Local SEO Strategy | NetLocal SEO
Netlocal has been partnering with local small businesses to help them get found on the web by people searching for their services for over ten years.
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Regardless of your industry, your Google ranking is vital to your business’s success and growth. So is your organic search ranking on other search engines like Bing, though to a lesser extent. Today, almost all locally-oriented retailers and service providers compete to secure online leads that can turn into customer visits or booked appointments. That’s why local SEO Services can make or break your business.
Nearly half of all Google searches are specific to each searcher’s area. So, to thrive online, you must meet potential customers where they are.
A refined local SEO strategy can shoot you up the local search results page, get you in front of your target market, and establish you as a trusted and authoritative business.
Developing a robust online presence driven by a sound local SEO strategy is an effective way to distance yourself from your competition. By capturing local customers’ attention first, you reduce the odds of other small businesses stealing your traffic.
SEO might sound simple in theory, but in execution it can be complex. Nonetheless, it’s a dynamic digital marketing trade rooted in best practices that you must follow to be successful.
What is Local SEO ?
Search engines are the default tools people use to find local businesses. The web has supplanted traditional media and even word of mouth as the primary generator of new leads. Search engines judge sites on several technical, aesthetic, and informational metrics to determine which ones best fit their users’ search intent.
Local search engine optimization, or SEO, is the practice of shaping your web presence and marketing strategy to secure a place in the top three positions on search engine results pages (SERPs). This process involves optimizing the technical aspects of your site to ensure that it’s fast-loading, stable, and user-friendly.
It also involves the creation of compelling content with relevant keywords to engage the search engines’ algorithms. Optimizing your site for local SEO entails research into your market, developing an understanding of how your target users search, and crafting an impactful web presence that accounts for search engines’ ranking factors.
Benefits of Local SEO
These days, the vast majority of people find service providers and goods online. That’s why local SEO is crucial to your business’s visibility and legitimacy. If you don’t appear at the top of search engines’ results pages, you will be ignored entirely or dismissed as a second-class business.
Internet users trust search engines to show them trustworthy, professional, and reputable businesses. As such, you must strive to position yourself at the top of the search results pages for your products and/or services.
Local SEO also allows you to reach specific users in your area and focus your lead generation on particularly profitable or cutting-edge products and/or services.
WHY DOES MY BUSINESS NEED LOCAL SEO?
Users want to find businesses and services online. The widespread use of mobile devices has led to a demand for convenient browsing, researching, purchasing, and booking online. Mobile searches are now just as relevant as non-mobile searches, if not more.
Without appearing at the top of the search results, which requires an effective SEO strategy, you won’t even get an opportunity to engage users. Nobody looks past the first page of the search results, and barely anyone explores beyond the first three options presented to them.
Local Search Strategy
Your SEO strategy must be based on a broad assessment of the products and services you offer. Once you define what you want to appear for in online searches, keyword research is necessary to determine the terms prospective customers are using to find the products and/or services you provide.
Supplementing keywords with terms specific to your market will help you capture the broadest online audience possible. Your site must then be optimized for on-page SEO.
This involves evaluating existing metrics that search engines use as ranking criteria and redesigning and updating your web pages to ensure your site scores well.
An effective local SEO strategy also requires developing localized landing pages that speak directly to your market. In addition, you must claim and manage your Google My Business (GMB) account to ensure your profile on online maps such as Google Maps is accurate and prominent.
Another vital aspect of SEO is link building. Leveraging relationships with other local businesses, monitoring your business listings in local directories, and generating high-quality content can earn backlinks for your site. This will improve your SEO metrics and inform visitors that you’re an authority in your industry.
What's Included in Our Local Listing Optimization Services
The services NetLocal’s local SEO packages can vary based on your goals and the number of locations you’d like to optimize. But in general, local listing optimization includes services such as:
- Claiming and managing your Google My Business profile
- Crafting a business description with keywords relevant to your market
- Populating your GMB with posts
- Uploading high-quality photos
- Responding to customers’ reviews
- Updating your products, services, and industries
- GMB Website Set Up
- Local Landing Page Development and Optimization
- Cittion Building
Schedule a meeting with the owner for an analysis of the search volume for your business and what it will realistically take to displace your competition in google organic search.
About Our Local SEO Services
LOCAL SEO EXPERTS
Optimization for google local business listings and organic search is our specialty.
10+ YEARS EXPERIENCE
We have been driving new client acquisition for our clients through SEO for 10 years now.
TOTAL TRANSPARENCY
Total transparency means total accountability. We create a monthly plan for you to follow.
NO CONTRACTS
Our SEO services are on a monthly no contract basis. We will earn your business every month.
DATA DRIVEN
All of our processes are data driven. There is no room for gut checks when data is available.
PROGRESS TRACKING
We benchmark each client's data at the start of a campaign and show progress as we proceed.
