Local SEO is the process of optimizing your website specifically for searches in a specific geographic area. This includes things like adding address information and ratings to your listing pages. You can also use keywords specific to a region to improve rankings. These are known as geo-targeting keywords. An SEO outreach specialist, or better yet, a Local SEO expert, can help you with your local SEO campaigns.
Google has introduced localized features to make it easier for people to find businesses near them. For example, you can now see nearby restaurants based on your location.
Meaning of Local SEO
Local search engine optimization, usually done by a local SEO agency, has become increasingly popular in recent years. Many businesses focus primarily on optimizing their online presence, especially in terms of rankings and visibility. However, there are still many companies that pay too little attention to local search engine optimization. That’s why we want to shed some light on what exactly local search engine optimization means and how you can optimize your digital footprint locally.
The term “local search” refers to searches performed within specific geographic areas. These geographic areas include cities, towns, states, countries, and even continents. On the Internet, the term “local search” is often used to refer to searches performed within a city, town, or state.
Local SEO Ranking Factors
Your local ranking depends on many different factors. These include:
Vicinity
The first factor I want to address is proximity. If a search query is regional and takes place near your business, that’s great. The closer your business is to the location you are looking for, e.g., B. the center of a city, the higher the positioning for local rankings. Your nearby competitors could affect your ranking if they are even closer to the center, for example.
For example, if you live in California and enter any keyword + “California,” you will see results related to the state of California.
Reviews and ratings
Another important factor is the reviews and ratings. They are an indication of customer satisfaction.
A rating is a review that includes additional text. Positive ratings and reviews improve your local ranking and increase your click-through rate. You probably already know this from your own experience: You are more likely to click on websites with positive reviews than those with negative reviews.
Local reviews are important to your business. They help you find out what other people think about the local businesses in your area and can be a great way to find more potential customers.
While reviews and ratings don’t directly affect rankings, they are definitely helpful. They make it easier for people to find information about your products and services. They also provide additional context for the searcher.
But how do you collect these ratings and reviews?
There are many ways to get reviews and ratings. Some companies ask their customers to fill out surveys, and others use social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter. There are even apps that allow customers to write reviews themselves.
The most important thing is that you get enough reviews and ratings. If there are too few, you cannot show them to your visitors. So, if you’re looking to optimize your listings for local search, we recommend that you start collecting reviews now.
Google Business Profile
Make sure your Google Business profile exists and is always up to date. These tips can help you:
- First, check if each local business location has a Google Business profile entry. If yes, great! Then you are on the right track. Otherwise, create a new profile for each local location.
- Make sure your data is always up to date.
- Set up a business category to appear in the Knowledge Graph and be used by Google for local searches.
Make sure your Google Business profile exists and is always up to date. Set up and manage listings for each of your local businesses. Check your information regularly to ensure it is up to date. Set categories for each business. Google My Business is one of the most important factors for organic search results.
Citations
Even though they’ve lost some of their influence on rankings, you can still build citations. However, I recommend sticking to top-level authoritative data aggregators and citation sources. But if you want more, that can’t hurt, of course!
Listing management tools make this process easier for you as they distribute your business details to the most important listing pages and ensure that your information is consistent.
