Did you know that around 28% of all local searches typically result in a purchase? Recent times have shown us just how important it is for a business to have a solid online presence. In order to establish that presence, a business needs to succeed at both overall SEO and local SEO. The combination of a strong traditional and local SEO strategy can help propel your business way ahead of your competition.
To effectively harness the power of local search, you need to first understand how to build and implement a good local SEO strategy. Read on to find the top 12 local SEO tips that can help improve your business’s online presence in 2021.
#1. Do not delay in creating a GMB listing
Creating a GMB listing is not very difficult. Just ensure that you complete your profile and list all your products and services. Once you are done setting up your GMB listing, start creating mini-posts for your clients using the Google Posts feature. This will not only help you keep your clients updated, but it will also show Google that you are taking the time to manage your listing.
#2. Get your business listed in other important directories as well
Listing your business on all the important online directories is essential for local SEO. Check whether there are any online business directories specific to your area, and target them along with the main national and global directories, such as:
- Yelp
- FourSquare
- Angie’s List
- Bing Places
- HotFrog
- Best of the Web
- About Us
#3. Ensure your Name and Place (NAP) information is updated and correct
Incorrect and inconsistent NAP information generally results in Google not displaying your GMB listing. So make sure your NAP information is correct and completely the same across all the platforms and in all your listings.
In case your business moves to a new location, update this information on all platforms as soon as possible. Also, since a business’s profile information can now be updated based on changes suggested by consumers, you should keep a close eye on it to ensure there are no discrepancies.
#4. Find out the local keywords you can target
Targeting local keywords is an absolute must when it comes to local SEO. Make sure your research for local keywords includes longer tail keywords related to your business, as well as variations of search terms. You might also want to look into targeting hyper-local keywords.
#5. See to it that your site is optimized with the local keywords
Once you are done shortlisting the local keywords you would like to rank for, optimize your site using these keywords. The keywords must feature on your homepage, as well as your service pages in the following areas:
- Headings
- Title Tags
- Meta Descriptions
- Body
- Footer
If possible, try and incorporate your main local keyword into the URL, as well. Just make sure that when you add these keywords, you incorporate them into the rest of the content as naturally as possible.
#6. Create locally relevant content
Creating non-local content for a locally focused business will do you no good. For better lead generation, you need to create content that is locally relevant. The best way to go about it would be by incorporating local keywords into content related to the products and/or services you offer. You can also come up with content that revolves around local news and events related to your business or industry.
#7. Make your site mobile-friendly
Statistics show that, of all the mobile searches conducted, 30% are location-related. This makes it extremely important to ensure that your site is mobile-friendly. If your site fails to work properly on mobile, there are high chances that you’ll lose quite a few of your potential consumers to a competitor whose website is easy to access on mobile. You can prevent this by optimizing your site for mobile.
#8. Optimize your site for voice as well
Mobile voice searches are now starting to become a common practice among consumers. It has come to light that mobile voice searches are 3X more likely to be related to something local, compared to text searches. However, voice search is still relatively new, and many businesses are yet to capitalize on it. Hence, optimizing your site and content for voice now will help you stay ahead of your competitors.
#9. Always look for opportunities to build inbound links
Building inbound links can strengthen not only your overall SEO efforts, but also your local SEO game. While there are many ways to build quality inbound links, one of the most effective is to connect with people and businesses related to your industry and figure out a way to place a contextual link on their websites.
#10. If you serve multiple locations, create location pages
If your business serves multiple locations, you will want your website to rank in the local searches for each of those locations. The best way to do so is by creating a separate page for every location, instead of just listing them down on one page. Besides creating unique content for every page, you will have to ensure that they are optimized for local keywords.
#11. Take the time to manage your reviews
Managing your reviews is an absolute must for succeeding in local SEO in 2021. Getting good reviews is great, but the negative ones can severely impact your authority and rankings. The best way to manage your negative reviews is to respond to them with an aim to resolve the issues that have been raised. This will not only help you retain customers, but will also show Google that you are actively working to enhance customer experience. Hence, it is crucial that you manage your reviews across all platforms and listings.
#12. Don’t forget to pay attention to your overall SEO
While local SEO is important, especially for the locally-focused businesses, that’s no reason to ignore overall SEO. Google has made it very clear that organic SERP plays a major role in improving your local rankings. Chances are high that if you ignore implementing certain very important traditional SEO components, your local SEO efforts may fail as well. So make sure you keep a close eye on that front.
Final Takeaway
The year 2020 played a huge role in the colossal move of the majority of the consumers and the smallest of businesses online. Even if you have already implemented some of the above listed local SEO tips, a lot more goes into building a comprehensive SEO strategy. If you find that your business is still floundering in the digital world, then it’s high time you get in touch with a reliable SEO expert to help you catch up to your competition.
