Local SEO is a crucial aspect that you just cannot overlook if you want to succeed in your marketing campaigns for your brand in 2024.

Google is the ultimate search engine for all people. The same holds when they are looking up products and services. More than 87% of customers seek businesses and brands on Google.

You can easily perfect your Local SEO Strategy and optimize your business to the best.

If you are wondering how? We have got you covered. Let us glance through some affirmative local SEO techniques.

Local SEO

Local SEO is a technique that involves improving a business’s online visibility. It enhances the chances of a business appearing as a result of online local search queries.

With the help of a local SEO strategy, a physical store will have a better chance of being discovered by potential customers. You will build inherent trust create awareness and create an avenue for people to visit the store physically.

Adopt techniques like local content, keyword research, and Google Business profile setup for Local SEO optimization.

Looking to boost your ranking on local search results? Connect with the experts at MyTasker for top-notch local SEO services in Canada, the US, the UK, or Australia.

Prominence and Dominance of Local SEO

Have you ever googled which restaurant you want to go to for dinner? If you have then you might have gotten numerous results popping up as Google search results. The first results that you receive are the ones that are SEO optimized for Local SEO. If you own a business and perform local SEO optimization for your business you can ensure your brand appears right in front of people and give you a competitive edge over other local businesses.

This is the reason why local SEO is important. You get discovered by people who are physically near your store and they can pay a visit to your brick-and-mortar store and can become loyal customers.

Google 3-Pack

Search engines use map packs to showcase businesses to users who look for stores nearby. It appears above the organic search results that appear. In the search engine listing, users can see reviews, directions, locations, and operational hours.

Understanding the Way Local SEO Functions

As we discussed above, search engines use a Map Pack to reflect businesses against search queries.

Google has dedicated criteria for ranking for local SEO. Three factors that determine the ranking of businesses are relevance, prominence, and distance.

Relevance: It depends on how exactly your business matches the search query. Google bots analyze business descriptions and customer reviews to determine how relevant your business is.
Prominence: This is the measure of your popularity as a business. A well-established business has a better chance of ranking than a newly formed one.
Distance: The location between the search query and the business plays a pivotal role in ranking. If the user has not inserted a particular location in the search query, google naturally registers the user’s present location and delivers the result accordingly.

Let us look into the local SEO ranking factors that shape the local SEO ranking :

User location
Business Location
Business description
Keywords
User sentiment aligning with the business offering
Keywords present in the Google Business profile
Rating and review
Keywords in reviews
NAP citations
Online directory listing
Social media shares

Guide to Optimizing Your Local SEO

Local SEO is not a one-step process but several steps lead you to reach the top of the ranking. We have curated a definitive guide to help you optimize your local SEO in 2024.

Conduct a Thorough Local SEO Keyword Research

Primarily you have to select the keywords you wish to target. When you conduct keyword research, you will come across several words and terms that people actively use to look up businesses online. The foundation of building an impeccable local SEO strategy is based on the fact that ranking depends on selecting the right keywords.

You can follow the given steps to perform a local SEO keyword research:

Google keyword planner
Google Suggest
Third-party tools

Certain third-party SEO tools include KWFinder by Mangools, Semrush, Uber Suggest, KeywordTool.io, Ahrefs, etc.

It is pivotal to switch to the next optimization step once the research is completed.

Build a Google Business Profile

If you want to rank on the Google search engine, you cannot keep away from building a Google business profile. If you haven’t done it already, it is time that you create a profile now.

You can easily sign up for Google Businesses and create an account on the portal. If your business already exists on Google Maps, you can opt to claim it and assert yourself as the rightful owner.

When you are creating your Google business account. Make sure that you add as many details as you can provide. With this information, your customers will get an option to visit your business. You must ensure that you do not miss out on the following details:

Contact number
Website address
Email address
Products
Services
Menu (If you are into the food business)
Photos

Stay Consistent

When the information you share online is consistent across different portals it adds credibility to your business name. Try to add the same name, address, and phone number referred to as the NAP citations across different channels.

Request a Review

Reviews are one of the things that attract new customers to your website. Positive reviews are more likely to tell potential customers that there is merit in your products or services and that they should try them as well. This is the reason knowing Local SEO basics is important to succeed in Google businesses. Google Businesses have an option that allows you to create a link that you can share with customers to request a digital review. You can also manually add these links on social platforms and important visible areas. Some of the parts where you can place your link are as follows:

In your email
End of the chat interaction
Within bills and receipts
You can place the review link as a QR at your stores
As for a review verbally

Once you have received feedback, whether it is negative or positive, you must revert. Show your gratitude for the positive reviews and appropriately tackle the negative ones.

On Google listing, new customers tend to ask their queries. As a business owner, you must answer these queries and pass on the information. Usually, other customers also tend to reply but you should ensure that you are passing on the information so it is authentic.

Include Google Posts

Google Business enables businesses to put up posts to update their customers with the latest happenings in the business. For instance, if you are hosting a Christmas luncheon at affordable rates, you can broadcast it to your customers using Google Posts. Also, you can add some posts regularly to boost your ranking on Google.

