Is Your Small Business Utilizing Local SEO?

On September 16th, 2019 / By Hamzah Khadim

Google provides the ability for people to search for nearby and local businesses using specific keywords, which are tied to NAP (name, address, phone number) data. For instance, someone might search for “nearby restaurants” on their smartphone. The Google search uses their GPS data to display a map and listings for the closest restaurants, which are using local SEO (search engine optimization).

If your small business has a physical address, you can target new customers using local SEO strategies. In addition, implementing local SEO can help achieve higher rankings in search results, including those on Google Maps.

How to Improve Localized Search Rankings

There are several factors and specific algorithms Google uses to rank local search results including:

• Domain Authority
• Meta Tags
• Page Titles
• NAP

Aside from these, it is important to follow best business practices to ensure local SEO strategies are implemented correctly, as follows:

• Claim business listings on various sites.

Google My Business, Yelp, and other such sites could have a generic profile about your business. It is important to claim these listings and verify the information, i.e. name, address, and phone, is correct.

• Ensure consistent NAP data.

You need to ensure the NAP data is the same on every site. It is often best to verify the information and how it is listed on your website and web pages, first, make any necessary corrections, and then use the same format for your business listings. In addition, if you use any social media sites, like Facebook or Pinterest, confirm the NAP data on these sites matches the data on other sites.

• Register your business on local directory sites.

Besides Yelp and other customer review sites, there are various local directory sites, such as Yellowpages.com, where you can register your business. Using local directory sites helps build credible citations, also a ranking factor used by Google. Furthermore, if you do not have an actual website, local directory sites can be utilized to improve your rankings in local search results.

• Have your web designer incorporate Google Maps into the website.

Embedding a Google Map on your “Contact Us” page helps improve local SEO. However, it is important to link the map to your Google Business Profile for optimal results.

• Verify Meta Tags and Page Titles are unique and contain local keywords.

Adding the city to the descriptions improves local SEO. But avoid using multiple cities on the same page (see next section).

• Optimize website content and pages with location data.

Your web pages should contain a few mentions of the city where the business is located. In cases where you have multiple storefronts in different cities, it is best to create new web pages for each city location, rather than listing multiple cities on a single page. For instance, if you have stores in Toronto, Brampton, and Mississauga, with you main store in Toronto, your main website should focus on Toronto. Next, you would create a new page for Brampton and another for Mississauga. The new pages can be a part of your main website.

People search for a variety of local businesses each day from their computers and mobile devices. To ensure your business is optimized for local SEO, please contact Logik Digital at 1-866-307-0086 to learn more about our proven local SEO solutions!