The Importance of Local SEO
If you've been neglecting to optimize your website because you're a local business and get most of your business via word of mouth, you might be missing out on a huge opportunity.
Almost half of all Google searches are local. That means you're losing out on business every time a potential customer heads to the internet to look for a product or service that you offer.
Almost three-quarters of the people doing local searches will head to a business within a five-mile radius. Businesses that haven't worked on their local SEO will likely be left out of those visits.
Google has enhanced its approach for ranking local businesses. Now, Google takes location as well as personal preferences into account when deciding which results to display to searchers.
When people seek out places to spend their money, they may use phrases such as 'consignment shops near me.' Even if they don't specify they're looking locally, Google picks up on the location and includes nearby results in the 'Snack Pack'.
These are different than organic search results. They're located above the organic display and show the primary three local business listings applicable to the query. Approximately one-third of searchers click here first.
How To Do Local SEO For Your Business
Local SEO is more important than ever. There are several strategies for improving your local SEO, and you can perform most of these steps yourself with a little guidance and diligence.
Improve Your Website
People will click out of an ugly or hard-to-navigate website as quickly as they entered it. The first order of business may be to hire a consultant to ensure that your site is completely user-friendly.
Local websites should have a dedicated contact page. Clearly list your business name, address and phone number here. Make the phone number clickable to help those who locate you on a mobile device.
Adding Schema markup can help all search engines recognize that you're local and should be ranked as such.
Optimize Your Site for Mobile
When people are driving around the city, they tend to use their mobile devices to look up local businesses. If your website is not optimized for these visitors, they might skip over you in search of an easier-to-navigate site.
Use the Google Mobile-Friendly Test Tool to check if your site needs improvement.
Use the Right Keywords
Researching local keywords is essential to show up when your neighbors search for you. You can start by looking up the keywords associated with your competitors.
Continue to brainstorm keywords by combining the service or product you sell with your location. For example, if you're a lawyer in Brisbane, keywords might include:
- Lawyer in Brisbane
- Brisbane lawyer
- Emergency lawyer in Brisbane
- Best lawyer Brisbane
Don't ignore long-tail searches. People performing specific queries are more likely to take action on the results.
Make sure to include keywords that use the phrase 'near me.' Many people activate the location feature on their mobile devices instead of typing their location into the search bar.
Claim Your Google My Business Listing
More than half of local businesses have not claimed their business listing on Google. These listings appear along with Google Maps when someone does a local search.
The information in your listing also populates results when people search for data related to your business, such as your hours or phone number.
If you can't find your business on Google Maps, you may not have verified your listing. Your business address and other information may be incorrect.