If you have a business that serves customers in specific geographic areas, you’ve come to the right place. In this blog, I will guide you through the entire process of optimizing your website and delve into the workings of local search – by developing and implementing a local positioning strategy that will increase clicks to your website and consequently help increase sales of your products or service.
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO is the process of optimizing your website for search engines so that potential customers – who are already looking for a business like yours – can find you more easily when they search for products or services on Google. services similar to yours.
In short, local SEO is all about increasing your website’s visibility locally. I recommend local SEO especially to companies that have physical store locations or offices where customers are served (i.e. Cafes and restaurants, Hotels, Motels, …), as well as companies with services that operate in a certain geographical area (e.g. electricians, plumbers, cleaning services, …).
Although local SEO is most often associated with service businesses, it can also be used by other businesses operating in a specific local area to improve their visibility and drive traffic from potential customers from local areas. This article is adapted to those of you who have brick-and-mortar stores, restaurants, hotels, shops, offer plumbing installations, electrical services… – and other local craftsmen.
Importance of Local SEO – Why is it important?
Data is important for every aspect of business – especially for sales and SEO optimization. Data shows the importance of local SEO:
- 46% of all Google searchers are looking for local service and product providers
- 88% of local business searches on a mobile device call or visit the business within 24 hours
To put this in other words, that means 46% of Google searchers are looking for information (and businesses) relevant to the local area every day. And 88% of those local business searches (on mobile) lead to a call or visit to the business within 24 hours of the search.
The key to local SEO is to attract someone while they are actually looking for a product or the service you offer. Unlike other forms of marketing, with local SEO you know that every visitor to your website is already ready to buy. And even better, with local SEO – you have an 88% chance of potential customers visiting or calling you within 24 hours at the latest.
Now ask yourself this question; how many customers do you think Gostišče Bor or Gostilna Modra frankinja get compared to Rastavracija Azija or one of the many cafes that are not even on the list?
This is the competitive advantage that comes with ranking well in Google – you can continue to work hard and get customers in other ways and wait for someone to recommend you, or you can choose to optimize your website locally and let customers find you on their own
I know that I use this service every time I travel. And I always choose a restaurant, a hotel near me, and it often happens that I visit the place that, as a local, Google offers me first. If the company I visit is willing to invest its resources in seo optimization, I am sure that their offer is also top-notch, and so far I have not been wrong. Local SEO helps a lot to increase the sales of your services or products.
If you want me to help you with local SEO, contact Us.
Keyword research and content strategy
If you don’t plan, set yourself up for SEO failure. Without the necessary research and development of an SEO strategy before optimization itself, you will not get the desired results.
Let’s say you run a local Mexican restaurant – and it’s called Mexikana…
For most local businesses, determining which are the primary (ie most important) keywords to target is generally fairly simple and self-explanatory. Assuming that you run a Mexican restaurant in Maribor, try to find out what you would look for in order to find your business as a potential customer?
“Mexican restaurant Maribor”
“Best Mexican restaurant near me”
Notice the search example? Most customers search for local providers using variations of “service + location” when looking for businesses that offer what you offer.
Google autocomplete and related questions
Even though we already have a decent keyword base, it doesn’t hurt to keep looking for more keywords. One way to do this is to use Google’s powerful autocomplete feature, along with related questions that appear in the SERPs (Search Results Page).
If you type the keyword “Mexican restaurant” into Google, we get even more optimization ideas:
As you can see, such a search returned some very useful results, especially since they highlight the term “Mexican restaurant”. This gives you a list of keywords that you must include in your SEO strategy. Now we have a growing list of keywords to take it a step further – below we’ll look at what keywords your biggest competitors are ranking for.
As previously mentioned, local search engine optimization (LOCAL SEO) is the process of optimizing your online presence so that your business appears higher in relevant local search results. This is especially important if your business depends on local customers, as it can help you attract more business and increase your revenue. Some ways to improve your local SEO include:
1. Claim your Google My Business listing: This is a free listing that allows you to manage how your business appears on Google Maps and in local search results. Make sure you provide accurate and complete information about your business, including your address, phone number, and hours of operation.
2. Get listed in online directories: Many online directories like Yelp and Yellow Pages allow you to create a free business listing. These ads can help improve your local SEO by providing search engines with additional information about your business.
3. Use Local Keywords: Include local keywords in your website content and meta tags to help search engines understand the location and relevance of your business. For example, if you own a bakery in Los Angeles, be sure to include “Los Angeles Bakery” in your site’s content and meta tags.
