8 Ways to Improve Local SEO & Attract New Business

How to Improve Your Local SEO and Attract New Business at the Same Time

It’s no secret that good local SEO is essential for any business that wants its customers to find them online. But how can you improve your local SEO and exactly what is it?

In this blog post, we’ll answer those questions and more, so you can start attracting new customers and driving more business. Keep reading to learn all about how to improve your local SEO!

Local SEO, or local search engine optimization, is a crucial aspect of digital marketing that focuses on optimizing a business’s online presence to attract more local customers. In today’s competitive landscape, it’s essential for businesses to be visible to their local audience when they search for products or services online. Implementing a robust local SEO strategy plays a pivotal role in improving a company’s visibility in search engine results pages, making it an indispensable strategy for businesses looking to thrive in their local market.

In this comprehensive guide, we will dive into the world of local SEO, exploring its significance and the strategies to enhance a business’s local online presence. We will uncover the reasons why local SEO is imperative for businesses, and we will discuss the steps to improve local SEO effectively, including local search optimization. We will shed light on the common mistakes to avoid in local SEO, providing insights into how businesses can steer clear of pitfalls that may hinder their local search visibility.

From performing a local SEO audit to optimizing Google My Business listing, using local keywords, and leveraging online reviews, we will walk you through the essential tactics to bolster your local SEO efforts. Whether you are a small local business or a multi-location enterprise, mastering local SEO and learning to optimize your site is instrumental in reaching your target audience and standing out in local search results.

So, if you are ready to take your local online visibility to the next level and drive more foot traffic and online conversions, let’s explore the world of local SEO and unlock the strategies that will propel your business towards local search success.

WHAT IS LOCAL SEO?

Local SEO is the process of optimizing your website content to attract more traffic from local searches, enhancing your local results. This process includes optimizing your website, social media profiles, and other online listings to improve your local ranking. It’s an integral part of any small business marketing strategy, especially for increasing visibility on local websites.

To get started with local SEO, claim your Google My Business listing and create optimized content for your website. Include your business’s name, address, phone number (NAP), and business hours on every page of your site. Ensuring your site is responsive on all devices is crucial, as is directory listings and local citation building, both vital for enhancing your presence in the local pack.

Optimizing your website for local searches will not only improve your local SEO but also your visibility in the search engine results pages (SERPs), boosting organic search results. This leads to increased web traffic and attracts more customers.

Local SEO can be complex, but it’s essential for attracting customers from local searches. If you need assistance, Cider House Media specializes in local SEO services, ready to help you achieve top local rankings and improve your presence in organic search results.

WHY LOCAL SEARCH IS IMPORTANT FOR VISIBILITY & RANKING

Local searches are becoming more important each day. It’s no wonder- as the internet becomes more globalized, people are looking for ways to find businesses closer to home.

Think about it – when you search on Google, the first thing that comes up is a list of businesses near you. And, if you’re searching on your mobile phone, it will even give you directions to the business!

This fact shows just how important local searches have become. If you want your business to be seen by people searching for things in your area, then you need to do local SEO.

Suppose you’re a business that relies on customers from a specific geographic area. In that case, you need to be visible in local search results. A staggering 97% of consumers looked online for local businesses in 2017, with 12% looking every day. Of those who searched, 61% called the business they found, and 59% visited the business they found.

Local searches lead 50% of mobile visitors to visit stores within one day, demonstrating the power of Local SEO in driving real-world actions. A remarkable 78% of local mobile searches for products and services result in offline purchases, and 18% of these searches lead to a sale within just one day. This emphasizes the vital role of Local SEO in improving your local search presence and boosting SEO rankings.

For businesses, this translates to a golden opportunity to attract new customers and grow. Local SEO significantly enhances visibility in local search results, making a business more prominent when potential customers search for specific, relevant local results. When someone in the local area searches for a product or service, a business optimized with Local SEO is more likely to be at the forefront of search engine results pages, effectively drawing in nearby customers.

