How Can I Improve my Local SEO?

One way businesses across the world have quickly adapted to attract more customers is through targeted ads. But with online search queries growing exponentially, more and more customers are looking for local businesses online. According to recent research, at least 97% of all search engine users have searched for a local service/product online. And, out of the 97%, 46% of Google searches are looking for local information.

These statistics go to prove just how important it is to rank in local search engine results. Businesses that don’t utilize SEO for local businesses miss out on customers and valuable traffic. Here are six ways you can improve your local SEO.

Ask for Google Reviews

Google reviews are one way your business can stand out from your competition. Make sure you aim for higher average ratings, more reviews, and they should be frequent. A majority of businesses struggle to get reviews online because it takes a lot of effort from the customer to give you a review. Despite the difficulty, reviews are critical as they help build your online credibility. It also improves your local Google rankings.

If you’ve had difficulties getting your customers to write a review, you can make it part of your business process. First, encourage your customers to write a review through phone calls, in-person, or email. Also, ask your customers to be specific on the product/ service in the review. A specific review makes it easier for Google to highlight your business for a particular service/product.

Add Relevant Keyword-Based Content

Most business owners often assume that local Google rankings have nothing to do with their website; however, this isn’t the case. Your website can influence your local rankings. If you want to improve your local SEO:

• Ensure that your website contains the relevant keywords for your business.
• Ensure you build separate pages for every service you offer.
• Make sure the SEO content on your website pages is high quality and includes sections like an FAQ.

Get Relevant and High-quality Links

High-quality and relevant links for your website also play an essential role in SEO, as they are a huge factor in Google’s algorithm. Here is how you can build more links to your site.

• Competitor Research: Analysing your top competitors’ websites can help you see the steps they took to acquire relevant links. And, with those actionable steps, you can gain relevant and high-quality links.

• Directories: You can also get your business listed in online directories.

• Publish High-quality Content: Continually publish and promote high-quality content on your website. The content on your website will naturally attract links over time. And these are the high-quality links that Google values.

Make Your Website Mobile Friendly

Smartphones have become an integral part of our daily schedule. With more people relying on their mobile phones to look for businesses and local information, it’s essential to make your website mobile-friendly. According to a study commissioned by Uberall, 82% of their respondents used their smartphones to conduct a local search. 

By improving your website performance for smartphone screens, you create a website that mobile visitors will have no problems navigating. Also, ensure you integrate click-to-call buttons on the website and GMB listing. A click-to-call button will make an enormous difference, as customers can contact your business directly.

Optimize for Voice Search

The use of the Voice Search command has become increasingly popular over the years. The good news is that you can optimize the questions people ask for local SEO purposes. Essentially, customers use long-tail keywords for voice searches, unlike regular engine searches. 

Therefore, you can adjust your content to fit in the long-tail keywords. First, however, ensure that you make the content more conversational by including traditional question starters like who, when, where, what, and how.

It’s also important to consider the user intent for voice searches. The search intent makes it easier to give a quick and clear answer. For instance, if a potential customer asks for your business hours, the information should be readily available.

Location Specific Pages

Location pages are essential, especially if your business is in more than one area. The pages on your website should provide the following information:

• Store hours
• Testimonials
• Phone number, name, and address
• Promotion
• Attached google maps
• Parking availability
• Individualized descriptions

Make sure that the content for each page and location is unique. But, if your business has only one location, ensure that you create an About us page that will focus on relevant and local information.

By implementing the above strategies, you ensure that your business grows by taking advantage of the local searches.