OUR Team
Local SEO Strategy for Single Location Businesses
If your business has a single brick-and-mortar location, your Google My Business listing is critical. It’s a free tool that allows you to claim your business and control the way Google presents it on their map, which appears above their search results.
Displaying your correct business name, address, and phone number (NAP) is critical to your brand identity and your ability to capture searchers’ attention. If you don’t proactively manage your contact information, Google just makes its best guess based on information it pulls from the web. You must also verify that your information is correct with third-party sites.
When designing your website, you must highlight your location and contact information. Effectively presenting this information reinforces your business’s relevance to engines. You should also integrate local events into your GMB and social media posts to show that you’re an engaged member of your community.
Local SEO Strategy for Multi-Location Businesses
If your business has multiple locations, claiming your GMB listings is even more important. Google ties business profiles to their geographic locations, so each of your businesses will have a separate profile you can manage under a single Google account. You must ensure that the contact information is correct for each location, then populate the profiles with unique content.
While your services and offerings are likely similar at each location, you must upload unique photos, posts, and updates to each one to differentiate them and indicate that each one is legitimate and worth visiting.
Beyond your Google profile, you should create landing pages on your website for each location. Search engines see this as further proof of your business’s legitimacy. Individual pages also allow you to leverage keywords specific to each location, which should result in more traffic.
You must also ensure that each location’s address and contact information are listed correctly across the internet. Keeping that information consistent across third-party sites and directories bolsters search engines’ confidence in your business.
Finally, work to develop links with other businesses, professional associations, and online directories. Solicit online reviews from satisfied customers, and monitor your web presence to respond to both positive reviews and negative reviews. And of course, ensure that your information remains accurate in every corner of the web
Local SEO Strategy for Service Area Businesses
GMB profiles are tied to locations, which creates a unique challenge for providers like HVAC technicians or landscapers, who travel to their customers rather than having customers visit them.
When you claim your Google profile, you can claim your office or home as the primary location of your business and then describe the geographic area in which you provide your services. Just be forthright about your service area.
In addition, make sure to include location-specific terms for neighborhoods and regions in your keywords so that you can engage each subset of the region you service.
You should also upload relevant photos to your GMB, even if you don’t own a brick-and-mortar business. High-quality photos that display your work, equipment, and professionalism will win you trust and bolster your legitimacy in searchers’ eyes.
Customers’ urgency makes it even more important to appear at the top of search engines’ organic results by using a solid local SEO strategy. Prospects are unlikely to comparison shop or do significant research when they need something done immediately. Additionally, a high ranking tells readers you are reputable and dependable.
Local SEO Services Keywords
Keywords are the best way to lead prospective customers to your website. After all, search engines only want to send their users to sites that match their search intent. You can capture users’ attention by identifying the words they search and artfully populating them throughout your site.
Deploying keywords in your meta description, headings, and on-page text tells search engines that your site can answer users’ questions. Properly formatting your content alerts search engines that your text is well-constructed and easily digestible.
Identifying target keywords takes time and creative thinking. Start by making a list of all your services. Then break those terms down into words and phrases searchers use to find them. Once you have that list, research your coverage area and take note of keywords specific to it.
Make sure you identify the geographically-oriented terms individuals use. Pairing these terms with regular keywords and inserting them throughout your content will optimize your performance.
It’s also critical to monitor your competitors’ keyword use and compare it to your own. On-page content optimization, modern web design, and effective keyword placement can make you stand out.
Why Choose NetLocal?
While handling SEO on your own is possible, it’s a time-consuming and constantly evolving discipline that requires industry fluency, constant monitoring of metrics, and in-depth research to ensure that you reach your target market.
NetLocal SEO works with local businesses to achieve their SEO goals. We have years of experience helping local business owners reach more searchers and earn more conversions.
Our team has the technical savvy to optimize your website, conduct thorough keyword research, craft local content with local keywords, update your local listings, order local citations, and more. We have helped many of our clients crack Google’s coveted local pack, and we can do the same for you. Every one of our clients has seen an improvement in their local search rankings.
Set up a free consultation with us today to learn more about how we can help you take your marketing to the next level.
FAQ
The first step is to analyze your website’s metrics to assess its load time, reliability, and the quality of its code. Then make the necessary upgrades to ensure that you meet or exceed the standards set by search engines for high-performing sites.
Next, review your content, assess your competitors’ content, and determine whether you’re using the right keywords. Revise content for on-page SEO and assure you are following the formatting standards preferred by search engines.
The best tool for local SEO is Google My Business. It’s a free service that allows you to claim the profile that Google uses to represent you on its site and in its apps.
Properly using GMB allows you to present a concise, up-to-date summary of your business in the interactive map Google shows searchers.
In addition, Semrush offers SEO tools you can use to audit your website, revise your content, and conduct better keyword research. Furthermore, Moz Local also offers some top-notch SEO tips.