Moreover, Local SEO builds trust and credibility within the local community. Businesses that frequently appear in localized search engine queries for relevant products or services are perceived as more legitimate and reliable, bolstering their local reputation.

Targets Specific Audience

Local SEO allows businesses to specifically target and connect with local customers who are actively seeking relevant products or services within their proximity, creating opportunities for increased engagement and conversions.

By optimizing their online presence to rank higher in local search results, businesses can ensure that their offerings are prominently displayed to potential customers in their vicinity. This strategic approach helps in driving foot traffic to physical stores and increases website visits for local businesses.

Leveraging local keywords and entities in website content, meta tags, and business listings, businesses enhance their visibility and relevance to local searchers.

Being visible in local searches drives qualified traffic, resulting in higher conversion rates. It allows businesses to establish themselves as trusted and reliable sources in their local community, fostering a loyal customer base. By connecting with relevant local audiences through localized content and targeting, businesses can build stronger customer relationships and improve customer retention.

Builds Trust and Credibility

Effective search engine optimization efforts contribute to building trust and credibility for a business by ensuring accurate local listings, encouraging positive reviews, and demonstrating a strong local presence that resonates with potential customers.

By optimizing local search engine rankings, businesses can show up prominently in search results, demonstrating to users that they are a reliable and trustworthy local option. When customers search online and see consistent and correct information about a business, it adds to their confidence in the brand. Positive reviews from satisfied customers reinforce the credibility of the business, further strengthening the trust that potential customers have. This comprehensive approach helps businesses to foster a positive public image and build a solid foundation of trust among their local audience.

How to Improve Local SEO?

Improving local SEO involves various strategies and tactics, such as optimizing local content, building relevant local links, and adapting to the growing impact of voice search, all aimed at enhancing a business’s visibility and accessibility to local audiences.

Optimizing local content involves creating geographically targeted landing pages, writing blog posts featuring locally relevant keywords, and encouraging user-generated content related to the local area to improve local search rankings.

Regarding building local links, it’s essential to collaborate with other local businesses, participate in local events, and engage in local sponsorships to establish a strong local online presence.

Adapting to the impact of voice search necessitates optimizing for long-tail conversational keywords, incorporating natural language in the website content, and ensuring accurate and consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) listings across all online platforms.

1. CLAIM AND OPTIMIZE GMB GOOGLE BUSINESS PROFILE (GMB)

Claiming and optimizing your Google My Business (GMB) profile is a crucial step in enhancing your online visibility. Google My Business, a free platform, lets businesses manage their presence on Google Search and Maps, providing valuable local information relevant to your business.

By verifying your GMB listing, you signal to Google and potential local prospects that you’re a legitimate entity. This visibility in local search results can attract new customers and contribute to business growth. A well-optimized Google My Business profile, showcasing your products or services, business hours, and high-quality photos, is key to improving local SEO.

To optimize your GMB listing, visit google.com/business. Ensure your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) are accurate, and include a compelling description of your products or services. Highlight your hours of operation, link to your website, and upload high-quality photos. Regularly updating your GMB profile, including responding to and encouraging reviews for your business, can further improve your local SEO efforts.

2. OPTIMIZE ONLINE DIRECTORIES AND CITATIONS

To enhance the local SEO effectiveness of your business, it is crucial to be listed in relevant local directories and sites like Yelp, Yellowpages, and Foursquare, as well as local.com and Citysearch. Accurate and consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) information across these directories, aligned with your Google My Business (GMB) profile, boosts your local SEO efforts.

Being listed in these directories not only increases your visibility but also starts the process of local link building. Backlinks from these directories are essential as they improve your ranking in local search results and attract targeted, local traffic. This is one of the seo best practices for enhancing customer engagement and contributing to your business growth.

Local link building extends beyond directories. It involves forming relationships with local businesses and leveraging these connections to get other local backlinks. By offering services to local customers and engaging in community activities, you create opportunities for natural link building. This approach strengthens your local SEO, as many local links pointing to your site signal to search engines your relevance in the local market. Remember, the way that local businesses support each other through these links is crucial for a robust local online presence.

