Local SEO: Step by Step Guide to Local Search Engine Optimization

Local SEO is one of the most widely used services in the digital marketing industry. Local SEO is the concept of optimizing your website/business by keeping in mind the local audience that you are targeting. This branch of SEO is especially beneficial for local businesses who want to broaden their reach within the consumers of a particular area. In this blog, we will dive deeper into the topic of local SEO, what it is, how it works, some foolproof strategies to make it work for you, and some of the most important strategies that are inevitable for the success of any local SEO campaign. 

We have compiled some of the most effective local SEO tips which will help you to understand all the important elements of a local SEO campaign. 

What is local SEO?

Local SEO or local search engine optimization is one of the practices of optimizing the website to increase local traffic for your business. This is done with the help of optimizing keywords, optimizing the GMB (Google y Business) profile of a business, curating digital marketing strategies keeping in mind the target audience. Local SEO isn’t just about Google, it can help your online business flourish on various search engines. 

Fun fact: 46% of the searches made online have local intent. This means that while searching for a product or service, the customer will use location-specific keywords for more precise results. For example, a person is more likely to search for ‘plumbing in Richmond’ or ‘ plumbing near me’ for more precise results. 

How does Local SEO work?

Local SEO might sound complicated but it is similar to traditional SEO. The only difference between the two is that local SEO specifically targets a defined set of ranking factors that work exclusively to target local audiences. We analyze various factors like keywords that are ranking locally, Google My Business listing, social media, type of content the target audience is interested in, NAP citations, and many more. 

Who needs local SEO?

As mentioned earlier, local SEO is great for local businesses who want to expand their reach within the local audience. Local SEO is perfect for businesses that provide services that are exclusive for the hour of crisis. Let’s say businesses that provide emergency medical services, emergency plumbing services, or emergency dental services could use local SEO to maximize their reach. This is because people who are in the need of these emergency services would look up service providers near their location. So if your business is optimized according to the locally searched keywords, you will appear in their search results. 

What is the difference between Local SEO and traditional SEO?

Source: Uberall

The main aim of both, traditional SEO and local SEO, is to improve the ranking of your business. However, the major difference is that traditional SEO focuses on expanding your brand’s reach on a global level, while local SEO focuses on expanding your audience reach in a particular territory. Both of these concepts use a lot of similar techniques, but the main difference is that local SEO helps you in connecting to potential customers in your area. 

How to improve local SEO results

Optimizing your website to rank locally will require using a few techniques properly to help in improving a brand’s local ranking. Some of the local SEO optimization areas that we swear by are: 

• Google My Business optimization
• Google reviews
• Optimize website using locally searched keywords
• Curate content based on local interests
• Mobile-friendly website optimization
• Acquire high-quality backlinks
• Maintain a presence on online local directories

These are just some of our most used strategies when it comes to improving local SEO. Depending on the type of business we are working with, we will customize digital marketing campaigns for them considering their target niche of audience and budget. Our results will reflect your predetermined goals. 

How to optimize web pages for local results

One of the most integral strategies to ensure your local ranking is by optimizing the target web pages. We will start with the homepage of your website. The homepage of your website must state exactly where your business is located. We also suggest optimizing the meta tags of your website in a way that it includes the name of the location or city that you are in. We will also create different web pages for every product, service, and location. For example: if your business is active in Richmond, Boston, and Tampa, we will create a separate service and product page for each location. We will also create a GMB page for your business and also add NAP citations for your website. 

Now that we have covered almost all the basic principles concerning local SEO, let us move ahead and get into some of the best local SEO strategies of 2020 that we have tried and swear by. 

Best Local SEO Strategies For 2020

Keyword research

You must have heard all about the importance of keyword research in SEO. But what does that mean and why is it so important? In simple terms, keywords research means our team will find out the keywords that users enter in the search engine. During the research process, we will find out the search terms that are the most relevant to your business niche. We use different tools and websites to find out the particular search terms that have a higher search volume for your products or services… meaning more people are searching for it, more sales/quotes .inquiries for you. Local SEO takes this research one step further because optimizing your website locally means that we will list out the keywords that have a higher local search volume. This means that the highest number of users in your target locality are using that keyword on the search engine to find out services related to your business. For example: if you are a restaurant in Richmond, we will optimize your website in a way that it ranks on top whenever a person nearby is searching for a restaurant in Richmond. Similarly, if you opt for SEO in Tampa, we will choose the keywords according to your location and keeping in mind its search volume. 

Google My Business

GMB is your one-shot solution to make your business easily accessible to your potential customers. Your free GMB listing on Google will allow the customers to know more about your business and also have a look at the reviews and ratings of your business. If your GMB profile is optimized correctly, your business will appear in the local 3 pack. GMB is also a great way to enhance your credibility. In case a potential customer comes across your GMB listing and you have all your information up to date, it is natural that it will become easier for them to trust you. 

Local Citations (NAP)

Local citations are the mention of the name, address, and phone number (NAP) for your business. We can help you manage and update your NAP details, because accuracy is crucial when it comes to NAP details as it is one of the major ranking factors for Local SEO. NAP details can be mentioned on various social media platforms as well as search engine platforms. The more the customer knows about your business the easier it is for him to get in touch with you and establish trust for your brand. Not only from the customers’ point of view, but keeping your location citations up to date on your website or any other platform will also have a positive impact on your website rankings. Local citations are not limited to phone, address, or name but we can also include 

• Map directions
• Images
• Videos
• Reviews
• Links to a social media account
• Hours of operation 
• And other pertinent information

Create local content

You might think SEO means creating generalized content that resonates well with your business niche – But that’s not all. We can help you leverage more traffic with content curation. If you want to attract local customers, you need to understand what is going on in their minds. We will research topics that will be the most appropriate for your target audience’s interests. 

