If you operate a local business, you must be accessible via local search. After all, many consumers head to Google when they want to find a local business or service. So whether you operate a restaurant, a boutique, a spa, a dog sitting service, or any other business that depends on local traffic, your key to exposure, growth, and ongoing relevance is to show up in a local search result.
You must make local SEO a top priority because nearly half (46%) of all Google searches are local intent.
Consumers want easy access to finding local products, services, and resources. If you’re exclusively relying on word of mouth, billboards, radio spots, tv ads, or drive-bys to drum up business, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity for new customers to find you.
Local SEO doesn’t just improve your online invisibility! It also increases foot traffic to your store, builds trust, and reduces your ad spend. In this post, we’ll explain what local SEO is and how you can optimize it to reap its multiple benefits.
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO is the practice of optimizing your website so that your business gets found in local searches. If you’re already familiar with organic SEO, local SEO is similar, with the added element of location.
Why is Local SEO Important for Local Businesses?
Because local search represents a huge chunk of search engine traffic, Google has invested a lot of effort into making this type of search a satisfying and comprehensive experience for its users. By the way, Google’s users are also your current and potential customers. But while you may be serving the same people, your goals are different. Google’s goal is to ensure that users are able to access the best solution to address their individual needs. Your goal is to present your business, product, or service as the best solution to their problem.
So how do you do that?
On Google’s end, Google has created several free tools to help customers connect with local businesses. In addition to Google Search, there’s also Google Business Profile and Google Maps. These tools work together to ensure that your local business gets noticed when a prospective customer initiates a local-intent search on Google.
But that’s just the beginning. In addition to Google’s own tools, there are other methods you can use to optimize your online presence and get found by local searchers. We’ll discuss those methods in a later section of this post.
Ultimately, the goal of local SEO is to improve your ranking on the search engine results pages (or SERP for short). This way, when a potential customer searches for “bakeries near me,” your bakery will pop up in the SERPs.
But not just anywhere in the SERPs.
The goal of local SEO optimization is to show up in the top 10 results (i.e. page one) for a relevant Google query. You don’t want to rank as number 15 for a search query because that will mean that you’re not showing up on page one. Why does this matter? According to research, 75% of Google users don’t click past the first page of search results. If you’re found on page two or beyond, your local business has a slim chance of getting found by most potential customers. Not impossible, but the odds aren’t in your favor.
This is why you must optimize your website so that it ranks as high as possible, ideally within those top 10 results on Google.
But Google SERP is only part of the equation.
You may have noticed that Google also displays search results above the organic SERP listings.
When you initiate a local search, the first section you see, located just below the search bar, is the Google Local Pack. This section is displayed for queries with local intent and contains the three top businesses that Google deems are the most relevant to your query.
The Google Local Pack is also known as the Google Map Pack or the Snack Pack. It’s connected to Google Maps, and pulls information from your Google Business Profile to determine when and where to show your business.
Example of a Google Local Pack for “bakeries near me”
The obvious goal of any local business is to make it onto the first page of the search engine results, but more specifically to get listed within these top three results. This is because the Snack Pack offers more visibility for your business than every other listing on the SERP. Some Google users never scroll beyond the Google Local 3 Pack and, if they do, it’s to click on the “more places” button that’s located immediately below the Snack Pack listings.
Strategy to Optimize Your Local SEO
How do you optimize your online presence and website to rank within the top 10 organic search results in general, and the Google Snack Pack specifically? Let’s discuss that below.
Create Your Google Business Profile
Google Business Profile is a free tool developed by Google to make it easy for local customers to find your business. Fill in your Google Business Profile with all of your business information, including your address, hours of operation, and what services you offer. You can even create events and coupons to share on your Google Business Profile page.
Be sure to fill out your Google Business Profile completely, leaving no question unanswered. Once you’ve created your profile, your site will usually show up with the profile on the right side of a Google search results page when someone searches for your business name. It will look something like this:
A search for “wicked goodness” shows a Business Profile for a bakery with that name near my location
Gain Search Engine Prominence
How does Google determine local ranking? Results come from “relevance, distance, and prominence,” according to Google’s article on local SEO.