3. PERFORM A LOCAL SEO AUDIT

As a small business, it’s vital that you take the time to perform a local SEO audit on your website and Google My Business listing at least once a year. Doing so will ensure that your listing is accurate and complete and that your website is optimized for local search.

To get started:

Google My Business Audit – How does your Google My Business appear in the SERPs?

1. Begin by auditing your Google My Business listing.
2. Is the information accurate? Check that your business name, address, and phone number are correct and up-to-date.
3. Add new photos and update your business description.
4. Claim any unclaimed listings for your business and request reviews from customers.

Google Search Console Audit – Is your site crawlable? Does it have any errors that would hinder indexing?

On-Page SEO Audit – Are you checking all the on-page SEO boxes that help to rank?

Citation Audit – Are all your citations up-to-date in the top business directories?

Competitor Analysis – Check out what your local competitors are doing to optimize their websites for local search. How does your site compare to theirs? What are they doing that you’re not?

Website Audit – How well is your website performing?

By performing a yearly local SEO audit, you’ll ensure that your small business is visible in local search results. Good local SEO will help you attract new customers and grow your bottom line.

4. IMPROVE YOUR INTERNAL LINKING STRUCTURE

Internal linking is the process of connecting one page on your website to another. Internal linking can be done by using anchor text (the clickable text that makes up a hyperlink) or using an image. Internal linking is important for two main reasons:

1. It helps improve your website’s information architecture.
2. Makes your site more user-friendly
3. It can help improve your local SEO.

Improving your website’s information architecture means making it easier for users to navigate your site and find the information they’re looking for. Improving the internal linking structure of your website will make your site more user-friendly. A well-structured website will have a hierarchy of pages. The home page is at the top, followed by category pages, sub-category pages, and finally, individual service, product, or blog pages. For the best results, each page should have five inbound links from at least five other pages on the site. A solid internal linking strategy will help Google understand what each page is about and how it fits into the overall scheme of things.

When you improve your local SEO, people will likely find your site when they search for keywords related to your business. One way to do this is to ensure that each page on your site has a good PageRank (PR). PageRank measures a page’s importance as determined by how many other websites link to it. The more links a page has pointing to it, the higher its PR will be. In turn, pages with a high PR will tend to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). Thus, by improving the internal linking structure of your website, you can help improve its overall SEO and make it more visible to potential customers searching for businesses like yours online.

5. ON-PAGE SEO

The Importance of On-Page SEO

Good on-page SEO will help you rank higher in search engine results and attract more website visitors. On-page SEO Optimize your website URL, title tags, headers, meta descriptions, and content to attract more visitors from organic search. If you want to improve your local SEO, pay attention to your website’s on-page SEO.

Optimizing for Search Engine Results

Your website’s success in search engine results pages (SERPs) depends on how well you optimize your site for ranking factors. The better you optimize your on-page SEO; the higher your site will rank in SERPs.

Essential Elements of On-Page SEO

On-page SEO is the process of optimizing individual web pages to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic in search engines. On-page factors include page titles, headings, content, and overall structure.

Optimize Your Website’s Page Titles and Headers

One of the most essential on-page SEO factors is the page title. The title tag is an HTML element that specifies the title of a web page. The title tag is displayed in the browser tab and used by search engines to display a page’s title in SERPs. The header tag is another important on-page SEO factor and a great way to improve your local SEO. The h1 header is used to specify the primary heading of a web page. The h1 header should be used for the main heading of a page, and you should only use the H1 tag once per page. Subheadings should be used for secondary headings (h2, h3, etc).

Meta Descriptions and Content Quality

The meta description is a short description of a web page displayed in SERPs. A good meta description should accurately describe the content of a page and include relevant keywords. Search engines do not use the meta description to rank pages, but it can influence click-through rate (CTR).

