Local search engine optimization is becoming increasingly important in the world. Many companies have hardly or paid little attention to this important marketing measure. How important is SEO for the local search but really to make his business on-site acquaintances and generate more sales? And what measure does the ranking affect the local search? This article shows you the most important basics for Local SEO and gives tips to make your business optimally appear in the local results of the hit pages on Google.
What is Local Seo?
Local SEO is all measures that lead to optimal placement in the local search results of a search engine. Because search engines have different indices, websites, pictures, videos, news, and also for local companies. The factors that influence the ranking within the respective index are sometimes very strong.
How important is SEO for the local search?
More and more local companies have recognized how important the local search has become for Google. And that's the competition for the placement in the search results at local searches much stronger than before one or two years ago. According to Ed Parsons, a specialist for spatial-geographic representation at Google, a third of searches for Google has a local reference. And we know that yourself, an Italian restaurant or a dentist is searched nearby, we often start our search at Google. And that Google has also become an important marketing instrument for local companies. The better the placement in the search results, the more potential new customers can generate a company through the hits on Google.
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Ads (Adword) Local search Organic search |
Which types of companies do Local SEO need?
Basically one can say every company is equal to what size, which looks after your customer base or the local consumers on-site. In addition to lawyers, doctors, or restaurants, these also can be agencies or regional branches of large companies. If one has a physical address and wants people to get there, the placement in local hits is important to Google. And the way there leads over local SEO.
Local Seo ranking factors
With Google, there are two areas in addition to the display areas that are relevant to local results:
- Generic index (marked green in the screenshot)
- Local results (marked in yellow in the screenshot)
Various ranking factor plays a role in placement in these areas. For this purpose, the American SEO tool provider Moz asked many specialists and from the results an overview of the most important ranking factors in the local search creates:
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Source: moz.com/local-search-ranking-factors |
Overview of the types of ranking factors at local searches
Source: moz.com/local-search-ranking-factors |
Proximity to the searched location
"NAP" - Using the name, address, and phone number
- Surname
- Address
- Phone Number
- Company website
- "Google My Business" page, formerly Google Places
- Entries in industry directories, the so-called citation
- Social media channels
- Etc.
Here is the complete company name - you can also specify the services offered (example: "XY - Chinese food restaurant" or "Nice Nails Nail Studio")
"Google My Business" page
Registration and basic info
- Wrong: Gazpacho and Paella
- Correct: Spanish restaurant
Corporate description
Photos
Opening hours
Catchment area
Reviews
Reviews help with Local SEO
- You will receive direct feedback from your customers. If the rating is good, look forward to it. Is not a rating so well, do not scold the customer, but use this feedback to question yourself critically: "I could have done a little better?" In addition, mediocre or negative reviews for Google are a sign of the authenticity of reviews.
- The searcher shows how other users liked something. Reviews for seekers have a very high influence on whether a goal is clicked or not.
- With regard to the search engine optimization for local searches, Google does not just approach this as a criterion for the ranking but also shows this from 6 reviews in the form of stars. This brings you additional attention and with a good overall assessment also significantly more potential customers.
- But make sure that they do not get consistently bad reviews, which of course has a negative impact on the placement in the local search results and on the conversion rate.
Important rating portals
- Google My Business (see above)
- Yelp
- Do you know a
- Pointo
- Go Local
- Ciao (for individual products)
There are different priorities in each industry
- Which branches can I assign my company to?
- Are there special rating platforms for this? If so, then registration is definitely recommended.
- Which clientele do I say? Is this target group largely internetaffin?
- Generally, the more reviews there are, the more that affects the trust of users and the ranking in search engines. Customers are increasingly trusting on the opinions of other local visitors, even if these users are unknown.
- Especially positive opinions do the page in the ranking upwards.
- Regular reviews are a sign of consistency for users and search engines. The last rating two years ago is counterproductive and can have a negative impact.
