Local SEO (Search Engine Optimization):

The process of improving search engine visibility for local businesses, primarily those with brick-and-mortar locations. By following local SEO best practices, businesses can improve organic traffic from searches performed by customers in nearby areas.

To gather information for local search, search engines rely on signals such as local content, social profile pages, links, and citations to provide the most relevant local results to the user.

With local SEO, businesses can use this to position their products and services to local prospects and customers who are searching for them

Best Local SEO tips

1. Local Keyword Optimization

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2. Mobile-Friendly Website

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3. Optimize for Google My Business

NAP (Name, Address, Phone) Citations are a big deal.

The more NAP citations you have online, the more Google trusts that you are a respectful business and that they are giving their searchers good information. The older the business is, the more NAPs you have that may be outdated. This leads to Google being confused on what your proper phone number or address, and even more importantly, can leave your potential customers confused.

Big Tip: This can take any hours to find all the NAPs you have online, and you may still miss some big ones. For businesses just getting started, having as many NAPs as possible is what is going to signal to Google that you are legit.

Google My Business

Most people know that Google My Business is something you have to do, but few realize how big of a deal this can be for your organic search results. Your Google My Business information should directly match all the NAPs we mentioned before. You should also make sure that your info on Google My Business matches up with your website, not only for your customers but because Google takes that as a major red flag.

A lot of times when doing Google Search, myself included, searchers just call the Google My Business search result because they can usually trust that it’s the big name in town and will give reliable service.

Big Tip: You want to fill out every data point for Google My Business, not only category but also Sub Categories, Services & Products. The more you add to Google, the more it likes you and will display you for potential leads.

Having a strong Google My Business profile is like having the prime spot in Main Street in a town, without having to pay big rent! Just takes a little bit of tweaking and consistency.

Reviews are huge – Google Reviews, Yelp Reviews, Facebook Reviews.

Google taps into all of this information to decide, is this business top notch? Do people like this business? Just like you want to send your friend to a restaurant they’ll love, Google wants to make sure it sends its searchers to a great business so they’ll ask Google for more recommendations.

Many businesses don’t have a strong review section, some of the best businesses out there have only a couple reviews compared to the 100s of customers they’ve helped! People look at reviews when making decisions on who to go with, and even Google looks at them to decide if they will display your business. Imagine getting atleast 10 more customers a month just because you added more positive Google/Facebook/Yelp Reviews, a win win situation.

Big Tip: Sometimes asking for reviews can be tricky, but there are many strategies that reward both parties and make it easy for your customers to do so. With the Google Review URL, something that seems inconvenient and awkward to ask for, can take your customer 1 minute tops!

Cast a wide net and let your audience know where you service!

If I’m looking for a landscaper, machine shop, or a hotel, I want to know immediately that the website I clicked on services my area. It does me no good if I click on the best website for a gutter business in Canada if I’m in Georgia.

This is why it’s key to display your location on the top of the fold of your website. This not only makes it easy for customers, Google loves it too. When someone types in “Roofing Repair Athens, Ga”, Google scans for the most relevant websites for that request. If “Athens, Ga Roofing Repair Contractor” is shown as the main headline on my business, my customers and Google will know I can help right when they click.

This can give you prime real estate on the top results of Google if you have the other things in line we discussed!

Big Tip: You can also create landing pages for areas that you service but aren’t headquartered in, we’ve been able to create landing pages for people that are based in Madison but do work in Covington, Ga. By changing the headlines and tweaking the SEO, we got them customers in the Covington area when people would search “Gutters in Covington, Ga”.