Local SEO has evolved. 6 years ago, you could make huge strides without links. But things move on. Local SEO is now a game of many parts and, like traditional SEO, there are many Local SEO ranking factors.
We outline 7 key tips to help you dial in your Local SEO and get your local business ranking at the top of the map pack and organic results.
#1: Have An Address In The Target Location
It might sound silly, but make sure you have an address in the location you want to target. I often get asked how to rank in the local pack for a location that the business doesn’t exist in and the simple answer is you can’t.
#2: Get Listed On Google My Business
Really try to think what your prospective customers would like to see here: photos, business information, and posts are key to making your profile engaging for your prospective customers. The platform also supports messaging, reviews, and Q&As so be aware that this is part of your digital shop window and the more useful information you add here the better.
#3: Create, Clean Up & Optimise Citations
Citation optimisation is an area that has seen big changes over the last few years. Historically, citation optimisation alone could generate big results. As is typical with SEO, there was often a “more is better” mentality which is certainly not the case – too many can make management difficult and consistency problematic.
#4: Improve Your On-Page Optimisation
With Local SEO, we can rank in the map pack results typically directly below the ads and in the organic results generally below the map results. In an ideal world, we want a listing in both of these locations. Throw a search advert into the mix and you can be on the first page three times to maximise exposure!
#5: Get More Positive Reviews
Focus on getting reviews everywhere that matters – Google, Facebook, directory sites like Yell, portal sites like checkatrade.com – any sites that rank for your keywords. Support reviews are also important and an opportunity for you to show that you are the right people for the job.
#7: Review Your Page speed & Mobile Responsiveness
People like fast sites. Google likes fast sites. Ensuring your site loads quickly and is easy to use and understand on a mobile device is important for SEO. But, it is even more important for your customers – if your site takes too long to load or does not work well on mobile, users will simply bounce away and go elsewhere. You have done all the hard work, got someone to your site, and at the final hurdle, they leave, all because of one simple issue.
If you would like to learn more about page titles and best practices, Hire us or call us at 332-255-1565