4. Promote Customer Reviews: Customer reviews help improve your local SEO by providing additional search engine content and helping build trust with potential customers. Encourage customers to leave reviews of your listing on Google My Business, Yelp, and other review sites.
By implementing these and other local SEO best practices, you can improve your visibility in local search results and attract more customers to your business.
There are many other factors that can affect your local SEO besides the ones I mentioned earlier. Here are some other things you can do to improve your local SEO:
1.Use a local phone number: Using a local phone number instead of a toll-free number can help improve your local SEO. This is because search engines can use the phone number as a signal of your business location.
2. Optimize your website for mobile devices: More and more people are using their smartphones to find local businesses. That’s why it’s important to make sure your website is mobile-friendly and easy to use on a small screen.
3. Use Structured Data: Structured data is a way to mark up your website content to make it easier for search engines to understand and index. By using structured data, you can help search engines understand the location and other important information about your business, which can improve your local SEO.
4. Get listed in local publications: Getting your business listed in local publications like newspapers and magazines can help improve your local SEO by providing additional backlinks to your website and by increasing your visibility in the community.
5. Use Social Media: Social media can be a powerful tool to promote your business and improve your local SEO. By creating profiles on platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, you can connect with potential customers and share information about your business.
Local SEO is the process of optimizing your online presence to rank higher in local search results. When someone searches for a local business or service, the search results often include a map listing businesses in the area. Local SEO helps your business appear higher in these local search results, making it more likely that people looking for local products or services will find and visit your business.
To improve local SEO, it is important to ensure that your business is listed in online directories and that your website is optimized for local keywords. It is also important to have accurate and complete information about your business, such as address, phone number, and hours of operation, on your website and in online directories. Encouraging customer reviews and using social media can also be helpful in improving your local SEO.
By optimizing your online presence for local search, you can attract more local customers and increase your revenue.
You can also improve your local SEO if you:
1.Include your city or region in your site’s title tags and meta descriptions: This helps search engines understand the location of your business and can improve your local SEO.
2. Use the local language on your website: If your business operates in a specific region or community, using the local language on your website can help improve your local SEO by showing search engines that your business is relevant to that particular area.
3. Get listed in local directories: In addition to online directories like Yelp and Google My Business, there may be local directories specific to your industry or location. By listing in these directories, you can improve your local SEO and make it easier for local customers to find your business.
4. Use the local schema tag: A local schema tag is a type of structured data that you can add to your website code to help search engines understand the location and other details about your business. By using the local schema tag, you can improve your local SEO and make it easier for search engines to show your business information in local search results.
5. Optimize your website for voice search: More and more people are using voice assistants like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa to find local businesses. Optimizing your website for voice search can help improve your local SEO and increase the likelihood that your business will be found through these types of searches.
Here are some other things you can do to improve your local SEO:
1.Use social media to promote your business: Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can be powerful tools for attracting local customers and improving your local SEO. By regularly posting updates about your business and engaging with your followers, you can build a strong online presence and improve your visibility in local search results.
2. Use Local Hashtags: Including local hashtags in your social media posts can help your business appear in local search results and attract local followers.
3. Host local events: Hosting events like workshops or product launches can be a great way to attract local customers and improve your local SEO. By promoting your events on your website and social media platforms, you can increase your visibility in local search results.
4. Partnering with other local businesses: Partnering with other local businesses, such as through cross-promotions or co-branded events, can help improve your local SEO by providing additional backlinks to your website and increasing your visibility in the community.
5. Offer special offers or discounts to local customers: Offering special offers or discounts to local customers can be a great way to attract local businesses and improve your local SEO. You can promote these offers on your website and social media platforms or through local advertising or email marketing.
6. Optimize your website for mobile devices: More and more people are using their smartphones to find local businesses. That’s why it’s important to make sure your website is mobile-friendly and easy to use on a small screen. This can improve your local SEO by making it easier for people to find and interact with your business on their mobile devices.
7. Use a local phone number: Using a local phone number instead of a toll-free number can help improve your local SEO. This is because search engines can use the phone number as a signal of your business location.
8. Get listed in local directories: In addition to online directories like Yelp and Google My Business, there may be local directories specific to your industry or location. By listing in these directories, you can improve your local SEO and make it easier for local customers to find your business.
9. Host local events: Hosting events like workshops or product launches can be a great way to attract local customers and improve your local SEO. By promoting your events on your website and social media platforms, you can increase your visibility in local search results.
10. Offer special offers or discounts to local customers: Offering special offers or discounts to local customers can be a great way to attract local businesses and improve your local SEO. You can promote these offers on your website and social media platforms or through local advertising or email marketing.