lOCAL seo
If you are a small business looking to increase your online presence in your local area, then look no further than using Local SEO. Optimising your business for local searches is essential, otherwise, you could miss out on potential customers who are searching for a local business. Nearly half of all searches on Google are on the hunt for local information about businesses so this is a vital part of optimising your website.
These are our best practices for optimising your business for the local audience.
optimise your website
One of the most vital steps to take when looking to target a local audience is to tailor the content you produce to your target audience. Whenever you publish a new blog post, ensure it is optimised with keywords such as where you are based and any other info about your local area. These keywords will ensure that your site is ranking on Google for the area in which you are based. Use high-volume local keywords in your headlines, descriptions, and even the alt-tags of your images to ensure that Google knows you are a site looking for local customers.
optimise your website for mobile
When your potential customers search for “bakery near me” or “estate agents near me” they are looking for places that they can find near them to quickly pop into. Often when people search for a business close to them they are out and about and using their mobile phones. In fact, the majority of “near me” searches are made using a mobile device. This is why it is essential that your website performs at its best on a mobile phone. Ensuring your website is easy to navigate on mobile and that you clearly display your contact information and maybe even a call now button to make it that bit easier for your potential customers to contact you, is an essential part of optimising your business for the local audience.
Optimise your gmb listing
When your potential customers Google your business, the first thing that comes up on their screen are the Google-My-Business listings of every business near them and all of the contact info, locations and reviews that the customer needs to make a decision. If you don’t have one already, creating a GMB profile is possibly the most important part of local SEO for your business. Including things such as your location, contact information, business hours, reviews, and photos of your business will provide a sure-fire way for potential customers to see your business at the top of the search results.
Conduct link-building
Just like with regular SEO, link-building is a vital part of local SEO. Ensure that the links you are using are relevant to your local area due to the fact that those on a website about your local area will most likely want to know about local businesses such as yours. However, if you were to backlink on a website based a hundred miles away, there won’t be much relevance to your business and there will be no reason for anyone to click on your link. Focus on targeting high authority websites in your local area for the most effective backlinking that will drive local customers to your site.
other top tips
So now you should know how to optimise your business effectively for the local audience. The steps highlighted above are the most essential if you are to rank effectively in your local area. Some other top tips for localising your business is to encourage your customers to leave reviews for you on Google to ensure you climb the rankings, also adding a location page to your website with a Google maps feature is another great way to make your business easy to find for your target audience.
At Lowaire, we are always available to help you with any SEO enquiries you may have and all of the above points can be carried out by us for you and your business. Take a look at our SEO services today and our complete marketing packages for a complete marketing strategy for your business.