You can post about the following on Google Posts:

Marketing messages
Product Launches
Specific services
Latest updates
Discounts and offers

One post reflects for six months on any business profile.

Let us take a look at a few Google Posts that can help improve your local SEO strategy:

You can follow the given techniques to incorporate Google Posts as an effective tool for improving Local SEO strategy:

Regular and timely posts
Add supreme-quality multimedia files
Recheck target links
Incorporate keywords naturally that bode well for local SEO
Ensure Name Address and phone number consistency across all Google Posts
List your business actively in local online directories

Online directories can reinforce your brand’s presence on search engines. Bots can easily verify the data about your business and authenticate it.

We have listed a few online directories that are free to use:

Yelp
Foursquare
Bing Places for Business
Yellow Pages
Google Business

As we have discussed above it is important to stay consistent with the NAP details. By staying consistent we mean that the details should match word to word. For instance, search engine bots interpret two addresses “421 A, Fancy Lane” differently from “421 A, Fancy Lane”.

Nowadays, everything you want to do digitally, there is a tool for it. You can use different tools to maintain consistent NAP citations in all your digital presence across your listings.

A few amazing tools are:

SEMrush Local Listing Tool
SEOfoxy Local Listing Tool
Whitespark Citation Builder
Moz Local Search

Using these tools you can inspect local citations across inconsistent NAPs digitally

In case you have shifted and you are now present at a new address, you can check the old mentions by adding a phrase from the old address. You can get all the citations using these tools and change them to the new ones.

On-Page Optimization

Here we will share insights on the on-page optimization for websites to improve local SEO.

When you optimize your website, your position in the local rankings within the 3-pack is also enhanced. While doing your on-page optimization, you must ensure to pay special attention to location-related terms. You can add these terms on significant and eye-catching places such as meta descriptions and page titles.

Ensure to place the business address in the website footer for easy visibility.

In case your business flourishes in different locations across the world or country you can create specific pages that capture different locations.

We have listed a few tips to help you with website optimization:

Add target keywords in the title, metadata, and subtitles
Build a location-centric page
Incorporate local business schema
Add anchor texts and links with area region or city names
Emphasize local or regional language
Increase mobile-friendliness

Generate Local Backlinks

Backlinks play a crucial role in search engine optimization. Similarly, these are also important in local SEO optimization.

Backlinks sourced from other businesses help build credibility and relevance of your brand in the local picture. Besides this, users are redirected to your main website, thus increasing overall brand visibility.

Let us look at how you can build links locally:

Arrange for local events and get mentioned in newspapers
Request backlinks from other related local businesses
Connect with review websites and online directories to mention your website

You can check out local queries on several platforms such as HARO or Terkel.

Maintain your NAP citation consistency across different linking websites. You can focus on local link building with target keywords within them.

Monitor Local Search Rankings

Monitoring your local SEO results constantly is important. Your ranking differs even a few meters apart. As a result, you need to check the local SEO rank for different locations. Measuring your local SEO results will let you understand what is improving your business and what isn't.

You can easily check the local SEO using tools such as Brightlocal, Whitespark, Semrush, and Localo.

Search engine optimization is a multi-step process. You need to make several changes on the go. You must track and optimize throughout.

Best 5 Local SEO Tools

Now that we have learned about the tips to improve your local SEO ranking, we will share insights on some effective SEO tools to facilitate the process for you:

1. Whitespark

This is a prime SEO software that originated in Canada. Check out some free tool options and features to get Google Business review insights, track local SEO rank, build feasible citations, and manage brand reputation.

2. BrightLocal

It is an amazing toolset that comprises all you need for local SEO. Some noteworthy features of this software help to track rank, maintain consistency for local citation, and audit accounts for Google Business. BrightLocal smoothens the management and helps you in having smooth functionality.

3. Moz Local

This is a digital marketing-focused software well-accepted with the audience. The toolset offers a dedicated review and business management platform. Some impeccable features permit you to engage with customers based on insightful local SEO reports.

4. Birdeye

This is a unique platform to message and manage listings for users. The iconic feature helps to easily manage the digital presence of any online brand. Also, you can attract credible reviews for your business with this iconic review management tool.

5. Semrush Listing Management Tool

You can manage and build your brand through online domains with the help of this tool. You can update your NAP details easily across multiple channels without any issues. In addition to this, you can use its tracking feature to analyze the performance of your listing within a given location.

Wrapping Up

With the above-mentioned strategies, you can increase your local SEO ranking.

On-page optimization for your website will improve your ranking in the 3 Pack. All you have to do is stay consistent in your listings and NAP citations across all collaterals. Elevate your online presence by enlisting the expertise of an SEO digital marketing agency, specializing in impactful on-page optimization tactics.

Ensure to keep your Google Posts updated with the latest posts and updates. Talk about your business digital. Request people to give you reviews with custom-made links. Never forget the significance of backlinks and keep them coming.

If it all sounds a little too overwhelming for you, there is nothing to worry about. You can outsource these tasks to SEO experts who understand your business needs. MyTasker is a team of digital marketing virtual assistants who specialize in Google Business Optimizations, backlink building, On-page SEO, and listings maintenance. Contact us today for a free consultation.