How to Do SEO for Local Business

Do you know, 92% of consumers turn to search engines when looking for local businesses! Again, 46% of Google searches are for local businesses.

It means, if your business isn’t appearing in local search results, you’re missing out on a huge potential customer base.

According to a recent study by BrightEdge, local SEO drives 1,000%+ more traffic than organic social media. So investing in local SEO is one of the best things you can do to grow your business online.

This article is a comprehansive guide to local SEO, including what it is, its benefits, and how to improve your local SEO ranking.

What is Local SEO?

Local SEO is the process of optimizing your website and online presence locally, so that you rank higher in local search results.

This includes optimizing your website for relevant keywords, building citations, and creating locally relevant content.

Local search results are the results that appear when you search for something like “restaurants near me” or “best plumbers in [city].” These results are typically based on your location and the search terms you use.

Local SEO is important for businesses of all sizes, but it is especially important for small businesses and businesses that serve a local market.

By ranking higher in local search results, you can reach more customers and grow your business.

To understand local SEO better, read; What is Local SEO and How Does it Work?

Benefits of Local SEO

Here are some important benefits of local SEO:

Increases website traffic

Local SEO can help you reach more customers by increasing your website traffic. When you rank higher in local search results, more people are likely to see your website and visit it.

Generate more leads

Local SEO can also help you generate more leads. When individuals search for local businesses, they typically seek immediate services. By ranking higher in local search results, you can attract more of these potential customers to your website.

Higher sales

Local SEO can also lead to higher sales. When people visit your website after finding you in local search results, they are more likely to be interested in buying your products or services. This is because they are already looking for a business like yours, and they are more likely to be ready to buy.

Improves brand awareness

Local SEO can also help you improve your brand awareness. When your website ranks higher in local search results, more people will see your brand name and learn about your business. This can lead to increased brand recognition and trust.

Builds trust and credibility

Local SEO can also help you build trust and credibility with potential customers. When your website ranks higher in local search results, people are more likely to perceive your business as being more legitimate and trustworthy. This can lead to more customers choosing your business over the competition.

How to Do Local SEO (Step-by-Step Guide)

Here is a step-by-step guide for successfully doing local SEO for your business:

1. Find Keyword for Local SEO

Local keywords are those which contain location-specific phrases and get results related to the same geographical area. For example “spa near me” or “nearest restaurant” or “digital marketing agency of [city name]“.

So first you have to find out which location-specific keyword phrases actually targets your business in your area.

How to find keyword for local SEO?

It’s simple, you can use any paid or free keyword research tool. Ofcourse, you can get better data in paid tools, but an expert can find right keywords with the help of free keyword research tool also.

Some good paid keyword research tools are;

Some good free keyword research tools are;

2. Set up your Google Business Profile

Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) is a user-friendly and free tool that allows businesses and organizations to take charge of their online visibility on Google, including Search and Maps.

By creating a Google Business Profile, you gain control over how your business is displayed on Google Search and Maps.

This includes the ability to input your business name, address, phone number, website, operating hours, products, services and images. Moreover, you can provide details about your offerings and interact with customer reviews.

How to set a Google Business Profile?

To learn how to set a Google Business Profile step-by-step, visit here

Or watch this video;

3. Social media profiles for local SEO

These days, people spend most of their time on social media. So, after creating your Google Business profile, make sure your business has a page on every social media platform.

Link all your business social media pages and google business profile with each other. Then regularly post high quality content related to your business on them.
This will increase the local reach and SEO of your business. Ask your local friends and well wishers to share your contents. Ask for good reviews, also to rate your business.

Remember, networking is very much important for the success of your local business and social media presence is the easiest way to do that.

4. Acuurate and Optimized NAP

NAP stands for name, address and phone number. These must be accurate, optimized and same all over the Internet.

An accurate and optimized NAP is essential for local SEO. NAP consistency is one of the most important ranking factors that Google uses to determine the relevance of a business in local search results.

Remember, if you do not provide correct information related to your business to the user, then he will never trust you. Not having an accurate name, address, number, etc will leave you a potential customer. Additionally, when Google sees that people are not having a good experience with your business profile, it will not rank you higher in local listings. Due to this you will completely lose the customers coming through online.

