Nearly 46% of all Google searches are for local information. Local Search Engine Optimization or Local SEO is an important element of many SEO campaigns. Local SEO focuses on optimizing a website so that it can be found in local search results. The premise behind local SEO is essentially the same as regular SEO. Therefore, optimizing a page for local search involves many of the same elements as a regular SEO campaign, only with local focus. This means that content, page optimization, and links remain important aspects of a local SEO campaign. 

Why is gaining a rank in local search important? 

The key to the success of search engines like Google and Bing is that they provide the most relevant results for a user’s query. A recent Hubspot study found that 46% of all Google searches are local. This means that search engines are looking for a local solution for your query almost half the time. Search engines know this and they answer it. 

Therefore, local responses are more likely to be selected and displayed on search engine results (SERP) pages. Local SEO cannot and should not be ignored. Now, as more searches are local, it is essential to optimize your website for local search. 92% of search engines will choose a company on the first page of local search results. The easiest way to make sure your company is in this position is by setting up a Google My Business account. 

Well, despite the growing importance of local search, 56% of local retailers have not yet claimed their Google My Business list. Google My Business is a free service by Google which is easy to set up. It is also one of the most effective elements of a local SEO strategy. Therefore, if you don’t currently have a Google My Business page, then you need to create one as soon as possible. 

Benefits of Google My Business Page

Here are some of the benefits of creating a Google My Business page for your business. 

Google Search: Google My Business pages appear in a prominent position in search results. With an ad, you can increase your company’s ranking at the top of the first page for local search engines. If your company operates from multiple sites, you can use Google’s “Multiple Service Areas” feature. This means that the customer can find the location closest to them during their search, which is particularly effective for mobile searches.

Show your brand personality: Google My Business gives companies the opportunity to communicate their personality and values to the Google audience. This can be done by customizing the company profile. Adding business value proposition, business information, photos, videos, and even virtual tours can create a brand identity that sets your business apart from its competitors.

Enhance your brand with Social Proof: Google My Business gives customers the opportunity to view a company’s products or services by giving a star rating and leaving a review. With a number of positive feedback behind your business, you can build trust and credibility with the public. By claiming your Google My Business ad today, you make sure your business stays ahead of 56% of companies that don’t already have it.

Also read: 20 Free steps to increase traffic to your website.

Other essential elements of a local SEO strategy

Creating a Google My Business account can be a great starting point for your local SEO strategy. However, there are a number of other things your business needs to do online to ensure that your website is fully optimized for local search. 

As we have already said, local SEO is not much different from regular SEO. Local SEO always uses keywords, content, links, page SEO, and comments, however, the difference when you optimize for local search is that these policies have more than one local focus. This helps ensure that your business is found when people search the local area around your business.

If you can get the following correctly, you will have a better chance to outperform your local competitors on search engine results pages. 

Local SEO keyword search

Local SEO keyword search is similar to traditional keyword search. However, an important difference to keep in mind is that local searches are performed more frequently on a mobile device, such as a smartphone, Amazon Echo or Google Home. 

These devices have voice search capabilities, and many of the searches that are done on them are by voice. So making sure your website is optimized for voice search is a great way to boost your local SEO. Much has been said about how voice search shapes the future of SEO, and by 2020, 50% of all searches are expected to be voice searches.

As such, SEO will focus more on optimizing websites for conversational voice search terms such as “find an Italian restaurant near me”. To optimize voice search, it is important to keep in mind that queries are more question-oriented. This means that when searching for keywords, search for terms based on questions. Normal keyword search tools can be used for this, such as Google Keyword Planner, Semrush Theme Research Tool, Keyword.io and AnswerThePublic. 

These tools will provide an indication of the questions search engines are looking for, as well as their search volume, and some of them will detail skill levels for the keyword. Given the recent increase in this type of research, many questions relevant to your business will have a reasonably high volume of research. 

Generating reviews for Local SEO

Search Ranking Factors report. Having stars on Google search engine results pages can improve your click-through rate by up to 35%. Because customers trust and value online reviews, customers treat reviews the same way they treat recommendations from a friend or family member’s word of mouth. 

Assessments that are most effective for your business should be recent and sufficiently detailed to provide precise details about the company’s products or services. It may be useful to ask satisfied customers to leave detailed reviews on a range of different platforms. For local SEO, it is essential to generate reviews in the Google My Business list. In addition, depending on the industry in which you operate and the sites where your customers are most active, you may also consider trying to get feedback on city search, Tripadvisor, Foursquare, Facebook, Yahoo Local or Yelp. 

Austin digital marketing experts have considerable experience developing local SEO campaigns that generate leads and conversions. Contact us today to find out how we can help your business. 

Last but not least,

Building Backlinks for Local SEO

Backlinks are an important classification factor for SEO. However, it can be difficult to create an effective backlink strategy. It is essential to follow the Google Webmaster guidelines when creating a backlink strategy, as backlinks can have the opposite effect on your site and result in a Google penalty. Links to your website that do not comply with Google’s guidelines will be detected and may adversely affect your site’s ratings. Once you know how to avoid poor-quality links, you can start creating a linkage strategy for local SEO. 

This is slightly different from that for organic SEO, and there are several categories of links that make up a quality local SEO strategy, including: Citation/NAP sites, Local Directory, Industry Related Websites.

That’s all, Hope you like this informative article.

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