Local SEO
Local SEO helps your business be more visible in Google’s local search results.
Any business that has a physical location in a region or serves a geographical area can benefit from local SEO.
But to understand what local SEO is, you first need to know how Google works.
How local SEO works
In addition to the usual website ranking factors, Google’s algorithms use three main factors to help find the best match: Relevance, Distance, and Familiarity.
Google displays local search results, in the form of regular search results and showing a map showing the most popular local businesses.
By analyzing user behavior, Google found that people searching for certain types of services or products wanted results from their area, even within a city area. Therefore, Google’s local search algorithm includes a proximity factor, which means Google takes your location into account when searching. This happens even when the user does not include a city name or “near me” in their query.
The same query made by you at home and at work will give you different results. This is quite logical, considering that you need a restaurant nearby, and not on the other side of town.
Local search has been around for many years, but its benefits were fully realized as soon as mobile phones with stable Internet access appeared. Local SEO has become extremely important to the success of any business offering local products or services.
How to Do Local SEO
Now let’s discuss what exactly you need to do to improve your local ranking and increase traffic. The following steps will help you get started.
Conduct local keyword research
Make a short list of keywords that people use when searching for local products and services or will be able to find your local business.
Using the right keywords on your site increases your ranking and attracts targeted local traffic to your site.
What is important for local SEO
It’s important to create local landing pages for each of your business’s locations; you should include not only your business name, but also its details such as address and phone number. This should also be considered in your content marketing and link building strategy.
Additionally, having a business listing on Google My Business and having reviews posted by your local customers are also taken into account for your local SEO ranking.