Local SEO, what exactly does that even mean? Think about this: four out of five consumers will use local searches to purchase goods, services, and products. If you are a local plumber, electrician, or service provider and your small business does not use local search optimization, you are in trouble. You will be losing out on 80% of potential business because you decided to ignore local search engine optimization (SEO).
Quite frankly, your small business existence depends on utilizing local SEO! By not utilizing local SEO tactics, you will become a statistic in the local small business graveyard. Local SEO provides essential tools to rank your small business website high in local search results. Remember, four out of five people conduct local searches to meet their needs and have their services provided for.
What is Local SEO
There is no mystery or secret sauce if you will to using local SEO tools. Local SEO boils down to this simple process:
Search engines will crawl over your website, social media page, directory listings, local content, citations, and links, to gather information to send relevant local search results to inquiring local customers.
Tools of the Trade
Your small business’s local SEO tools and strategy should focus on dominating local search engine results, paying particular attention to mobile device searches, Google My Business listing, Google maps, and geographically specific keywords.
Mobile Search
Regarding mobile searches, your small business should be popping up every time a mobile user conducts a local search because mobile searches will usually show local results. When a mobile user plugs in a geographically specific keyword for your particular business or service and your small business pops up every time, thus the power of local SEO. An example may be “softwash company Asheville NC” or “mechanic near me.”
Google My Business
If your small business has a strong presence on Google My Business (GMB), it will help you climb local search rankings all the way to the top, and your small business will come into focus for search engines. The reason being, every time a search engine crawls to gather information to place in local search engine results, it will see you are being active on the platform, and you have relevant and authoritative information on your website. Ultimately, your small business becomes the focal point of local searches. GMB has become so powerful on the local SEO landscape that it has become synonymous with local SEO.
Geographically Specific Keywords
By targeting geographically specific keywords, you can avoid the hassle of fighting for competitive keywords with larger businesses on a national scale. Google is not stupid, and with location tracking enabled, they can quickly determine that a consumer is conducting a local search by the keywords they search by. Suppose you are searching for something out of your area. In that case, you may include geographic-specific keywords, such as a city or community, because they are actively looking to purchase your service or product.
Your small business stays ahead of local searches because you have targeted geographic-specific keywords for your particular service or business. Once your website starts ranking higher in the searches, your service or electrical or plumbing business will be the go-to business that customers find.
Local SEO Tips to Get you There
1. Pay Attention To Google My Business (GMB)
Your local business must have a "My Google Business" listing. For starters, local SEO is about a customer conducting neighborhood searches and finding a local plumber or electrician in their specific city, state, or zip code. Usually, Google will show the most localized results, and being apart of GMB will help your local electrical or plumbing business be found by customers. The local search results will tell customers what you do and where you are located.
GMB verifies that you are a real business helping Google to understand that you are a real business in an actual location. To maximize the power of GMB, you need to fill out and verify a page on that platform. Be sure you actively request reviews from customers, as these can be a dramatic ranking signal! Also, try to utilize the posting feature on your GMB listing. Acknowledge every review stating to the customer you appreciate their feedback about your business or service.
If you want more information on the GMB, we have two articles here and here.
2. Link Building Is A Must
Internal linking is essential as it builds credibility for your website when local customers view your site. It also strengthens your ranking position on both national and local searches. It will give each of your web pages increased ranking power and authority. The more your local web pages can rank in local searches, the more likely you will capture that 80% of untapped customer business.
3. Maximize Url, Title Tags, Headers, Meta Description, And Content
Every time you create new content, it must be optimized by using geographically specific keywords that will catch the attention of search engine crawlers when they crawl over your website's pages. It optimizes the content for search engines. Suppose these keywords are placed in your Url, title tags, headers, meta descriptions, and especially your content. In that case, the search engines will have more information to gather, ranking your website high in local search engines rankings.
4. Produce LOCAL Content
As your business grows, you will want to create more than local organic content (which is critical to keep up) but promote local events for your community or industry. If you run an electrical or plumbing business, then highlight industry trade shows, events and write a special piece about a local outstanding plumber or electrician. Write about city-wide industry events because these are high profile trigger points for search engines to recognize your pages. Also, consider sponsoring a local event and getting the coveted mention in the local press.
5. Focus On Keeping Online Directories And Citations Accurate
Google controls 93% of search traffic, so you want Google to ensure that your information is correct. If you can keep your online local directories and citations updated and accurate, it helps show Google that you care about your business and what people find about your business. With that said, ff any identifying information for your plumbing, electrical, or other service-based business is wrong Google may pass right over your information or, even worse, determine that the inaccurate information is correct and show that.
6. Capture Authoritative And Relevant Inbound Links
If your website has a strong inbound linking structure, it tells Google you are a real business to be reckoned with. Your business rates much higher in local searches because your business is a real entity. You can procure inbound or backlinks through sponsorship, partnerships, scholarships, and by guest blogging.
Invite other small business owners to blog on your website about local industry content and take opportunities to blog on other local industry blogs. This builds powerful inbound links with these other local small business owner's websites. Create partnerships with other local electricians or plumbers, allowing you to swap links with these other small business owners.
Sponsor a local industry business event and publicize it on your website. This will help to attract internal links. Sponsor a scholarship for a local youth who is dreaming of attending a local trade school. This will create inbound links to these educational institutions.
So, you see, as a local plumber, electrician, or industry service provider, you can follow this guide and successfully rank your small business at the top of local searches. Your local business cannot help but be the number one sought after business customers find on local searches. You can dominate the local market if you effectively use the power of local search engine optimization. If you find yourself in need of help and don’t want to go at this alone, please reach out to us. We love to help small businesses GROW!
