If your business has a physical location or serves a specific location, one of the most important SEO tactics you can implement is local SEO. This local search marketing strategy allows you to connect with your local audience and boost your local search rankings. There are a variety of ways that you can enhance your local SEO strategy that we will discuss in this blog post, so continue reading to learn more about SEO enhancements and how you can boost online visibility in your local area.
If your business is looking to enhance your online visibility and reach your local audience, explore our SEO services today.
What is Local SEO and Why It Matters
According to Think With Google, 4-in-5 consumers use search engines to find local information, making local SEO more important than ever before. It’s a SEO strategy that involves optimizing your online presence to become more visible on local search results. This is an important strategy for businesses that have one or more physical location or serve a specific geographic location. In a survey done by BrightLocal in their 2023 Customer review found that 98% of consumers use the internet to find information about local businesses in 2022. Ensuring that you have a strong local SEO strategy can increase the potential to boost visibility, website traffic, phone calls, and conversions for your business. When your business appears higher in local search results and business listings, you're building brand awareness and trust with your local audience.
“Local SEO is one of the most actionable areas for SEO enhancements because there is less competition at the local level versus the national level. Users searching for nearby businesses are also more likely to call, get directions, and convert into customers.”
- Kevin Williams, Americaneagle.com SEO Team Lead
SEO Enhancements: Optimizing for Local Search Success
Maximize your visibility in local search rankings with the below five targeted SEO enhancements. By honing in on key areas from Google Business Listings to location-specific pages, you can elevate your local search presence.
Optimize Your Google Business Profile
One of the most important aspects of local SEO is creating and optimizing a Google Business Profile. This profile needs to be fully complete with accurate information about your business such as your address, contact information (phone or email address), and hours of operation in order to help Google understand your business. Your profile should have high-quality photos of your business offerings, staff, etc., as well as videos in order to further showcase your business. This profile also allows you to post updates, events, offers, and more to show you’re active and engage with potential customers. When it comes to reviews, it’s important to aim for a 100% response rate and publicly respond to reviews to show customers you value feedback. You should accurately categorize your business so you appear in relevant searches, as well as regularly check and update the information on your Google Business Profile.
Build Location-Specific Pages
On your website, you should optimize your homepage and other website pages to focus on serving local customers and searches. This can be done through a variety of ways, including ensuring the main keyword phrase on the pages you want to target your local audience is in the meta title, meta description, is mentioned a few times on the page, and is in the URL. This helps when search engines are indexing your website and can boost your search engine rankings.
If your business has multiple locations, be sure to create individual pages for each location that include information such as nearby landmarks, cross streets, parking information, and public transportation. You should also consider embedding a Google Map pin on each page that links directly to your Google Business Profile listing for that location so users can easily find all the information they need about your business.
Get Listed on Key Sites
There are a few different websites in which having a business profile is beneficial to a local SEO strategy, including Google Business Profile, Facebook Business Page, and an Apple Maps listing. It’s important to ensure your business not only has these online listings, but that each one is complete with accurate information and is fully optimized. Be sure to check out local business directories and niche review sites to see how you can get listed in order to further boost visibility. If your business is listed across multiple sites, be sure that all the information, such as business name, address, and phone are consistent and accurate. At the same time, it’s important to regularly check these listings for accuracy and updates.
Generate Reviews
It’s imperative to have reviews on your online profiles, not only does this improve visibility on search engines, but they also give your business the opportunity to understand the way people interact with your business. Emailing customers and asking them to leave an online review after positive experiences is a great way to garner reviews on your online profiles.
When it comes to responding to reviews it’s important to thank reviewers publicly for taking time to review your business. If you get a negative review, be sure to respond in a professional manner and resolve issues quickly and transparently.
Measure and Monitor Results
There are many tools that exist to help you measure and monitor your local search SEO, including Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and Moz Local. It’s important to set up and monitor Google My Business Insights because it gives you the opportunity to explore the insights that come directly from your Google Business Profile. When you’re monitoring your engagement metrics on your profiles, pay attention to what content and activities drive the most actions and be sure to continuously update your strategy based on your data to boost your results.
Elevate Your Local SEO Rankings with Americaneagle.com
Implementing a local search engine rankings can give your business the opportunity to grow and connect with your local audience. If your business is wondering how to boost local SEO, contact us today at (877) 932-6691 or fill out our form to discuss your local SEO needs.
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