can better position your business and promote what you have to offer.

Grow your business using Local SEO

Local search trends are strong and they’re only going to get stronger and more significant in the future.
Now is the time for you to take advantage of local SEO services and boost your business. All local businesses, from plumbers to florists can improve their business and make more money through local SEO. Get started today!