Did you know that 46% of all Google searches are for local information?
Local SEO is one of the best FREE marketing activities you can do for your business. It takes a little time but the results down the road can result in significant revenue with absolutely no cost. In this article, I’ll tell you what to do and give you best practices for better results.
Why Local SEO Matters
First, what is Local SEO? Local SEO is search engine optimization that is hyper-focused on reaching people within your geographic region. For example, someone searching for “roofers in Mt. Lebanon” would hopefully result with your roofing company at the top of the list if you service areas in the South Hills of Pittsburgh.
General SEO on the other hand focuses on topics regardless of location. An example would be “best price for a laptop.” You don’t care that it’s not local, you would order it online and have it shipped to you… unless you need it today. Then, local becomes important again, “best price laptop near me.”
Again, local SEO is absolutely FREE! You don’t need to pay an SEO expert thousands of dollars to do it. You also don’t need any particular expertise. You need a little time, some knowledge of what to do, and a bit of strategy.
Let’s get started on your Local SEO Checkup.
Google My Business Profile Optimization
You have claimed your business profile, right? If not, this is one of the most important (and quickest) local SEO actions you can perform. GMB gives local searchers a snapshot of your business with loads of information right on the Google website. Name, location, contact info, website address, photos, and more. Most importantly, this is a place where potential customers will see customer reviews early in their search. So, if you develop a solid customer review strategy, this business listing becomes a cash cow.
What to do:
- Claim your listing if you have not done so already.
- Add as much detailed, accurate information as possible.
- Add high-quality photos and video.
An important ongoing process is to encourage 5-star reviews from your best customers. You must also quickly respond to all reviews, good and bad. We have a bad review response strategy here. Replying to reviews shows customer engagement and gives a peek into your business’s personality.
On-Page Optimization
Hopefully, you’re already following some SEO best practices on your website. If not, now is the time to start. A good fractional CMO can do this as part of their regular workflow. 😉 You’ll want the basics like a keyword strategy, mobile-optimized pages, and good load times. To improve local search results, you’ll want to add in some location-specific terms throughout your website and page titles.
For instance, in this article, I’ve mentioned “local SEO” “Pittsburgh” “Mt. Lebanon” “South Hills” and “local search results” and I’m not even halfway through!
Don’t make it gratuitous. You’ll see some businesses with huge lists of every little community at the bottom of their website or articles clearly written to name-drop communities but provide little value. This won’t help much and doesn’t look good if someone does land on it.
Citations and Local Directories
Online directories like Yelp, the Yellow Pages, veteran-owned business listings, and industry-specific directories help a lot. Each single one may not make a huge difference but when you create a web of listings all leading back to your website, the results speak for themselves.
I recently did an SEO audit on a Pittsburgh-area wealth management firm. They weren’t appearing in local search at all while their competitors dominated Google search results. Their top 4 competitors clearly had a comprehensive SEO strategy. One of the main data points that stood out was the number of directory listings each competitor had. They were listed on directories you’ve probably never heard of. The result was hundreds of backlinks leading back to their websites.
Do you need to take it to that extreme? Probably not. Should you focus your efforts on the top 10 to 20 directories? Absolutely.
Local Link Building
Local link building is one of the most valuable activities you can do for your local SEO results. It does three important things:
- Allows your business to be seen by potential customers on websites for organizations in your local area.
- Increases your business’s credibility by association.
- Provides quality backlinks from other quality websites. This type of association makes your website appear more valuable to Google and improves your ranking.
Here are typical ways to build local links:
- Join local chambers of commerce and business referral groups.
- Sponsor local events and charities.
- Participate in local online forums or discussion groups.
- Write guest blog posts.
- Get featured in a local newspaper or magazine.
Link building is a local SEO strategy that you’ll want to keep top of mind as you go through your day-to-day business. Keep an eye out for new opportunities and it will pay off down the road.
Start Your Local SEO Strategy Today
SEO does not deliver immediate results in the way that online advertising can, however, it’s one of the first areas I tackle when working with a fractional CMO client. Results take time. So start now and reap the rewards later.