Importance of Local SEO

As a business, whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been around for a while, it’s important to make sure that you’re doing everything possible to optimise your website for local search. If you’ve been looking for a way to boost your business, you may have come across the term “local SEO.”  Even if you don’t have a physical storefront, there are still ways that you can make sure your site appears on local search engine results pages (SERPs). And the benefits can be huge; being listed in those results can help bring in more customers and leads. So how do you go about optimising your site for local SEO? Read on for our top tips!

Make Sure You’re Listed in Local Directories

One of the simplest ways to improve your local SEO is to make sure that you’re listed in relevant online directories. Google My Business is one of the most important ones, as it’s directly connected to Google Maps. The purpose of this is to provide searchers with information about your business, like your address, phone number, and hours of operation. But it’s not the only directory you should be listed in. There are also other well-known options, like Yelp and Foursquare, as well as more industry-specific ones. No matter what type of business you have, there’s sure to be a directory that’s relevant to you.

Optimise Your Google My Business Listing

As we mentioned, Google My Business is one of the most important local SEO tools out there. So it’s important to take the time to fill out your listing completely and accurately. Include as much information as possible, like your business hours, address, and phone number. You should also include a detailed description of your business, as well as some high-quality photos. And don’t forget to keep your listing up-to-date! If any of your information changes, be sure to update your Google My Business listing so that searchers have the most accurate information about your business.

Get Reviews From Past Customers

Another way to improve your local SEO is by getting reviews from past customers. When potential customers see that you have positive reviews from other people who have used your products or services, they’ll be more likely to use you as well. There are a few different ways that you can go about getting reviews. One is to simply ask your customers to leave a review the next time they’re on your site. You can also send them an email or give them a call and ask them if they’d be willing to leave a review. If you have a physical storefront, you can also include review cards or signage that encourages customers to leave a review when they’re finished with their purchase.

Optimise Your Site for Mobile

These days, more and more people are using their mobile devices to search for businesses online. In fact, according to Google, 61% of users are more likely to contact a business if they can find them easily on mobile. So if you want to improve your local SEO, it’s important to make sure that your site is optimised for mobile. That means having a responsive design that looks great and is easy to use on a smaller screen. It also means making sure that your content loads quickly, as mobile users are often looking for information on the go and don’t have time to wait around for slow-loading pages.

Use Local Keywords

In order to improve your ranking in local search results, it’s important to include relevant keywords on your website. This includes both general keywords, like “restaurant” or “plumber,” as well as more specific ones that include your city or region. For example, if you’re a plumber in Sydney, you might want to use keywords like “Sydney plumber” or “plumbers in Sydney.” Including these keywords on your site will help search engines understand that your business is relevant to people who are searching for businesses like yours in your area. If you’re not sure which keywords to use, you can use a tool like Google Keyword Planner to find out which ones are being searched for the most in your area.

Include Location Pages

If you have more than one location for your business, it’s important to include separate pages on your site for each one. These location pages should include all of the relevant information about that particular location, like the address, phone number, and hours of operation. You should also include a map on each location page so that visitors can easily find directions to your business. And don’t forget to optimise each page for local SEO by including relevant keywords and links to other local businesses.

Build Local Citations

Citations are mentions of your business on other websites, even if there’s not a link back to your site. They can be in the form of your business name, address, and phone number (known as NAP) or just your business name and website URL. Having citations from high-quality websites is one of the factors that search engines use to determine your ranking in local search results. So it’s important to make sure that you’re building up your citations on a variety of different websites. Local SEO is important for businesses that want to be found by potential customers in their area. By following the tips we’ve outlined in this article, you can improve your ranking in local search results and bring more customers through your door.