Ranking for local SEO is crucial for regional businesses that rely on customers in the surrounding area. Unfortunately, this is often overlooked and even though companies rank well on Google search results, they don’t rank highly for the all-important ‘near me’ searches.
Unless you can improve your local SEO so your site appears top of the list for ‘near me’ searches, you will not be reaching the right people. A ‘near me’ search is when somebody searches for a business that is specifically located nearby, and they usually apply to physical businesses. For example, somebody might search for ‘Chinese restaurant near me’ and they’ll get a list of all of the relevant businesses in the area. Ranking well for those kinds of searches will drive a lot of potential customers to your business.
If your business is not ranking for local SEO, there are some simple changes you can make to improve your position.
Create A Profile On Google My Business
My Business is a free service that allows you to create a profile for your business on Google. You can add all of the relevant information about your business, including high-quality photos and details about your products or services.
Google uses My Business pages to help determine which results to display. So, if you don’t have one set up, ranking for local SEO is much harder. It’s quick and easy to do, so make it a priority.
Generate Positive Reviews On Google
Google uses a rating system to determine which businesses rank higher in searches. That rating is partly based on customer reviews, so it’s worth encouraging people to leave positive reviews about your business.
Positive reviews will also establish trust with customers and improve your conversion rate, so it’s a win-win. If you have a lot of negative reviews, this will seriously harm your chances of ranking well.
Give Contact Details On Your Website
The Google algorithms also consider the contact details on your website. Having a physical address and phone number will help your site to rank higher, as it shows Google that you’re a legitimate business. Consistency is important too, so make sure that the details listed on your website are exactly the same as they are on your Google My Business page.
Sponsor Local Events
Sponsoring local events is a great way to increase your exposure in the local community. If you list the details of these local events on your website, this tells Google that you are a prominent business in the area, so you will rank higher in local searches. Make sure that you use a Schema markup to incorporate the location attribute for the event, so it’s easier for the search engines to find the information and connect it with your business.
Geocode Your Images
Images with geotags will help to improve your ranking. Geotagging is a way of adding geographical information to any web-based content, including images and videos. If you use tools such as Instagram, Facebook, or Flickr then the location data will be automatically added to your image. If not, there are plugins that can do this for you. Once the image is uploaded and geotagged, you can then link to it from your site and benefit from the location data.
Collect Local Backlinks
Collecting backlinks from trusted sources is important, but you also need to focus on local links if ranking for local SEO is your main aim. The easiest way to do this is to ask people who you already know that are based in the local area. They might be willing to share your website, or they may even write an article for their own blog mentioning your business. Your local chamber of commerce, trade organizations, and local web directories are all great sources for backlinks too.
When you are developing your backlink strategy, it is important that you use geographical anchor text (the name of your city, town, or neighborhood, for example).
Use Location-Specific Keywords On Your Site
Using location-specific keywords is crucial if you want to rank for local SEO. Local businesses will naturally use these kinds of keywords more often, so you need to be more specific in your content. Mention specific place names and regions as well as landmarks in the local area. This shows Google exactly where you are operating and boosts your ranking for local searches.
Consider Using Paid Ads
Paid ads are a simple way to rank well for local searches. This is the easiest option and you will see fast results, but it is also the most expensive way of ranking for local SEO. In most cases, it’s best to use the other methods listed above to rank well naturally. However, if you have enough money in your marketing budget and you don’t want to wait around, paid ads are an option.
Ranking for local SEO is key to your success if you run a regional business, so reconsider your strategy today! SunCity Advising can help your business rank high in the SERPS with our proven SEO Services.
