The good news is, there are tons of local SEO tools you can find online that won’t cost you a single dime. These tools come in handy not only when you’d need to quantify, track, and evaluate your local SEO efforts, but also to implement the tactics as well.
You’d probably agree that the new yellow pages is Local SEO. While customers are on the go, they use their tablets and mobile phones to locate the best local businesses that would give them what they want, when they want it.
Targeted high-quality website traffic is always to your advantage. If your business website is optimized for Local SEO, then potential customers would easily be able to find you in Google
According to Go-Globe, 78% of local-mobile searches result in offline purchases! The “consumer’s intent” to get search engine results with local businesses is what sets Local SEO apart from other SEO methods. If you’re able to show when your customers are actively searching, you have a much higher chance of converting these leads into actual purchases.
There are simple and practical methods that you can easily do to maximize your Local SEO efforts. Accurate and relevant business information across all online platforms and the use of interactive maps are just two methods that would dramatically improve your business’ local search results.
‘Localizing’ your website means including your city, county or region name naturally throughout your site. For businesses with several locations, this could involve creating separate pages or Content Hubs for individual locations. Other tactics include getting involved with local community events and featuring articles and information about them on the site.
Ensure your site features on citation sites and online business directories. Not only will this help customers find your business, but featuring your company’s name, address, phone number and website URL (NAPW) on citation sites and adding extra information to business directories will help improve your search rankings.
Claiming your Google My Business page is a a key step towards helping your business display on important Google services, such as local search results and Google Maps. GMB (and its Microsoft equivalent, Bing Places for Business) should always be the first online directory you take ownership of.
Genuine, honest reviews are critical both for showcasing the quality of your service and for sending signals to search engines that your site and service are trusted and useful. The amount of reviews you receive, the overall quality of the reviews and the authority of the review sites themselves are all important factors for local search rankings.
Naturally obtained backlinks from well-regarded websites help search engines recognize your site as a trusted source of information and boosts the ‘prominence’ aspect of the local search algorithm. Links from local newspapers, bloggers and business associations, as well as citations, can all help improve your search visibility.
Google My Business is a free and easy-to-use tool for businesses and organizations to manage their online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. By verifying and editing your business information, you can both help customers find you and tell them the story of your business.
Here you have the top five benefits of using this tool:
Manage the information that Google users see when they search for your business, or the products and services that you offer. Businesses that verify their information with Google My Business are twice as likely to be considered reputable by consumers.1 When people find your business on Google Maps and Search, make sure that they have access to information like your hours, website, and street address.
Read and respond to reviews from your customers, and post photos that show off what you do. Businesses that add photos to their listings receive 42% more requests for driving directions on Google Maps and 35% more clicks through to their websites than businesses that don’t.
See insights on how customers searched for your business, and where those customers are coming from. You can also see information like how many people called your business directly from the phone number displayed on local search results in Search and Maps. And when you’re ready, seamlessly create and track the performance of Smart campaigns to spread the word about your work.
Prefer to go mobile? Download the free Google My Business mobile app to access your account and update your business information from anywhere.
