Thumb Through Our 5-Point Checklist for Effective Local SEO
The current digital landscape is teeming with eager businesses, making it increasingly difficult to stand out. Fortunately, companies have an ace in the whole: local SEO. Local SEO is a sneaky strategy by which businesses optimize their online presence to target better and convert local patrons. But how do you get there? To help you achieve excellent results, we’ve penned a well-rounded local SEO checklist that blankets all key aspects you need to know. By mirroring our guidelines in your next SEO strategy, you can augment your local search rankings and funnel more targeted traffic to your company. Let’s get started.
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Capturing relevant information about customers, fans, followers, and friends enable us to create more personalized interactions. In turn, we can better understand how to provide the best possible experience for our target audience.
1) Claim and Optimize Your Google My Business Listing
In case you were unaware, Google My Business (GMB) is a free tool that lets businesses of all statures manage their online presence on the search engine Google. By polishing up your Google Business profile, you’re communicating to the search engine you are a relevant search result for viewers, which will skyrocket your chances of popping up in Google’s local search results. Ensure your profile is complete and up-to-date by offering relevant information like your business name, phone number, address, business hours, website URL, and description. Moreover, you should encourage customers to leave reviews on your listing, as positive reviews can significantly help your local search rankings.
2) Conduct Localized Keyword Optimization
It’s a no-brainer that certain keywords can make or break your local SEO standing. Carrying out local keyword research will tell you precisely what your target audience is searching for. You can then strategically incorporate these keywords naturally into your website content, meta tags, headings, and image alt tags. Hence, when your future patrons search for a particular term you’re using, your organic visibility on relevant search engine results pages, or SERPs, will help these individuals find you and consider your products or services. You’ll find that these local SEO conversion rates can be significantly higher than regular SEO conversion rates and can lead to a dramatic soar in high-quality leads.
3) Utilize Local Citations and Backlinks
Though “local citations” might throw you off, it’s a much simpler concept than you think. The term refers to online mentions of your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) on websites that aren’t your own, including apps, business directories, and websites like Yelp or Yellow Pages. Not only do they help local audiences find your business online, but it also contributes to the intensification of your local search engine rankings. Conversely, backlinks, also known as inbound links, incoming links, or one-way links, are links from one site to a page on another site through a nifty anchor text. When you obtain backlinks from reputable sources, it signals to search engines that your firm is trustworthy and relevant to the local community. Seeking chances to have high-quality backlinks from good-standing local websites combined with targeting the right traffic to your company will draw folks more willing to convert and become part of your loyal following.
4) Leverage Online Reviews and Ratings
As stated, online reviews and ratings can significantly sway customer perceptions, no matter how intense the advertising campaign is. Start by encouraging satisfied customers to leave their thoughts on platforms like Google, Facebook, Yelp, and industry-specific review sites. Be sure to respond to all reviews promptly to demonstrate your unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction. Feel free to offer solutions to negative reviews to continue building trust with your base. Doing so will help your company be a more reliable and relevant source to Google and your customers.
Capturing relevant information about customers, fans, followers, and friends enable us to create more personalized interactions.
5) Keep Your NAP Consistent
It may feel insignificant, but inconsistent NAPs, or names, addresses, and phone numbers, can puzzle customers and search engines, causing your hard-earned top rankings to dive quickly. Be sure to regularly audit your online presence to identify and correct any discrepancies in your NAP data, including your website, social media profiles, review sites, and online directories. This technique is one of the easiest ways to rank quickly and build authority in your local business niche.
Heighten Your Local SEO at Kraus Marketing
As you can tell, effective local SEO should be a potent part of your marketing strategy. Our SEO pundits at Kraus Marketing can powerfully combine the above methods to outperform your competition any day of the week. Don’t miss the vast potential to heighten your credibility, visibility, and conversion rate. Contact us today to speak with a member of our unbeatable team.