Local Search Engine Optimization

Local Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has grown significantly over the last few years, particularly given the rise of Smartphone usage and better connectivity while out and about. Although it shares a lot of similarities with Organic SEO, it’s ultimately very different. Local SEO is focused on providing results that are relevant to a searcher based on their current location. If I search for “best hamburger” on my computer right now, Google or Bing would provide me with results that are closest to my location. In the ever expanding world of digital marketing Local SEO can help your business stand out in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). What are the best ways to do this? Take a look at some of the best practices below.

Google My Business & Bing Places

They very first thing that you should do is claim both your Google My Business and Bing Places pages. You will want to make sure the profiles for both search engines are complete and accurate. This means making sure your business name, address, and phone number are displayed correctly. Including category information is also extremely important providing Google and Bing with a better understanding of what your business actually does and the industry that is a part of. It also helps to create a signal that your business is related to any localized searches about what your company actually does. Last but not least, you will want to make sure you have 10 images of your company on the profile, not including logos. They help to add validity to your profile and provide searchers with more information about your service.

Local Reviews

Local reviews have a direct impact on local search rankings, so you will definitely want to spend time acquiring them. It’s also worth mentioning that this doesn’t just mean Google Reviews. You’ll also want to focus on getting reviews on your Yelp page (Bing & Apple Maps), along with other local directories like social media platforms. Having seven reviews that are 4 stars or higher helps your chances of ranking highly in the local listings. Obtaining these reviews should be pretty straightforward. Get in-touch with your customer base or create a page on your website on how to leave a review. Both of these methods are extremely effective in terms of reaching out and go a long way in building up your Local SEO and brand reputation.

Local Citations

You are probably wondering what a local citation is? It’s an online reference to your business’s name, address, and phone number (NAP). These citations do not need to be linked as long as they are referencing your business NAP consistently in the same way. There are tools that exist that can help you check out your existing citations and then update them so they are all consistent (Yelp, Bright Local). You can also utilize these tools to track your competitor’s citations and add your company’s NAP information to the same websites.

All three of these best practices will help to jump-start your Local SEO efforts with main goal of showing up within the local 3-Pack in the SERPs as shown above. With the growth of all things mobile it is more crucial than ever to add Local SEO to your digital marketing efforts to increase your overall ranking, brand recognition, and overall importance in the eyes of the consumer.