- If you want to get good reviews, then you will be active yourself and ask your regular customers for a review. A regular customer is therefore a regular customer because he is satisfied with them. He will greatly rate their achievements. Even after a successful sales interview, you can point out the valuation platforms.
- And if you have received bad reviews, then take it athletic and use constructive criticism as an occasion for optimization.
Useless on mobile terminals
OnPage SEO - the optimization of your website
- The already mentioned next above NAP must be observed. If you only have one location, you can install this information in the footer of each page.
- Does your domain contain the corporate name, industry, or location? That still has a positive effect on the ranking. If not, then not. Do not change your domain.
- The main heading (defined in the source code with <H1>) of your home page should include company name, location, and main keyword.
- The meta-information Title (maximum 55 characters) should include the company name, main keyword, location, and possibly the district on the home page. On the subpages, select a Title matching the respective page.
- The meta-description (140 - 156 characters) should describe your business on the home page. On the subpages, you describe what it goes on this page.
- Offer local content on your website. Sounds logical, but is not the rule for many. Show the user and thus Google that they are regional.
- How to get to the hairdressing business or the delicatessen shop? The journey description is one of the most appreciating terms and should therefore not be missing.
- Publish the opening hours on your website.
- Added value and high-quality content: These two simple guidelines are actually a matter of course, but these are quickly forgotten or overlooked. With interesting content about your business, you cancel yourself from the competition.
- Also via your own blog, you can achieve rankings to local searches. Example: You own a company for garden and landscape manufacturers in Nuremberg and report regularly in your blog about your projects that you have implemented for customers. They report in a blog article about a natural pond with backing and a waterfall they laid out. It would be very possible that this article is well placed on "Horticulture Nuremberg Natural Pond Waterfall" in the search results and leads a potential new customer to your website.
Social media for local businesses
On the website
In the source code of the website
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=http://www.keypock.com"> share on Facebook </a>
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<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/home?status=http://www.keypock.com"> share on Twitter </a>
Your own social media channels
If you have your own social media channels for your business, the number of fans and followers and the interaction on these channels can also have a positive effect on the ranking. Because that also shows that you are acting as a company.
But be careful, it makes absolutely no sense to set up a Facebook page, a Twitter account, or an Instagram profile just to make it easier for local searches. If there are no new posts or interactions with fans and followers, this is more of a negative figurehead. Think about whether you want to go through the hassle and whether you can use social media activities meaningfully in your marketing strategy.
Apply geo-tagging as a social signal
Posts from social networks such as Facebook or Twitter are perfect for being linked to the location information of the local business. The first step is to first set up company pages on the respective platforms. Relevant information about the local business as well as the philosophy behind the products or services should not be missing either. With the help of so-called geo-tagging, images, a website or an article are provided with a coordinate. This allows data to be placed in the right place, e.g. on Google Earth, on a map.
The “Youtube” platform can also be designed with tags. The own local brand is made better known through image films. The geo-tag in these broadcasts automatically includes descriptions such as name, address, telephone number, and the location of the company. As with social networks, the following applies here: Log in.
All content, regardless of the network, has to be updated regularly or new content is always required. This is how you stay in the conversation. As an entrepreneur, you will also notice this point in the extent to which the fans of the site are active. In the best-case scenario, they become customers and vice versa: Customers bring the pages of the accounts to the front.
Local SEO checklist
- Pay attention to uniformity in all channels
- Pay attention to NAP and keep it up to date everywhere
- Use keywords cleverly ("Pizza New York", "Hairdresser Florida", ...)
- Encourage customers to give reviews
- Use negative reviews as an opportunity to optimize
- Use appealing photos
- Keep all presences up to date
- Create directory entries and regularly check that they are up-to-date
- Correct specification of the category
- The zip code, street name, and city match
- The place is mentioned in the title
- Appealing pictures of the company and the surrounding area
Conclusion
You want to increase your reviews feel free to contact us by email: Admin@keypock.com
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