Local SEO is when a business starts optimizing for local search to target local customers. It helps companies to appear prominently in local search results when people search for products or services in their area.
With more people using mobile devices and voice search, local SEO strategy has become crucial for businesses to attract nearby customers. While many local SEO services can help you with ease, why not save your budget by implementing these practical techniques and tips?
We deliver the ultimate guide on how to do local SEO marketing targets in driving more foot traffic.
What Do You Need Before Starting Local SEO?
Creating a local business SEO strategy is not hard – that’s one thing we can assure you. All you need to do is follow the guidelines.
As Google dominates over 83% of the search engine desktop market share, businesses primarily target this platform when optimizing for local search. However, more than just targeting is needed.
Google knows its SEO potential and how business strongly utilizes this search engine to reach local customers. Hence, there are strict guidelines and notices companies must follow before starting local SEO:
- Understand Google guidelines: These guidelines show how to do local SEO marketing by listing contact information on your Google Business Profile. Violating these could lead to penalties or even removing your local profile.
- Display consistent business data on all directories: Verify your business’s listings and use consistent information like name, address, phone number, and hours for specific locations on all directories. Also, include contact info for franchisees or departments.
- Identify the business model: As each model has particular requirements, clearly state if your business is service area-based, hybrid, home-based, co-located, multi-department, multi-practitioner, mobile, or other variations.
- Set clear business goals: Define what metrics would precisely measure your business’s success: foot traffic, phone calls, transactions, form submissions, link building, positive reviews, or local pack visibility.
8 Tactics To Create The Best Local SEO Strategy
You know everything about Google listing policies, perfect! Let’s start creating the best local business SEO strategy with these tactics:
- Create a Google My Business profile.
- Encourage social media share.
- Set a Navigation Analysis Program (NAP).
- Perform a local SEO audit on your website.
- Add Google Maps to your website.
- Create local content.
- Optimize for the mobile version.
- Join the local community events.
- Create a Google My Business Profile
First, you need a Google listing account called Google My Business (GMB).
Since it is a Google tool, it receives full support and authentication from this search engine. Missing this when implementing an SEO strategy for local businesses can make your progress meaningless.
GMB is where you can list your contact information for local customers, such as phone number, location, business name, etc. Remember, the more precise, the better.
And after owning an account, optimize it for the best results. Here’s how:
- Verify your GMB page.
- Insert Google Posts to your profile.
- Encourage customers to leave Google reviews (promotion is usually the standard way).
- Be responsive and thankful to all reviews.
- In case of bad reviews, explain the situation most politely and reasonably.
By optimizing your GMB, there is a high chance Google recognizes your page as authentic. This is highly beneficial since your page might receive a coveted sidebar space in Google’s local search.
- Encourage Social Media Share
Google prioritizes the connection between your GMB and social media.
We encourage you to include your social media account in your GMB. That way, customers can access your social accounts the fastest way possible. Moreover, customer reviews on Google might also be displayed on social media. Thus benefiting your visibility on both platforms.
- Set a Navigation Analysis Program (NAP)
Though you might not know about it yet, you need NAP to do a local business SEO strategy.
NAP is the acronym representing name, address, and phone number (with area code “+”). Set your NAP as a crawlable HTML text since Google uses this code to locate your search results more precisely in your area.
Be sure the information included is consistent. Limit changes as much as possible.
- Perform a Local SEO Audit To Your Website
A local SEO audit is a break while optimizing for local search. Why? Cause you have to double-check everything to ensure smoothness.
Performing a comprehensive audit to check for issues, make adjustments, and determine your performing stage. This enables you to revise your initial goals and see what more to work on to achieve them.
Ask yourself these questions when performing a local SEO audit:
- How does your GMB look in search engines?
- Is the provided information accurately displayed?
- Has Google crawled your page yet?
- What are the errors shown in failed indexes?
- Is your citation correct in the top business directories?
- What are the results you receive while doing local SEO?
- Add Google Maps On Your Website
If your business has multiple locations, we recommend adding location pages on your website.
In local business SEO strategy, location pages display names, phone numbers, store hours, store descriptions, parking info, and, of course, satisfy customer reviews. Once again, all information provided must be consistent with other directories. Otherwise, it might confuse users when reading.
If you only have one location, display those contact information on the About Us page. Alternatively, add your map location directly to your website as a clickable link. Doing that makes it easier for customers to find your business on maps.
- Create Local Content
Creating an SEO content strategy is one of the most effective tactics to satisfy local customers. Here are some tips on how to do content marketing for local SEO:
- Attend local industry conferences: Pick a professional representative from your company to attend and cover local industry events, conferences, or meetups relevant to your business. This marks your appearance and position in the local industry.
- Share local news: Stay updated with the latest news and developments in your local area related to your industry. Write blog posts or create videos discussing how these news stories impact your community to attract local readers seeking relevant information.
- Highlight your employees: Showcase the expertise and achievements of your employees through interviews, employee spotlights, or guest blog posts. This helps to build trust among the local audience and establish your team members as local industry thought leaders.
- Optimize for the Mobile Version
As stated, local SEO strategy and mobile search are unattachable partners.
While 60% of online searches are from mobile devices, you must optimize your local SEO for this version.
We are sure that you and most people have often used phones to find a restaurant’s location. You go on Google, type “sushi restaurant,” click “near me,” and see tons of results within a few seconds. So quick and easy.
See its potential? Optimize your local business for the mobile version now!
- Join Local Community Events
Though this might not directly affect your SEO strategy, it is a great way to mark your position in the local business industry.
By joining local conferences, events, or communities, you establish a wider network and naturally PR your business with the most potential customer groups. Here are some contribution ideas in your local community:
- Partner with non-profit organizations to raise awareness about sustainable environment.
- Sponsoring an event where you are most relevant
- Show up in local media as an industrial expert
See more: Ecommerce SEO strategy
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a local SEO strategy?
A local SEO strategy is a set of tactics and techniques for optimizing local search and ranking. It helps to establish a business’s online presence to attract customers within a specific geographic area.
How to do local SEO step by step?
To do SEO for local businesses, follow these fundamental guidelines:
- Keyword research
- Google My Business optimization
- On-page optimization
- Local directory listings
- Online reviews and ratings
- Mobile Optimization
- Local link building
- Local content creation
What is the local SEO checklist?
The local SEO checklist is a comprehensive list of tasks businesses can follow to rank in local search results, including:
- Optimizing Google My Business profile
- Conducting keyword research for local terms
- Ensuring consistent business information across directories
And more. The checklist serves as a guide to help businesses systematically implement effective local SEO techniques and attract customers within their target geographic area.
Final Words!
In short, having a local SEO strategy is the first step in your optimization journey. Therefore, your first strategy should be as firm as possible to create potential long-term outcomes that might benefit your business.
Let us state this again: Creating a local business SEO strategy is not hard because it is the least competitive market you can enter. Hence, do your best research to utilize it. We hope this guide will give you the base on where to start your local SEO instead of paying for local SEO services. If you still have questions, ROI’s expert is always here for you. Contact us now!
Co-Founder & General Manager @ ROI Digitally
3 Common Customer Behaviors & 4 Key Customer Personas