Having a great local SEO strategy is critical to increasing the visibility of your business on the web. In addition, there are a number of things you can do to measure the effectiveness of your local SEO and to help optimize your website for search engines.
Build citations
Getting local citations for your business is one of the best ways to promote consumer discovery and gain online visibility. These citations help search engines identify your business and give you a higher ranking in their index. However, you need to ensure that you are doing it properly.
One of the most important aspects of building citations is making sure that the information is accurate. For example, your NAP (name, address, and phone number) needs to be consistent throughout the web. If there are discrepancies, you will have trouble with your local SEO campaign. This is especially true if your company has multiple locations.
To get started with building citations, you need to understand how they work. First, you need to know that Google, Bing, and other search engines regularly analyze the information on the Internet. These tools evaluate the validity of your information in their indexes and check for consistency.
Optimize your website
Whether you’re a local business, a service provider, or a brick and mortar store, a website optimized for local SEO can help you attract new customers and generate more conversions. Search engine algorithms favor websites that directly respond to consumers’ needs.
By creating useful content, you can attract links and move your site closer to local search rankings. Consider writing about local events, community-specific landmarks, and store updates. Infographics can also include highly-searched keywords.
Creating a mobile-friendly website is a critical factor in SEO. This allows your pages to load quickly, which will increase the likelihood of user conversions.
For businesses offering multiple services, it’s important to create location pages for each of your locations. This will make each page more targeted and specific. You’ll want to include your address, phone number, and hours.
Consider location-based keywords
Using location-based keywords can help your business to increase traffic and attract customers. These keywords are often used by searchers looking for local businesses. To use them successfully, you must be prepared to compete with other businesses in your area.
There are two primary ways to research and implement these keywords. You can scour the web for potential search terms or you can take advantage of tools that will help you identify keywords.
One option is to use a tool like KeywordsFX. This will generate a list of possible keywords for your site. You can also analyze the competition by using tools such as Ubersuggest.
To determine what keywords are relevant, consider your own business, industry, and location. For example, a pet sitting business may want to look for keywords related to pet grooming. Or an event planning business may want to consider targeting Venice Beach.
Make sure your phone number is clickable
Getting your phone number to be clickable is an important step in local SEO. It can help increase conversions and give your site a higher ranking. This is especially important if you have a mobile-friendly website. You can test your site’s responsiveness with Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool.
Aside from your website’s URL, you should also have your phone number included in your contact page. Adding an address, map, and email address can also help visitors find the information they need.
Your NAP Data is also a very important factor in local SEO. Your name, address, and phone number should be consistent throughout your website and across all platforms. If your business has multiple locations, it is a good idea to have a separate page for each location.
Measure the effectiveness of your local SEO
Keeping track of the effectiveness of your local SEO strategy is important. It can help you to refine and adjust your efforts. It also helps you to make sure that you are reaching your target local audiences.
One of the best metrics for measuring the influence of your local SEO efforts is organic traffic. This type of traffic is more reliable than other types of traffic. In addition, it creates longer-lasting results.
Aside from organic traffic, another way to measure the effectiveness of your local SEO is to track referral traffic. This can be done through Google Analytics. This tool is free to set up. It allows you to filter visits by location. The Channel Grouping report can show you which channels are driving traffic to your site.