Tips to create an accurate and optimized NAP for local SEO:

Use your full business name: Always use your complete business name in all online listings, even if it’s a widely recognized abbreviation.
Use a consistent address: Make sure, your address is formatted the same way across all of your online listings. This includes using the same street abbreviations, city and state names, and ZIP code etc.
Use a local phone number: Opt for a phone number featuring a local area code, as this aids Google in recognizing your business as a local entity.
Use structured data: Structured data is a technique for tagging your website’s information to enhance its comprehensibility by search engines. It allows you to mark up your NAP (Name, Address, Phone) details, simplifying Google’s ability to extract and index this information.
Monitor your NAP consistency: Regularly check your online listings, make sure that your NAP information is accurate and consistent.

5. Optimize online Directories and Citation

Building citations for local SEO is the process of creating and managing online mentions of your business’s name, address, and phone number (NAP), across the online business directories as well as social media profiles. Don’t forget to submit your business on all business directories. It’ll give you backlinks, which will increase your local ranking and traffic.

While optimizing your citation, don’t forget to include:

Description of your business with NAP
Link to your website
Add your logo to build trust
Add images to give searchers an inside look of your business
Up-to-date information about your product and services
Location map
Hours of operations
Payment methods

Note: Citations can appear on a variety of websites, including business directories, social media platforms, and review sites. So you must be careful about it’s optimization and accuracy. Spellings, abbreviations must be accurate and same everywhere. Remember If Google can’t sure which information about your business is correct, it may not show your business at all in search results.

6. Get Backlinks from other local businesses

Getting backlinks from other local businesses is a great way to improve your local SEO and attract more customers. The more high-quality backlinks you have, the better your chances of ranking higher in search results.

Here are some tips for getting backlinks from other local businesses:

Craft valuable content that other businesses will find worthy of sharing links to. This content might encompass blog articles, eye-catching infographics, or engaging videos.
Connect with local businesses and propose guest blogging on their websites. This allows you to showcase your expertise to their audience while earning a backlink in return.
Support local events or groups through sponsorship. This helps increase your visibility and fosters connections with fellow community businesses.
Offer backlink exchanges with local businesses. It’s a speedy and straightforward method to obtain backlinks.

7. Optimize for Voice Search

Now a days, most of the people are using mobile and voice searches for their query. According to Google, 58% of consumers have used voice search to find local business information in the last year. Google also found that 46% of voice search users look for a local business on a daily basis. That’s why, you should optimize your local business for voice search also.

To know how to do it, read; How to Optimize your Business for Voice Search

8. Create high quality locally relevant content

Content is always king. High-quality content attracts not only Google, but also users. When people like your content, they will give priority to your local business. As a result your business will grow.

So creating high-quality, locally relevant content is one of the best ways to improve your local SEO. Make high-quality content that is relevant to the needs and interests of your local audience.

Some tips for creating high-quality, locally relevant content for local SEO:

Write about things that your local community cares about. Think about what interests them and what issues they are dealing with. Your content should talk about these topics and give helpful information and solutions.
Use local keywords throughout your content. When people search for local businesses and services, they often use keywords that include their location. For example, someone might search for “best restaurants near me” or “plumbers in San Francisco.” When you use local keywords in your content, you are more likely to show up in the search results for those terms.
Put the name of your place in your webpage titles and descriptions. It tells search engines that your content is about local stuff, which helps your website show up in local searches.
Connect your website to other nearby businesses and websites. This tells search engines that you’re involved in the local community and your content is trusted and reliable.
Your content should be well-written, informative, and engaging. Avoid writing content that is spammy or promotional.

9. Customer reviews

Customers are becoming smarter these days. Before selecting any product or service, they check customer reviews. It can provide insights into the quality of a business’s products or services, its customer service, and its overall atmosphere. By the positive or negative customer reviews and rattings, people decide wherethere to choose the local business or not. So ask your customers to give reviews and ratting.

Positive customer reviews can have a number of benefits for local businesses. Such as:

Improve reputation
Build trust
Attract new customers
Increase sales
Boost employee morale

To know how to get more customer reviews, read: 10 Ways to Increase Positive Reviews.

10. Optimize your approach

At the end, keep optimizing and up-to-date your efforts for local SEO of your business regularly. Online marketing is an industry that keeps changing very rapidly, that is why keep optimizing the local SEO of your business according to the current situation, changes in search engines, and changes in the preferences of users.

If you want, you can hire a digital marketer. Or if you need any kind of help, you can contact us. We also provide local SEO services.

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