SEO

5 Tips for Local SEO – How to Improve Local SEO

Ephatech6 Mins Read
5 Tips for Local SEO - How to Improve Local SEO

Local Visibility is particularly important for many companies. Because what’s the point of being found by people from New York if your own service is only available in Las Vegas? There is a strategic measure to increase your regional visibility: Local SEO.

In local search engine optimization, you use all possible resources to best place your company online in the specific region you are operating in. This increases your visibility and thus the number of potential customers. How does it work? In this blog post, we explain to you …

What is Local SEO?

Local SEO refers to all optimization measures that are used to help your company gain regional visibility on Google and other search engines. To understand this better, you need to familiarize yourself with how Google evaluates search queries.

Because Google records a search intent for every search query. It is also decided whether it is a local search query or not. There are some clear key terms for this, such as the use of a city name (“buy shoes Las Vegas”). In addition, certain business types are associated with a local search.

An example: Let’s just see what my Google search for the generic search term “hairdresser” returns.

Although this is a completely generic term, Google will suggest hairdressers that are close to me together with a map. So Google automatically assumes that when I search for “hairdresser” I’m looking for a salon near me where I can get my hair cut.

Of course, this mechanism not only applies to the search term “hairdresser”, but also to other companies. A big role is whether it is typical to visit these companies online. The following question inevitably arises:

For whom is local search engine optimization important?

Local search engine optimization is relevant for every company that has a particularly strong connection to a region. So usually it’s companies that own a store where they receive customers. Traditionally, these are businesses such as hairdressing salons, retail, or gastronomy.

Local SEO also pays off for other companies that place a regional focus on their services. Agencies, tax consultants, or craft businesses, for example, can benefit from local optimization.

You can find out whether local SEO is important to you with one simple question: aim with us Does your business target a regional clientele? If so, which is often the case with small and medium-sized companies, then regional search engine optimization is worthwhile. If not, what e.g. applies to pure online shops as well as nationwide or international companies, then it makes more sense to invest time and money in other measures.

6 Tips for your Local SEO

1 . Your Google My Business listing

Google My Business is a digital storefront for businesses. You create an entry with core information (name, industry, opening times, contact details, info text…) and are listed by Google. This means that you can be found on Google Maps and will be displayed together with your entry on the search results page if the search engine deems it appropriate. It should therefore be SEO optimized for this.

2. The NAP Data: Name, Address & Phone Number

Under the term “NAP Data “ the central company data is understood: as the company name (name), address, and telephone number. It goes without saying that this data is important for regional searches. Because without this information you can neither be found nor contacted.It is for your local SEO important that this data is used consistently on all channels. This makes it easier for both interested parties and search engines to collect this data. Because nothing is more confusing than finding a different phone number or address in every entry.So decide on a uniform spelling in the display (e.g. abbreviation of the street as street and (+1) in front of the telephone number) and make sure that the data is consistent everywhere. This applies to all channels:

  • Website
  • Google My Business
  • Social Media
  • Directory Entries

3. OnPage-Optimization

You can also take measures on your website itself to increase your local visibility raise. This starts with the keyword analysis: Research in particular for local terms that emphasize your regional orientation. Pay attention to combinations of your areas of activity with the name of the city (“Los Angeles Agency”), the region, or the state. You should also keep an eye on the respective search intention of the terms.Once you have researched the keywords extensively, use them to create your SEO texts. Don’t want to write completely new texts? Then add the relevant local terms to your main headings and metadata (Title & Description). This is often enough for search engines as a further signal for a regional orientation.

4. Local signals via directories

Let’s go back to my search result on “Hairdresser”. At the very top, still above the card with contact details, business directories were displayed in a carousel. If you want to be found successfully regionally, it is important to play there. Use all available possibilities to generate entries for your company. These include e.g.:

  • Yelp
  • The local
  • Yellow Pages
Also, pay attention to industry-specific platforms such as Tripadvisor for gastronomy. There are also some local directories that specifically list gastronomy or craft businesses in the region. Here, too, you should be represented with consistent NAP data if possible.

5. More visibility through social media

Social media can also contribute to your regional visibility. After all, you can store data about your company there and at the same time access other sources of information such as a link to your website. This creates a network between the channels that search engines perceive. Because social media profiles are also displayed in the search results. Even if you don’t play the channels regularly, it’s worth at least setting them up in a basic way. Nevertheless, it is advisable to post at least one post per week in order to offer interested parties a certainly added value. Ideally, they will pay you back with likes and more reach, which in turn is positive for everyone: customers will remember you better and the search engines can classify you better.

6. The Importance of Local Ratings

Many of the directories and options mentioned, such as Google My Business, offer a common function: Reviews. These are also of great importance to potential customers and search engines. This works as follows:

I search for “hairdresser” and get local offers. I click on the map and see star ratings from 1-5. Logically, I’m now more likely to click on a hair salon that has a large number of reviews and a good rating (4 or more). I ignore the entries with no or very few ratings and those with a bad average rating.

This user behavior is in turn a signal for the search engine. Because when a lot of people click on a particular link, it seems more important or relevant. This will list that one hair salon with the good reviews higher up on the map. This in turn means that customers are more likely to see it and click on it more often. A win-win situation.

To get more ratings, you should specifically ask your customers to leave reviews. Of course, there will also be bad reviews. This is completely normal and also helps your listing appear authentic. After all, an entry with only 5-star ratings is somehow suspect.

Here it is important to deal with the criticism correctly. It makes sense to adopt a friendly, factual tone and show genuine interest in the negative experience.

Increase your reach with local search engine optimization!

If you follow these 6 tips, your business is already well-positioned for local SEO. However, it is important that you always understand local search engine optimization as a process. Because the competition doesn’t sleep and just because you’re currently listed well doesn’t mean you can rest by a long shot. Because that only leads to other companies taking your place.

But if you stay on the ball and act in a targeted manner, the measures will have a greater reach and impact in the long term, attracting more customers. So what are you waiting for? Start now in the world of Local SEO!

By Ephatech

Related Posts