Local SEO is a big deal for one important reason:
Close to 50% of all Google searches are local.
One of the biggest benefits of local SEO is the way in which it is a significantly less competitive arena than broader SEO. Not only this, but Google has repeatedly reaffirmed its commitment to helping quality local businesses climb the rankings.
With the committed support of the best local SEO company in your area, you could soon be on your way to hitting the big time.
Local SEO: Essential FAQs
If you’re new to local SEO, you probably have a whole bunch of questions and concerns to address. The answers to some of the most common and important questions you’ll find detailed below:
What is Local SEO?
As the name suggests, local SEO is a specialist type of SEO that focuses on one specific region or locality. While traditional SEO may target prospects across an entire country or worldwide, local SEO is localised to target a specific town, village, city or any given combination thereof.
What is a Local Listing in SEO?
A local SEO listing simply refers to the registration of your business with Google’s ‘My Business’ platform. Registration provides the opportunity to submit key information such as the name of your business, its address, telephone number, opening times, e-mail address and so on. After which, it will appear across all of Google’s assets to help promote your business locally.
What is Local SEO Marketing?
A local SEO marketing strategy focuses on the promotion of your business across whichever locality you intend to target. Local SEO marketing involves careful audience research and competitor analysis, in order to formulate a strategy to reach and appeal to local prospects effectively.
What is Local Search in SEO?
Local search simply refers to the search terms and queries that relate to local businesses and service providers. An example of a broader search term could be ‘Buy automotive parts online’ while a local search may be closer to ‘Buy automotive parts in Chennai.’
Difference Between SEO and Local SEO?
The primary difference between SEO and local SEO is the way in which the latter target’s customers within a much more confined region. Despite limiting the size of the target audience, local SEO has the capacity to drive significantly more traffic to the local business than a broader SEO strategy.
Important Aspect of Local SEO?
In a word – consistency. The greater your investment in quality local SEO, the more likely you are to benefit from a steady stream of traffic and a strong conversion rate.
How to Improve Local SEO?
If you’re still struggling with how to do a local listing in SEO, you’ll undoubtedly benefit from expert support. Working with a leading local SEO company in Chennai comes highly-recommended, given that certain aspects of local SEO are more complex than others.
Still, if you choose to go it alone, there are plenty of avenues to explore for enhancing your local SEO strategy. The following examples have demonstrated the most consistent results for small and large businesses alike:
Prioritise Keyword Research
With local SEO, it’s more a case of focusing on longer search terms than individual keywords. When web users carry out local searches, they incorporate far more information than they would with a broader search.
They may include the region, the town, perhaps even the street they’re on at the time. A typical example of a local search term being ‘Cheap computer parts near Baker Street in London.’ It’s up to you to research the terms of greatest value to both your customers and your business.
Google My Business listing
Claiming your spot on Google is one thing – completing your listing is something else entirely. Long story short, you need to pack as much information as you possibly can into your listing, along with photos, reviews, contact information and so on. Try to answer as many questions as feasible with your listing and make it as easy as you can for your customers to find you.
Request Reviews and Ratings
The more positive reviews you collect and present, the more likely you are to be taken seriously by your target audience. Rather than sitting back and waiting for feedback to flood in on its own, it pays to be proactive. Request reviews and ratings from your customers, leveraging anyone and everyone you’ve satisfied to date. Social proof can and often does make all the difference.
Monitor Your Competitors
One of the best ways of getting ahead in local SEO stakes is to keep an eye on the competition. Not to mimic their actions or replicate their success, but to find a way to outperform them. Analyse what they’re doing that’s working, where they’re going wrong and how you can offer something they cannot. Once again, you may benefit from expert third-party assistance, if you lack the experience and acumen to handle things in-house.
Localise Your Website
Promoting your website through local SEO is one thing, but you also need to demonstrate considerable local focus within its confines. If you’re focusing on one region specifically, ensure that your content is engineered to appeal to this exact demographic.
Particularly when it comes to things like blog posts, you need to think carefully about who it is you’re targeting. The more localised content your website contains, the stronger its SEO prowess in the eyes of Google.
Boost Your Site’s Performance
Last but not least, Google makes no secret of its prioritization of websites that deliver the goods in terms of speed and overall performance. Irrespective of the size and nature of the website, it’s up to you to ensure it operates smoothly and seamlessly at all times.
Whether it’s optimizing imagery, doctoring its coding or switching to a new hosting service, boosting your site’s performance can and will make a difference. Page loading times being an important SEO metric not to overlook.
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