By Cosmocrat Software Solutions
Search Engine Optimization is one of the most valuable marketing methods currently. If properly done it can generate heavy organic traffic to your websites without paid advertisement.
Local SEO is best suited for people who have a physical location or sell at a specific place. It will help you to reach people of the most relevant and nearby audience instantly.
Let us help you with understanding Local SEO and how it works
Why is local SEO important and what does it involve?
If you are searching for a specific phrase while being at your home you’ll find a typical kind of list lets’s say you searched ice cream. The list will include all the nearby places offering ice cream. If you move 10KM away and search the same phrase again you’ll find an entirely different list.
That’s what Local SEO is.
While optimizing SEO for your area you are basically optimizing a dedicated area where your shop or business is running which is best for all types of business be it retail shops, online stores, or big companies.
The purpose of a local SEO strategy is to help your business focus on its specifically targeted audience instead of people from all over the world.
Consequently, your site will become more popular, and more qualified customers will discover it.
Let’s start with how local SEO works
Start with SEO basics
When a user searches for something online, Google provides them with the best and most accurate search results which are well ranked on Google. To rank on Google, there are a few things that your search engine needs. The content on your website should be meaningful and should include keywords that suit your business. A site should also be able to provide good experiences to its visitors.
Optimize for your area
Once you are all done with the basic work of setting up things, it’s time you move forward to local SEO.
Below are some of the steps you can consider for Optimizing Local SEO-
1. Google Listing
There are tools like Google My Business, which are a great way to manage your listing on Google. The listing will show up all the necessary information on google searches like Google maps with your business name, location, hours, reviews, website, and additional information.
The best thing is you can customize it in your own way by adding pictures, information about your business and you will also be able to respond to customers.
2. Create location-specific content
Google always looks out for authentic and creative content and refuses to accept anything that’s copied. You can showcase how you are an expert in some domains with the right content. Always plan out before preparing any content. Look out for questions customers might have about your specific area. For example, if you are an ice-cream seller you could write about different flavours of ice cream, fusions found specifically in your area. Use keywords for better engagement and use relevant keywords related to your product/services/brand.
3. Reviews Matter
Because reviews are a good indicator of a business's quality, they are cherished by search engines. In addition, they're useful even beyond local SEO because potential customers check reviews before choosing where to eat or shop. One of the easiest ways to collect online reviews is by asking for them. Add a review request to your transactional emails, post a sign in your storefront, or include an insert in your product packaging.
Whenever you receive a negative review, be professional and polite to all unhappy customers, and adjust your business practices as necessary
4. Generate local links
By linking to your website from a trusted source, you are essentially vetting your business for Google. For general SEO, and for local SEO especially, quality backlinks are a good strategy.
Here are some ways in which you can generate links to your website:
- You can write a guest post blog on a website.
- By doing off-page for your website
- By featuring in directories
Finding authoritative websites in your area is as simple as conducting a Google search. Consider how you can reach out to influencers or other businesses so they will benefit from it.
5. Structured data for your site
Search engines use structured data to recognize the information. The snippet gives you the opportunity to provide actual information about your website to Google, which increases the likelihood that your website will appear in special search results like carousels and answer boxes. A plugin can make the process of adding structured data to your site easier, even if adding structured data yourself can be confusing and may require a developer.
How to handle multiple
There might be chances that you must have multiple stores in different locations but only one website. How would you manage in that case?
- Build separate landing pages
It’s best to keep the details of every store separate rather than including them in one. Create a separate page for each location and add all the details like contact info, reviews, hours, news, images, and blog posts that are exclusively for that store. This way it will be easier for users to identify you even in a different location.
- Create separate Google My Business listings
Your listing should be updated for each location and you should claim your listing. This applies to other directories, as well.
- Write specific blog posts
Prepare content around your location requirements.
- Encourage reviews for each location
If you're going to gain reviews, follow the steps above. However, make sure that you do so for each location that you have.
To achieve long-term success with local SEO, get started today
Cosmocrat Software Solutions is one of the best SEO Digital Marketing that provides services to all kinds of businesses and is specialized in all digital marketing formats like SEO, SMO, web development, web design, and content marketing.
