Creating a winning local SEO strategy is essential for small businesses that operate regionally. It can be daunting to compete with giant brands in the local SEO space, but with the right approach, you can turn your epic battle into an epic victory. To get started, take stock of your services and products and optimize your Google My Business listing. Additionally, submit your key business information to directories and use tools such as keyword research, backlink building, and business listing optimization.
Local keyword research is much easier than keyword research for creating blog content. That's because most of the terms will be anchored to your business services and a location. Most of the time, people will search for a specific service in a location near them. GMB or Google My Business is essentially the most critical part of your local SEO strategy.
This Google tool allows you to create free business listings and is one of the main factors that Google will take into account when ranking businesses in the organic local search and snack pack results. By adding the appropriate Schema markup for local businesses to your website, you are telling Google that you are a local business and not a big brand. Local business listings are vital for local businesses, and the information crucial to your business must be accurate in them. Inbound links are incredibly powerful opportunities to boost your local SEO - every inbound link tells Google that you are a legitimate business, and inbound links can also increase your domain authority. Competing with giant brands in the local SEO space can be daunting, but with personalisation and localisation playing an increasingly important role in every SERP, local can no longer be viewed in its own silo. Every search engine and social marketer must hone their understanding of how to build their local presence through outreach to other local businesses, schools and events. The paradox of local search has always been that it is one of the most time-consuming areas of SEO, yet the businesses that stand to gain the most have the smallest budgets and the most limited internal resources.
By following local SEO best practices, businesses can improve organic traffic from searches conducted by customers in nearby areas. In this beginner's guide, we've mapped out the path to local SEO success so you can learn how to build a solid strategy for your business and leverage the tools you'll need to get results. A local mention (or local listing) within a directory is another way to let people know more about your business - part of the reason why maintaining a consistent NAP is so essential. By putting these 10 actionable items into practice, you'll ensure that your business not only takes advantage of lucrative local search, but also has a solid foundation when new SEO features are introduced. And if you don't have the bandwidth to make these adjustments, you may want to look for a small business SEO service provider. Whether you're an SEO agency representing multiple brands, you work in-house managing multiple locations, or you're a local business owner tasked with marketing your company, keeping up with local SEO tasks can be a hurdle.
We've created this guide to help you stay on track. Most of the time, local SEO is used to optimise results in search engines such as Google, Apple and Bing. In some industries, local SEO can also be used to boost results on local yellow pages sites and industry-related review platforms.
