You’ll be surprised to know that 80% of purchasing decisions are made online with the influence of search engine platforms. Nearly one in six people use Google to search & research products or services. What does this mean for emerging businesses? A great opportunity to grow massively.

Local Search Engine Optimization is a set of marketing tools that focuses on optimizing a website to be found in local search results. If optimized correctly, local SEO can lead to brand exposure, leads, and increased sales for your small business. 

If your website or business name appears on the first page of a search engine’s results, then you are more likely to get noticed and visited. The first page of search engine results might seem hard to attain at first, but it is not impossible. With the right local SEO strategy, you can beat the competition and get your business ranked at the best possible position. 

Would your business benefit from Local SEO Services? If your business is operating in a fixed location and you are serving customers in person, then you would benefit from improved visibility, and you need a local SEO strategy for prominent growth. Investing in local SEO is your opportunity to get found by local consumers who are ready to do business with you. 

What if I’m operating in more than one location? If you are operating in more than one location, then you should optimize your website pages accordingly. Google wants to know where exactly you are operating – so that it can prioritize consumers that are in closer proximity. Optimizing your site to include your town or city name and zip code in the content will minimize confusion and help in connecting with local search results and online reviews.

1. Google My Business

The first and most important part of local SEO optimization is claiming and creating your Google My Business page. It is one of the easiest ways to rank your business name on Google Maps with local search results. When setting up your GMB, make sure that you fill it out as completely as possible and is consistent with the information on your site. 

Many people search with terms like places to eat near me, nearby salon, or anything particular. Whenever they search, Google returns a list of the most suitable options based on the user’s current location. Google will populate the search results with information from your GMB page as well as your own site. 

GMB listing keeps you one step closer to attracting your nearby customers. It can be a huge benefit to any business. But for a positive response, you need to add core details about your business such as – Business Name, business category, location, phone number, areas you cover, website, opening & closing hours, products, price, services, description, and link for appointments. 

2. Create Location-Specific Pages

According to Google, 46% of searches have a local intent, meaning they are people that are in need of a specific product or service. Think of location-based pages as part of your SEO strategy. If pages are optimized with relevant local keywords, it will eventually boost your website’s visibility and more consumers will see your brand on search engine result pages. The importance of location-based pages is that they act as a digital signpost that shows any search engine where your business is so that it surfaces in nearby searches.

Businesses with several locations benefit from having separate pages that contain individual content. Beyond the opportunity to clearly post individual information like address and phone number, you can also include local community events and customer reviews. This type of content will help in showing Google that your site should be a higher ranking result in your area.

3. Keyword Research

Keyword research is all about trying to understand user search intent. It is one of the most important foundational things you can do for your local SEO. Your knowledge as a business owner will be very useful in this regard. What are the products and services that you offer? What do your clients ask for or need? Understanding this will help to understand what search terms you want to rank for before you begin optimizing your business. Local keyword research will continue to focus on identifying target search queries based on these key terms, your keyword modifiers, and your location.

Seeking professional help with Local SEO strategies? Contact us today for the best fitting SEO plans and packages.