Content is king when it comes to on-page SEO. To improve your local SEO and your chances of ranking high in SERPs, you must create high-quality, keyword-rich content relevant to what people are searching for. Search engines use algorithms to determine which pages are relevant for certain queries. When creating content, use your focus keyword throughout the page (title, headings, meta description, etc.).

In addition to using your focus keyword throughout the page, you should also include synonyms and related keywords. This process will help to further improve your local SEO and chances of ranking high in SERPs.

Create Location-Specific Content

Developing location-specific content tailored to the needs and interests of the local audience is a key strategy in local SEO optimization, as it enables businesses to resonate with their local customer base and address topics that are specifically relevant to local searchers.

By creating content that reflects the unique characteristics and preferences of the local community, businesses can establish trust and credibility within their target audience. The use of geo-targeted keywords and entities further enhances the visibility of the content in local search results, making it more accessible to potential customers seeking relevant information.

Location-specific content helps businesses to make authentic connections with the community, showcasing their understanding of the local culture, events, and market trends. This personalized approach fosters a sense of belonging and loyalty among local customers, which in turn can lead to increased engagement, foot traffic, and conversions for business.

Effective SEO Plugins for WordPress

If you’re using WordPress for your website, here are our 2 favorite on-page SEO plugins that you can us to improve your local SEO:

1. Yoast SEO is an essential WordPress plugin for enhancing local SEO. It offers a user-friendly interface with features like keyword optimization, readability analysis, and social media integration. It also provides real-time feedback and templates for page titles and meta descriptions, making it suitable for both beginners and seasoned SEO professionals.
2. Rank Math is another user-friendly WordPress plugin, ideal for local SEO improvements. It comes with advanced features like keyword optimization, XML sitemaps, schema markup, and local business schema, alongside Google My Business integration. This tool is great for managing your online presence and reaching local customers effectively.
3. All-in-One SEO (AIOSEO) is a versatile WordPress plugin designed for comprehensive SEO management. It’s user-friendly for beginners yet powerful enough for advanced users. AIOSEO offers features like smart sitemap generation, social media integration, and advanced schema markup, which are vital for enhancing search engine visibility. The plugin simplifies complex SEO tasks, making it easier for website owners to optimize their content and improve their site’s overall SEO performance. AIOSEO is an excellent tool for those looking to boost their site’s search engine ranking and visibility.
4. SEOPress is a streamlined and efficient WordPress SEO plugin, ideal for enhancing your website’s search engine optimization. It offers essential features like sitemap creation, breadcrumb navigation, and the optimization of titles and meta descriptions. Additionally, SEOPress integrates social media, making it easier to manage how your content is shared and presented on various platforms. This plugin is designed to be both user-friendly and powerful, catering to a wide range of SEO needs for WordPress websites.

You can dramatically improve your local SEO by following the above tactics.

6. ADD LOCATION PAGES TO YOUR WEBSITE TO BOOST YOUR LOCAL SEO

If you want to improve your local SEO and attract new business, one of the best things you can do is add location pages to your website. Location pages are specifically designed for a geographic location. They contain information like a business’s name, address, and phone number (NAP). Location pages also often have information about the products or services a business offers, images, and videos.

Creating location pages on your website helps you to signal to search engines that you are a local business. When your business is identified as a local business, this can help you to rank higher in local search results. It can also help you attract new customers searching for businesses like yours in their area.

To get started:

1. Create a page on your website for each location that you have.
2. Use keyword-rich titles and descriptions to make your pages easy for search engines to find.
3. Include the NAP for each location and images and videos if you have them. You can also include information about each location’s products or services.

Once your location pages are created, list them on Google My Business (GMB) so that customers can find them when they search for businesses like yours on Google Maps. To list your location pages on GMB, create a profile for each one and include the URL of the page in the “Website” section. You can also add your location pages to directories like Yelp and Foursquare so potential customers can find them when searching for businesses in their area.

