Before we get to the definition, let’s first dig into history. In 2010, before local SEO became a consideration, Google realized that many users would make search queries ending with “near me.”
Users would search for “Barbershop near me,” “Cakeshop near me,” etc. To solve that problem, Google embraced the concept of locality.
Local SEO as the name suggests is how your potential customers get to locate you within a set geographical area. Meaning, only local businesses that offer certain products or services within the set area will compete for location for specific keywords.
For example, for the the keyword “Consultancy services in Nairobi”, only businesses that offer consultancy services in Nairobi will be competing. This reduced competition creates an equal footing for businesses to rank for specific location keywords.
Less competition for keywords and increased chances of your website rankings make local SEO even more desirable.
What Makes Local SEO Important?
- Increased local search queries with the intent to purchase. The demand for businesses within the consumer’s vicinity has seen a rise of 200% which local SEO maximizes.
- The local searches lead to action. Mosts local searches result in a shop visit. Considering the local searches being conducted, it isn’t difficult to consider such an outcome!
How to Implement Local SEO to Website
While you can opt-out for professional local SEO optimization, there are certain things you can do to ensure your website ranks high for local keyword searches such as:
Use targeted local keywords
Using targeted local SEO is key in ranking high on Google. While this may be obvious, it may be confusing to get the right keywords especially if you are a beginner.
You can consider the Google Keyword Planner – a free tool offered by Google to kickstart your journey.
Ensure your NAP is consistent
NAP is simply the Acro name that stands for Name, Address, Phone number. This is one of the basic information that users get to interact with to fish out more details concerning your business.
However, not all businesses have their NAP consistent which can be detrimental to their overall business performance.
While the lack of consistency can be confusing and frustrating to the user, it also affects the search engine algorithms which negatively affects your website’s ranking.
Ensuring your NAP is consistent across the board may be but a little effort, however, it can provide impressive local SEO results especially if your competitors also have inconsistent NAP details.
Also, as you clean up your NAP details, be sure to look at any other mentions of your business in the local business directories and other websites and ensure that the details are consistent.
Optimize for mobile devices
In the digital world, we are in, mobile phones are becoming the next desktop. Most search queries are conducted on mobile devices than on desktops.
In the US, 56% of local searches are done on mobile. If you are running a site in 2022 that’s not optimized for mobile use, you’re seriously missing out!
Luckily, optimizing your website for mobile devices is not rocket science. There are many pre-built websites that offer that service.
Alternatively, you can contact us, and we’ll get your website optimized for mobile use within no time.
Build Citations
Put simply, citations are mentions of your business on the web apart from your own website.
Citations majorly influence your website rankings as search engines use them to measure the credibility and legitimacy of your business.
To build citations, all you have to do is to create a business listing on as many business directories as you possibly can. Besides this, you can look for the most active local business directories and create your business listing on them. As you build citations, remember also to check the NAP consistency.
Encourage consumer reviews on your website
93% of consumers often look at your business reviews which acts as a factor in influencing their purchase decisions. Not only that but also depending on the nature of your business and the industry it lies in, customer reviews can account for 6-15% of how Google ranks your business on search.
Schema markup
When added to your website, it enables the search engine algorithms to find relevant details about your business on your website.
It helps interprate your website information in a language that the search engine algorithms will best understand.
When done right, schema markup enables the search engines to send more traffic to your website which increases your website rankings.
To assist get your schema markup try Google marker helper.
Conclusion
Local SEO sets a positive pace for your business and is the best tool for business growth. If you have questions, feel free to drop them in the comment section below.
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