How would we do that?

• Publish guest posts and blogs on local websites
• Find relevant, locally ranking keywords and curate content around that
• Create content for your website locally
• Optimize content on social media
• Help you participate in local events that involve creating content (indirect marketing)

Link building for local sites

Creating backlinks is a known way to improve rankings, but when it comes to generating results, it is dependent on reaching out to relevant third-party sites. There are a lot of SEO agencies that would create abundant backlinks, but they won’t even be remotely concerned with what your business is offering. We will generate backlinks from sites that can help in deriving relative traffic to your website. While targeting backlinks, we keep two things in mind – reaching out to websites that are relevant to your business niche, and aiming to target customers that might be interested in what your business is offering. Reaching out to well-reputed websites that have good credibility will help in getting the right attention to your brand.  

Positive reviews

Positive reviews can not only improve your online ranking, but it is also one great way to win the trust of your target audience. Before investing in any product or opting for a service that you provide, it is a natural consumer behavior that they will research on the internet to know more about your business. This is when positive reviews come into the picture. If your business has some positive reviews on GMB or even on your website, it will leave a classic ‘good’ first impression on the customers. Positive reviews means you will get more clicks once your website is ranked.

On-page SEO

We saved the best one for last. On-page SEO can be defined as the hero for local business SEO. On-page SEO involves a lot of technicalities, however, the concept is not entirely different from that of general SEO. It still has some tweaks that make it exclusively useful for local business optimization. On-page SEO can also be one cost-effective way of marketing your business online. On-page SEO will also improve your website’s:

• User experience
• Organic traffic
• Conversion rate

Now, let’s understand this on a deeper level, how will we make all this happen? Here are the intricacies of on-page optimization and how it is important for local SEO. 

Using keyword in the H1 tag

Can using keywords in the H1 tag improve your website’s ranking? This is one of the most common questions that people ask us. Optimizing H1 tags has various indirect benefits. The whole idea behind optimizing the H1 tag is that it not only tells the users what your webpage is about, but it also tells Google. For example, if you are a plumber in Richmond, adding an H1 tag that states ‘plumbing in Richmond’ will allow your website to appear in relevant search query results. 

Keywords in the title tag

Imagine you are reading a book. Whenever you start reading a new chapter, you can tell what the chapter is about simply by looking at its title. Similarly, when a user is searching for a particular query on a search engine, if the title tag of your page has the keyword, it will help the search engine to categorize your page. Even if your website has two similar pages, with the help of a keyword-specific title tag, Google will be able to distinguish between these similar pages. 

Keyword in URL

Using keywords in the URL will hint the users about where your URL will lead them. The users will be able to figure out whether the click will lead them to a relevant webpage or not. The H1 tag doesn’t need to be in the domain name only, it can be used anywhere in the entire URL. Although adding keywords in the URL is not a prominent ranking factor, for on-page optimization, it can act as a major relevancy booster. Adding a keyword in the URL will just increase the likelihood of a user clicking on the link while they are browsing for something relevant. 

Brief URLs

Remember those times when the URLs were never-ending? Those days are long gone. Short URLs tell Google what your page is about. Similar to the title or the H1 tag of your page, but your URL is one step further as it can provide more context. For example: 

The URL: https://renaissancemarketingva.com/seo-richmond-va/

The above URL lets you know that this page is about SEO in Richmond. This way keeping the URL short while using the targeted keyword will take you one step closer towards higher ranking. 

Catchy meta descriptions

A meta description that is brief, yet compelling, has the power to raise your click-through rates. Meta descriptions can be the most accurate description of your page in just one line. We can use this space to add CTA (Call to Action), as well. 

In the above image, we have educated the customer about what our website is about and we have also added CTA and given them the idea to get in touch with us if they want to know more. Similar strategies can be incorporated for your business too. 

Optimizing your homepage

Your homepage is like the definition of your website. It should clearly state who you are, what you do, and where you are located. Your visitors will not like any vagueness and neither would Google. Google loves websites that are clear about what they do. Be it the URL, H1, title, or the homepage. A well-optimized homepage is a combination of all of the above-mentioned features. When it comes to local SEO, the title of your home page should have a location-based keyword when thinking about local SEO. Once your homepage is optimized according to your business niche and target audience, we can move ahead and create specific landing pages for every service and location. 

Add schema markup 

The easiest way to make your website page richer and offer more information to Google is by adding schema markup. Schema markup can be easily stored and edited when needed. It will allow Google to navigate through your website easily. Schema markup will also allow your visitors to gain easy access to your company’s information.

At Renaissance Marketing, we aim to create custom SEO strategies that work in sync with our client’s objectives. If you are an online business looking for a boost in your online presence you can get in touch with us, and we will curate a local SEO strategy exclusive for your business. Whether you have an online ecommerce store that requires ecommerce SEO services, or you are a service provider in your local area, our SEO services will help you to gain high search ranking and ensure attention from the right kind of audience. Say goodbye to mere clicks that never resulted in any concrete sales, we are here to get organic leads for you that have the potential for something profitable on a long-term basis. Talk to our team and let us discuss your needs today!

Explore more of our client case studies at: Tampa digital marketing agency, digital marketing agency richmond va.