Local SEO is absolutely essential to small businesses that operate on a regional level. If your business wants to attract customers in the area you’re based in, you need to make it a priority. If you’ve got a low ranking, it’s inevitable that you’ll lose out to a competitor who has put the effort in.
Let’s take a look at ways you can improve your local SEO.
Claim your Google My Business listing
86% of people rely on the internet to find a local business. If this stat doesn’t motivate you to make sure you’re visible then nothing will!
One quick and easy way to improve your visibility is to sign up for Google My Business. An unbelievable 56% of local retail businesses haven’t claimed their Google My Business listing. Make sure you’re not losing out! Get it set up and add as much information as you can including pictures, reviews, testimonials, contact details, and opening times. Make it easy for customers to find out how they can use your business.
Ask for reviews
When you feel you’ve done a great job, ask for a review. Respond to reviews you’ve already received in a professional manner. Don’t bury your head in the sand if you’ve got some negative ones. Reply and fix the problem.
Positive reviews don’t just help with your visibility but they also encourage other local people to buy from you. Win-win!
Create content that shouts about your area
People like to read content that relates directly to the local area. This is a great way to grab the attention of local customers. Some companies have seen a 300% increase in traffic thanks to creating content related to their local area.
You can write blog posts around local talking points or events, create video content that features the local area, and create web copy that is aimed at people from a particular part of the region.
Make sure the right details are in the right places
Improving your local SEO is about making it easy for search engines to find you. And you need to make sure human beings can find you easily too. Have a look around your website and social media and make sure your business name, address, and phone number are correct.
Don’t make the common mistake of only including your contact information in an image. Images can’t be crawled by search engines, but text can. Ensure that your contact information is in the HTML text of your website.
SEO is constantly evolving, stay ahead of the competition
4 in 5 customers use search engines to find local information. This is why it’s so important to put in the work to ensure that your website ranks well. SEO changes often. What worked ten years ago, won’t work now. That’s why it’s always important to have a solid foundation when it comes to your SEO. When new features are introduced, you’re in a strong position to adapt with the changes. You can learn more about how to improve your SEO overall here.
If you want to gain more leads and sales in your local area, working on your local SEO is crucial. The further you dive into working on your SEO in general, the more technical it gets. But it’s important you put the effort in to compete.
