What is Local SEO?
In your SEO research and endeavors, chances are you’ve come across the term “local SEO.” It’s not always clear exactly what that means. But it’s an important part of the bigger SEO picture for certain businesses. Below we’ll discuss what local SEO is, why it’s so important, what the difference is between local and organic SEO, and some local SEO best practices.
If local SEO is right for you, use our guide on adding local schema to WordPress using Google Tag Manger.
What is Local SEO?
When you perform local SEO, you’re optimizing your business or website’s presence online, specifically with local customers in mind. The key component of local SEO is the “local” part. If your customers are looking for you specifically in their town, city, state, or region then local SEO is for you. If you’re purely a virtual business and don’t rely on location-based searches, then you don’t need to spend much energy on local SEO.
Why is Local SEO So Important?
Local SEO ties in directly with how people use the internet on an every day basis.
Think about the last time you wanted to order a pizza, call a plumber, see the hours of a coffee shop, or get the address of your local library. When you searched via Google, you were probably met with a layout like this.
If you need to call a plumber right away, you are able to see the most important things to you immediately:
- Which plumber is closest to you
- Out of the closest plumbers, which have the highest reviews
- Which plumbers are currently open
- What the phone number is of each available plumber
If your Austin-based plumbing business doesn’t show up on a panel like this, it will be much harder for people to find you. Local SEO helps you take advantage of the competitive nature of local searches by placing your information in front of more people, more often.
What’s the Difference Between Local and Organic SEO?
Local SEO targets an audience that is physically nearby to your business. Organic SEO is much broader and can target a global audience if needed.
The goal of local SEO is to connect with potential customers and clients who are looking for you because you’re close by. The goal of organic SEO is to increase your search engine ranking, earning you more website traffic and brand awareness.
Ranking factors when it comes to local SEO include NAP consistency, Google Business Profile optimization, and local reviews. Organic SEO ranking factors include keyword targeting, content quality, backlinks, and more.
Sometimes the two can overlap. For example, earning great reviews for your business, good on-page SEO, and local backlinks can aid in both local and organic SEO.
How to Improve Local SEO
Now that you have a general idea of what local SEO is, let’s talk about what you can do to optimize your business profile. There are five primary areas you should focus on in order to improve your local SEO ranking.
Consistent Contact/NAP Information
Determine your contact information, and make sure it’s consistent wherever it appears. We call this NAP information, or Name/address/phone number.
- Your business name should be exactly the same everywhere. For example, if you use “LLC” or “Inc” at the end of your business name, make sure it’s included wherever your business name is mentioned.
- Your address should be exactly the same everywhere, too. If your business is on Main Street, make sure you use “Street” and not “st.” in every mention of your address.
- Your phone number should be identical across all online platforms. Don’t use one on your website and one on your social media, even if you want to direct different audiences to different lines.
Google Business Profile
Optimizing your GBP is essential. It brings everything else together and shows your audience exactly what they want to see. If your GBP isn’t optimized, you won’t show up in the “local pack” from the screenshot above.
To create a Google Business Profile, follow these steps:
- Sign in to your Google Business Profile (if you don’t have one, make one – it’s free!)
- Enter your business name and as many other contact details as you can.
- You’ll need to verify the business before you can make it public to searchers. The Google Business Profile website will provide you with specific instructions on how they want you to verify.
- Once it’s live, if you want to edit any parts of the profile, search for your business in Google and then select “Edit Profile” to make the desired changes.
Local Citations
Google and other search engines like to see that other reputable sites speak of you positively and confirm that you’re a member of your local business community. In order to improve your local SEO, make sure you’re listed on online directories like the Yellow Pages. If your business is ever included in any local lists, blogs, ads, or reports, make sure your NAP information is consistent.
On-Page Website Optimization
Local SEO relies in large part on on-page optimization.
The website you send people to when they find you needs to be optimized. Not only do you need to provide a good user experience for visitors, but you need to continuously tell indexing bots that you are who you say you are. Ways you can optimize your website for local SEO includes:
- Integrating keywords (your city, neighborhood, region, etc.) into your website content.
- Creating keyword specific landing pages and publishing new ones regularly.
- Ensuring that your site is mobile friendly – this is a key ranking factor!
- Write and publish articles/blog posts about your local area. This could include features on local events, customer success stories, interviews, guides, etc.
- Incorporate schema markup into the code of your website. This helps search engines understand your content more easily.
Audit your site today to see what’s missing and where you have opportunities for improvement.
Off-Page Optimization
We can’t forget the importance of off-page optimization for local SEO.
Google and other search engines want to see that other businesses and individuals can verify what you say about yourself. Customers and clients want to see that too! Customer review sites are great ways to build links and mentions back to your site. Use your Google Business Profile for reviews, or platforms like Yelp.
You can also build more links back to your website by getting mentioned on other sites. Contact local news outlets, neighborhood blogs, community organizations, etc. Learn how you can get involved, support them, or be listed on their web pages. Making genuine connections can help your business grow, but can also help you improve your online presence.
To Sum Up
If your business is specific to a certain physical location, you need local SEO. Many of these optimizations don’t take long and you only have to do them once. Then, you can sit back and watch more and more people find you. Maintaining good SEO strategies over time can even boost the effort you make with local SEO.
