Did you know that 28% of all local searches result in a purchase?
As local searches increase substantially, if your small business isn’t optimized accordingly, you may be missing out on this very valuable market. A local SEO strategy is a marketing technique that ensures you are tapping into the power of local search and local purchasing. In doing so, you will improve your reach and ultimately drive more conversions.
So how do you go about achieving local SEO that works and gives you a competitive edge?
Let’s take a look at some important tactics you don’t want to overlook:
Create a Google My Business (GMB) Listing
This is one of the first things you should do in an effort to rank locally. Setting up a Google My Business listing is basically like the yellow pages but a modernized version. Your listing should include your products, services, as well as a secondary business category. In terms of achieving effective local SEO, Google My Businesses listings are the top influencing factor, according to Moz.
Target Local Keywords
Targeting local keywords is the biggest component of local SEO. While this is pretty straightforward, you should continue to target longer tail local keywords for your company as well.
For example, if you are a shredding company in New Jersey, you’ll want to compare search volumes for different variations of search terms like “shredding company, New Jersey,” “document shredding, New Jersey” You can localize even further with your keywords, such as “shredding services, Newark.”
Use Local Keywords Throughout Your Website
Once you have your keywords nailed down you wish to rank for, you need to ensure they are featured accordingly throughout your website. Beginning with your home page and any service pages, always include your keywords in the headings, title tags, meta description, body, and footer. You should also incorporate your main local keyword into the URL if and when possible as well. Note that keywords should always be used naturally, as keyword stuffing is frowned upon.
Content Should be Locally Focused
Many content marketing strategies involve content that isn’t locally focused. While this approach may increase your reach if you are a local business owner, that extra reach is irrelevant. If you want to maximize your content marketing strategies for more leads, be sure you are creating content that is optimized for local viewers.
Optimize for Mobile Use
This goes without saying, but if your website isn’t optimized for mobile use, you are missing out on a huge market. It’s simply essential for good SEO; more specifically, essential for local SEO. Why? Stats reveal that close to 30% of all mobile searches are location-based. This number implies that a high percentage of customers who come across your website via local searches are more than likely on their mobile devices. That said, you need to make sure your site functions and displays properly on mobile, or you’ll have frustrated visitors who will leave your site due to a poor experience.
Take Advantage of Voice Optimization
Consider also optimizing for voice searches. Mobile voice searches are increasing at a high rate, and it has been said that they are 300% more likely to have local intent than text searches. While a relatively new concept still, it’s one we encourage you to look into, especially as a means to stand out amongst your competitors.
Create Content Based Location Pages
If your business provides services to multiple locations in the area, you’ll want to make sure you target these locations separately, with quality featuring unique content. In doing so, you’ll help to rank for these local searches in each location. Focus on the benefits of your primary services and give an overview while naturally integrating a specific location. Refrain from using duplicate content for all your location-based service pages, as Google will penalize you for this, and your page rankings will reflect this.
Get Ahead of Your Competition
At NetGain, our goal is to grow your online visibility and increase sales by capturing local inquiries. By understanding your specific requirements, we select the right mix of optimization strategies that fit your business and help drive conversions. Need help with improving your local SEO? Schedule a free strategy session with the NetGain team.