“These factors are combined to help find the best match for your search,” the company states. “For example, Google algorithms might decide that a business that’s farther away from your location is more likely to have what you’re looking for than a business that’s closer, and therefore rank it higher in local results.”
You can’t control relevance (your Italian restaurant won’t rank high in “Chinese restaurant” results) or distance (how far away you are from the person searching). However, you can control your prominence.
“Prominence,” as Google defines it, “refers to how well-known a business is. Some places are more prominent in the offline world, and search results try to reflect this in local ranking.”
Here’s what you should do to control your prominence:
1. Wow Your Customers and Get Glowing Reviews
Your top priority is to create an exceptional customer experience. Wow your customers with the quality of your products, services, and customer service. When customers love you, they talk about and recommend you, online and offline. This creates new and repeat customers. It also boosts your SEO because when people talk about your business online, this is known as “citation building.”
They also give you good online ratings. Higher-rated local businesses rank higher in search than lower-rated ones.
After checking your Google Business Profile, you can get reviews for your business. Together with your Google Business Profile, your reviews on Google are among the top factors that Google uses to decide your ranking on the SERPs. So, positive reviews matter a great deal when it comes to local SEO optimization. Encourage your happy customers to leave a review. Send an email to customers with a link and instructions on how to leave their review on your Google Business Profile.
Also, keep an eye on the review section of your Google Business Profile. It’s important to respond to every review, whether positive or negative, with a professional response. This is because potential customers are always watching, and will use this information to make a decision on whether or not they want to do business with you.
2. Optimize Your Website for Local Searches
The majority of local searches originate on mobile devices. For this reason alone, it’s essential that your website is mobile friendly. This is also a good SEO practice because it’s one of the top ranking factors.
On your website, create content that’s customized for your local audience. Consider writing articles that reference your city, state, or local area, including news and special events. In terms of SEO, create content that your target audience is searching for, such as “Top 10 Restaurants in Your City” or “15 Things to Do With Kids in Your State.” You can use this as an opportunity to smoothly insert your company into the roundup.
When creating local content, be sure to target local keywords by including the name of your city or metropolitan area. This can ensure that Google shows your content in local-intent search results.
In addition to blog posts, it’s also a good idea to add your location to other, static pages on your site, such as your “Contact Us” page or your “Reviews/ Testimonials” page. You can also embed Google Maps to your “Contact Us” page. Follow these directions to embed Google Maps to your WordPress.com site.
What is the Importance of NAP?
When it comes to local SEO, NAP is one of the most important acronyms to remember.
NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone Number. It’s a simple idea: Make sure that your business contact information is consistent across the web. From your website to your Google Business Profile to other local directories, such as Yelp or Yellow Pages, be careful to use the same business name, address, and phone number with no deviations. For example, if you say “Street” in one place, don’t abbreviate it to “St.” somewhere else. If you’re not consistent on your contact information, Google may not recognize that it’s the same business, which can lead to decreased visibility and a lower rank on the SERPs.
Final Thoughts
Optimizing your site for local search is one of the most important steps to grow your business online. You can do that online, through your website and also through your profiles on local directories, such as Google My Business.
Here’s a quick checklist to keep in mind when optimizing your local SEO:
- Claim your Google Business Profile
- Fill out your Google Business Profile completely
- Ensure that your website is mobile friendly
- Add local keywords to your website
- Get listed on relevant local directories
- Ensure that you’re using the same NAP across all sites
- Encourage your customers to leave reviews on Google
- Keep an eye on reviews and respond to all
By checking off the above list, local SEO doesn’t have to be overwhelming. It’s all about creating content that your target audience cares about and building a memorable user experience on your website for local customers.
If you would like to learn more about how to build high-quality backlinks to your site for improved SEO, our guide on What Are Backlinks and Why Do You Need Them? will help you get started.
You might also like: How to Add Reviews to Your Product Pages
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