Local search engine optimization, or local SEO, is the act of optimizing a website for local search using specific terms and key phrases targeting searchers that your business caters to in your specific geographical location. Local SEO is very similar to traditional SEO in that it also is a process involving the placement of your site or a page in the search engine results pages (SERPs) of these search engines, often called "natural" or "organic" results. Ultimately what you are looking for are those searchers looking for something near them or in your area, in other words, "near me" type results.
Seven tips for optimizing your website for local searches
The goal of both local and organic SEO is to get on page one of the SERPs. I will not lie; this can be extremely difficult for most small businesses. However, here are seven tips for optimizing your website for local searches:
1. Focus on organic methods
The first and most crucial step you must take to rank well for local searches is to focus on organic methods of driving targeted traffic to your website. Organic search results provide searchers with free, relevant content that your audience will appreciate. They are also most likely to click on links to these sites. Your site’s purpose should be to provide quality information to searchers and prospects to build strong relationships with them.
2. Have content that answers people's questions
Having content on your site that answers people's questions. While I know, that sounds novel, and you would be surprised by how difficult it can be to find answers. Take, for example, something as simple as pricing and cost. Most businesses want to hide it for various reasons these may include:
- Our competition will know how much we charge.
- Every solution is different, or there are too many variables.
- We will scare away our clients.
I can tell you that any or all of the above list is not a valid excuse! You are doing yourself a disservice by not including and addressing it. In other words, be upfront and transparent, and you will win in the long run!
3. On-page optimization
One of the best and most proven methods to improve your site's visibility is through on-page optimization. This means optimizing your blogs, content, and landing with keywords or keyword phrases relevant to your local business. Including geographical landmarks such as parks, government buildings, statues can help the search engines know where you are. You may also want to consider using industry-specific keywords to aid you in increasing your rankings.
4. Internal linking strategy
Analyze your site's linking strategy. In other words, go over each page of your site and make changes where necessary. For example, if there are a lot of internal links on your home page and a very low number of outbound links from outside the home page, you should examine the internal links and remove any that are not relevant to the content on your page. We suggest making small incremental tweaks over time. This gives you time to evaluate what is working and what isn’t.
5. External linking strategy
In addition to your internal linking strategy, you will want to think about how you link to other websites and how others link to your website. While linking out to other authoritative sites is relatively straightforward, getting sites to start lining back to you should be a major goal. Ultimately, to rank well for local search results, you must improve your website's overall ranking by getting highly visible links from either other highly ranked websites relevant to your own or authoritative sources in your local community. These links will help to boost your organic rankings and give searchers a more relevant list of websites to choose from.
6. Meta and URL structure
Be sure to think about your meta descriptions and URL structure. While these might not have the ranking factor they once did, they still help the end-user realize what your link will be about.
7. Make it skimmable
Make sure the pages of your website are easy for people to skim and read. People looking for products or services will not spend a lot of time reading long articles or pages full of words. They are much more likely to scan a short headline or short key phrase to get immediate results. Your web pages should have a clear focus on your main objective: helping customers find exactly what they need.
Final Thoughts
The goal of both local and organic SEO is to get on page one of the SERPs. I will not lie. Keyword research can be extremely difficult for most small businesses. Having the software to do it may be cost-prohibitive if you want to be on page one of the SERPs utilizing local SEO strategies that revolve around content and focusing on local geographic areas. You can use articles or blogs to create content that will work wonders for your website and your bottom line. High-quality articles with proper keyword density will allow searchers to find your site on the SERPs for FREE. Now, if you are looking for help or want to learn more about how Local SEO strategy works, reach out. We would be more than happy to help educate you and provide you with a few tips and tricks!
