Boss your local SEO! Out perform your competitors in your area

What is "local SEO"?

So, what is local SEO?  Local SEO, which stands for Search Engine Optimisation, is the strategy and work undertaken to increase a organisations search results in Google and other search engines.

Any business or charity with a physical location, that serves a certain geographical area, can improve their sales and conversions by working on their local SEO.

If you have a competitor near you, who makes a lot more sales, then it's almost certain they are undertaking local SEO work and are ranking above you for local search.

Why does your small business need SEO?

According to Google Consumer Insights, search queries containing the keywords "near me" have increased by 200% over the last few years, with the total number, estimated at around 1.5 billion searches.

According to Search Engine Roundtable, 46% of Google searches have local intent.  This means half of what people search for on Google, is for local services, like your local business or charity!

76% of consumers who search for “near me” visit a business within a day.

Google, Consumer Insights

And it gets even more compelling for local search, you see local SEO keywords are also high buyer-intent, meaning people are looking to buy, not just start to learn about your brand.  They actually are actually "bottom of funnel", ready to buy!

Obviously, if your competitor invests in local SEO, they will certainly get more business than you, so it is essential to start working on it as soon as you can.

8 ways you can supercharge your local SEO

Here are the best, tried and tested methods you can use to get your website ranking hard in your local area!

Some are quicker to get in place than others, but with some work and patience you can get highly-effective results relatively quickly by following this guidance:

1. Set up Google My Business listing and update regularly

Setting up your Google My Business (GMB) listing is essential for local businesses! It has a wealth of information for local customers, helps you collect important reviews and most importantly (for this topic), improves your local SEO ranking in Google.

Businesses that optimize their Google Business Profile profile effectively can compete with larger companies in local searches, thereby leveling the playing field. The organic nature of Map Pack listings also means businesses benefit from targeted exposure.

Hike SEO

When you update your blog, add a new service to your site or a special offer, you can also post directly in your My Business page to help promote your new content.

Collecting quality, genuine reviews is an important ranking factor, that will help promote your site higher in the search results.

You should add a business description, featuring your main keywords (without spamming), that is also interesting and compelling to users.

Set up ways for potential customers to contact you, including messaging and your website link.  Add great photos to build transparency and show off your business and it's services and products.

You can also choose business categories that match what you do and sell. Don't select everything, choose your top few to really focus on.

For more info, see these 5 tips on Google My Business profile optimization.

To get started creating your GMB profile go to https://business.google.com/uk/business-profile/?authuser=0

2. Consistent NAP with your Google My Business Listing

Your businesses name, address and phone number (NAP), should be consistent between your website and your Google My Business (GMB) listing.

Not only should your website's NAP match your GMB listing, but also when you add your details anywhere else.  This includes communities, directories and other business websites that you may be affiliated with.

A consistent NAP across the web really improves your local SEO. The following quote sounds obvious, but it is a great reminder of how important it is to consider this point when building citations:

However, warning bells sound if there are differences in NAP data from one citation to the next. To Google, inaccuracies suggest that some of the data is wrong, meaning it can’t trust that search users are being served reliable information. As a result, rankings can suffer.

BrightLocal

So when you add your site to a directory, keep a note of that directory and your login details, so if you need to update your NAP in every citation in the future, you can more easily do so.

3. Content pages with [service name, town name]

Some of the most important, high buyer-intent keywords for local SEO include your service name and your location.

To rank for these great local searches like "copywriter Brighton", you need to add pages containing these keywords and some well-written content. Be careful to provide great content for the user, without stuffing your keywords into the page too much. 

This is known as over-optimising and won't help you!

Also add a strong call to action (CTA) to guide users and help promote conversion to get in touch or buy your products. Afterall, traffic won't pay the bills, you need people to actually buy from you.

4. Directory listings

When we're talking about SEO, directory listings are known as "citations".

When optimising for local search, you can find great local directories in your town, city or area, sometimes getting a prominent listing.  You often have to pay money to add your website link and depending on the directory this can be a good idea.

Choose directories that align with your businesses services and niche.  For example, if you run a pet store, don't list it on a directory for motor trade businesses.

Also add your business to larger, national directories so you have a natural spread of different citations.

Remember to write an interesting description of your business,  add your keywords, images and name, address and phone number (NAP), of course, keeping the NAP consistent with your GMB listing and other citations.

Check out this article with more information and some guidance on how to check if a directory is worth going for.

5. Links from other local businesses

Quality inbound links are one of the main methods for improving SEO.  For local SEO, also consider the location of businesses and organisations linking to your site.

Links should be in a similar niche. For example a property developer or estate agent would benefit more from property related websites linking back to their site.

There are many ways of getting inbound links and depending on how you do it, you should go for a range of domain authorities (DAs), which makes your bank link profile look organic, which is what Google will want to see.

However, higher DA websites will signal to Google that your website is important and has valuable content on it's pages.  So valuable, that is it attracting links from more authoritative websites.

Check out this article on 11 ways to build local business links from Moz

6. Encourage consistent reviews on GMB listing 

As mentioned before, building up quality reviews on your GMB listing is will give you a major push in the local search rankings on Google.

Customers don't always think to leave them, so to get results you'll need to ask customers for them, when the time is right.

This is potentially easier for some businesses, who create close relationships with their clients or who save them money. For others, it is harder and you may need to possibly incentivise customers to leave reviews.

Google reviews are a pivotal element in local SEO, significantly influencing a business's ranking in the local pack. The quantity and recency of reviews are directly correlated with improved rankings.

Moz

7. Local content pieces

A local content piece is an article or page in your website that is written to talk about your local area.

The idea is to write an interesting article about your area which helps promote your brand in that area, and improve your local SEO and attract more local searches.

This helps reinforce your location and knowledge of the facilities, geography and history of your area.

These local content pages can be orphaned, they don't need to all be linked to in your navigation, which is good, because they may not fit well alongside your services and products.

Make sure you write high-quality content, that has been thoroughly researched, with references and data, that covers the topic in depth, so it is useful for your readers.

8. Add Whatsapp and text messaging to your GMB!

Google have just announced  an exciting new feature that allows users to contact you through Whatsapp, via your GMB page.  

Using this feature you can now allow users to Whatsapp and text you through a link on your GMB profile.

Some people prefer different ways of contacting businesses, than the usual email or phone.  We've seen a huge shift from phone calls to email, but now we're seeing a large shift to Whatsapp, especially with younger clients who grew up with instant messaging and prefer that as a means of communicating easily, especially when out and about.

What results can I expect?

As we can see, local SEO is a big deal.  Winning the trust of your local community is vital for local businesses.  Local SEO not only leads to building more brand awareness in your area, but also more sales and potential to partner-up with other local businesses.

What's next?

If you need help with anything, we are here for you.  Simply contact us for a friendly chat.

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