If you have a website, you can’t neglect SEO – regardless of how small your business may be. Otherwise, how else will you attract new customers when there are a thousand websites like yours globally? Granted, it’s nearly impossible to compete with international businesses, but hey, you can still win over your native clients through local SEO.
Imagine you own a bakery. Your primary customer base is likely to be the people who live nearby, rather than those from distant parts of town. In a physical store, just having a presence in the neighbourhood is usually enough for passersby to notice your bakery. However, things work differently in the online world. To get noticed by local customers, your best strategy is to focus on SEO.
The good news is that local search engine optimization isn’t as intimidating as it may sound. In this blog post, we will provide you with a comprehensive checklist for local SEO in 2023. Let’s get started!
Boost Your Search Engine Rankings With These Local SEO Techniques
1. Lay A Strong Foundation With Your Website
Think of SEO as a building and your website as its foundational bricks. The point is that you’ll have nothing to build on if your website does not have a solid foundation. If your website isn’t optimized for search engines, you’ll never see the results, regardless of how many SEO strategies you apply.
Here are some essential components of a solid website:
- A Mobile-Friendly Version: Think about it: How often do we turn to our computers for a simple Google search? Rarely ever. Google knows that too, so it prefers websites with a mobile-friendly version.
- Quick Page Speed: In today’s fast-paced world, no one has the patience to wait for a slow-loading website. If your webpage takes too long to load, visitors are likely to leave. To keep users engaged and on your site, make sure your web pages load quickly.
- The Right URL Structure: Your website’s URL structure matters not only to human visitors but also to search engines. Ensure that your URL structure is organized and easy to navigate. A clean and logical URL structure makes it easier for both users and search engines to understand your website’s content.
- Internal Links: Incorporating relevant internal links within your webpages is a smart practice. Internal links help make your website more user-friendly and accessible for visitors. They also enable users to navigate your site more efficiently, which can improve their overall experience.
2. Use Structured Data
This is a standard code format that is integrated into the backend of your website. Its primary purpose is to help search engines like Google and Bing understand the content and topic of your webpage. This code format is also known as “schema markup.” Since this aspect can be a bit complex, we recommend hiring SEO services London for this step, especially if your company doesn’t have a dedicated SEO department.
3. Pick And Include Relevant Keywords
You should understand the specific local search terms that can boost your business’s online presence. To achieve this, you should perform local keyword research to create a list of relevant keywords.
Additionally, it’s a good idea to pinpoint some long-tail keywords. These are longer and more detailed phrases that potential customers use when searching for businesses similar to yours. Now, here’s the trick – take these valuable keywords and sprinkle them into your website. Put them in your title tags, Meta descriptions, and the content on your pages.
4. Optimize Meta Titles And Tags
Once you’ve determined that your website is in good shape and you’ve compiled a strong list of local keywords, you can begin optimizing for local searches. One important way to achieve this is by fine-tuning the title tags and Meta descriptions for each of your web pages.
5. Post Blogs
Google considers three critical factors known as EAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) when assessing whether the content on a website is valuable for searchers. In 2023, Google introduced another important factor, making it EATE. The ‘E’ stands for Experience.
Publishing regular blog content can significantly benefit your website in these aspects. A blog provides a platform for demonstrating your expertise and authority while keeping your website consistently updated with new, keyword-rich material. Moreover, if you’re writing about subjects you have personal experience with, it further enhances your website’s overall experience factor.
6. Claim Your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile plays a crucial role in boosting your visibility in local searches conducted directly on Google Search and Google Maps. These profiles provide a wealth of information that enables customers to take immediate actions, such as calling your business or finding your location, directly from your profile.
7. Manage Customer Reviews
Don’t underestimate the significance of reviews when it comes to local search rankings for your business. Google gives considerable weight to your reviews, considering factors like the quantity of reviews you have when determining your position in specific search results.
Moreover, specific keywords or phrases within your reviews can impact your performance in local search results. Additionally, having a higher star rating can be a real asset in local search. When someone searches using terms like “best,” Google will exclusively display businesses with a 4.0-star rating or higher, making a good rating even more critical for visibility.
8. Maintain Consistent Listings
Local listings contribute to local SEO more than you think. These listings appear in local search results and can greatly increase the chances of your business being discovered on various maps, apps, websites, and search engines. Hence, it’s essential to ensure that your business is listed on the top local listing websites.
However, what’s even more critical is maintaining consistency in your business information across all these platforms. Search engines aim to provide searchers with accurate and valuable information. If they find that the key details about your business, such as your Name, Address, and Phone Number (NAP), are consistent across these sources, they will confidently feature your business.
9. Focus on Local Link Building
Link building continues to be a crucial SEO strategy, and when it comes to local SEO, it can have a significant impact. Local link building sends signals to search engines, indicating that other local websites regard your website as authoritative and reliable.
This boost in local credibility can greatly enhance your business’s search engine performance. However, you should enlist the help of a local SEO service London for backlinks!
10. Use Social Media
While it might not immediately strike you as a standard component of your local SEO checklist, social media marketing can prove to be quite valuable. Social media platforms frequently appear in local search results when people search for your business name.
By actively maintaining profiles on various social media sites, you can expand your business’s presence on search results pages.
Conclusion:
Digital marketers often compare search engine optimization (SEO) to a never-ending game of whack-a-mole, where tasks keep popping up. It’s no wonder that some tasks, like local SEO, can sometimes get pushed aside.
However, if you make a continuous effort to prioritize your local SEO strategies, you can enjoy significant advantages, such as enhancing your brand’s presence within your community. By implementing these ten essential components and strategies, we promise your business will thrive!