7. IMPROVE YOUR LOCAL SEO BY OPTIMIZING YOUR SITE FOR MOBILE

To improve your local SEO and attract new business, you must ensure your website is optimized for mobile devices. With more and more people using their mobile devices to search for businesses, making sure your site is responsive and can be easily accessed on a mobile phone or tablet is essential.

One way to do this is to use a responsive design, which means your website will automatically adjust to the size of your potential customer’s device. Responsive design, rather than a separate mobile site, is the preferred method for most businesses. A mobile-responsive website ensures that all users will have a positive experience regardless of how they access your site.

Another way to optimize your site for mobile is to create a separate mobile-friendly website specifically designed for mobile devices and can be accessed by going to a URL different from your main website. While this requires more work upfront, it can be beneficial if you want to specifically target mobile users with content other than what is on your main site.

Regardless of your chosen method, ensuring your site is optimized for mobile devices is essential if you want to improve your local SEO and attract new business.

8. BECOME A MEMBER OF YOUR LOCAL BUSINESS COMMUNITY

As a business, it’s important to give back and support the community that supports you. There are many ways to get involved.

Small and local businesses often struggle to find their place in the wider world. Many owners live within easy reach of customers. Still, they see little value in staying local or supporting their community. The answer is simple:

1. Get your business involved in the local community.
2. Get connected with your community.
3. Find ways to be an active member of your community. Give back and support other local businesses and organizations that work towards making your town a better place.
4. Join a non-profit board or city committee.

A broad range of businesses can do this, from those that operate only seasonally to year-round establishments. Local businesses have a lot to offer, especially if you take the time to involve others in working alongside you instead of isolating yourself from them.

Getting involved is the best way to become part of the local business community. You could volunteer for a local non-profit, join a local chamber of commerce, or participate in events that your local chamber hosts. Joining these groups will help you meet new people and connect with your city’s businesses. These connections are meaningful because they can lead to financial opportunities and other resources that can help you discover what’s going on in your area and learn how to contribute to your community.

You can also get involved with local schools and offer scholarships or internships to students. This is a great way to support the future generation of your workforce and get your name out there as a business that cares about its community.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, improving your local SEO is key to attracting more customers and growing your small business. With so many people using their phones and voice assistants to search for local businesses, it’s more important than ever to make sure your website shows up when people are looking for what you offer. By following the 8 tips we shared in this article, you’ll be able to supercharge your local SEO and get your business in front of the people who matter most. From taking control of your Google My Business listing to making sure your website is easy to use on a phone, there are plenty of simple steps you can take to improve your local SEO and make a big impact. And when you become a part of your local business community, you’ll make even more connections and opportunities for growth.

So why wait? Start putting these tips into action today and watch your local SEO soar. If you need a hand along the way, remember that Cider House Media is here to help. We specialize in helping small businesses like yours improve their digital marketing and web design, including local SEO, so don’t hesitate to reach out and let us help you improve your local SEO today!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How can I improve local SEO for my business?

To improve local SEO, you can start by creating a Google My Business listing, optimizing your website with local keywords, and getting listed in online directories and review sites.

2. Is it important to have a Google My Business listing for local SEO?

Yes, having a Google My Business listing is crucial for local SEO as it helps your business appear in Google’s local search results and Google Maps.

3. How can I optimize my website for local SEO?

You can optimize your website for local SEO by including local keywords in your title tags, meta descriptions, and content, and by creating location-specific landing pages.

4. What are some ways to get listed in online directories for local SEO?

You can get listed in online directories by submitting your business information to sites like Yelp, Yellow Pages, and TripAdvisor, and by ensuring that your information is accurate and up-to-date.

5. How do online reviews impact local SEO?

Online reviews can have a significant impact on local SEO as they signal to search engines the credibility and relevance of your business. Encouraging positive reviews and responding to negative ones can help improve your local SEO.

6. How can I track the success of my local SEO efforts?

You can track the success of your local SEO by monitoring your website traffic and rankings for local keywords, tracking your online reviews and reputation, and using tools like Google Analytics and Google My Business Insights.