Want your website to be more popular with local searchers?
Trying to get more local search traffic?
If you’re having trouble getting the right local traffic to your website, you may need to start using some local SEO techniques. Special local website hacks such as getting SEO citations and optimizing your Google Maps listing can work wonders for your business and will ensure that local customers can find your services when they need them.
Below we’ll look at the best local SEO hacks and tips that you need to know about.
1. Claim Your Google My Business (GMB) Page
One of the best things you can do to improve local SEO is also one of the simplest. Claiming your Google My Business page can allow you to edit your listing on Google services and allow you to verify your business information. Use Google My Business to ensure that your contact information and business address are accurate and are showing up properly in Google Maps.
Doing this will make it more likely that Google will prioritize your website in search results and will send more local visitors your way.
2. Get SEO Citations
Citations are listings of your business information on the web that includes your NAP information. This includes your name, your address, and the phone number of your business.
Websites and online directories such as Yelp, Foursquare, and TripAdvisor are great sites to use to get local citations. Make sure that you create an account on these sites and make sure that your business information is accurate.
Getting these citations is incredibly important for boosting your local SEO and will allow Google to recognize your business information and the significance of your business in your local area.
3. Get More Reviews
Another important local SEO hack is to make sure you’re getting positive reviews for your business online. Make sure you’re asking your customers on social media and in person to recommend your business online if they’re happy with your services or products.
Positive reviews from satisfied customers on Google, Facebook, and on other sites, will serve as a signal to Google and will make your site become more relevant in search results.
4. Improve On-site Local Optimization
In addition to adding your business information to Google My Business and directory sites, you also need to make some changes to your own website as well. On-page signals matter when it comes to local SEO.
Be sure that you optimize your page title, your meta description, and your header tags. You should also create a contact page with your name, address, and phone number on it. If possible also add your contact information to the header or footer of your page. Finally, it’s also a great idea to embed a Google map into your page as well.
All of these things will serve as signals that will make it easier for Google to determine your location and send relevant visitors to your site.
5. Use Local Keywords
In addition to the other on-site factors listed above, you should also make sure that you’re using local keywords on your website. Adding locally relevant keywords to your blog content, your service pages and any other pages on your site is incredibly important.
Use local keywords on your website that relate to your city or region as well as what services you provide. Doing this will make your site more likely to show up in results in search engines and can be a great indicator for Google to determine what your site is about.
6. Aim for Consistency
One of the most important hacks to remember for improving local SEO is that you need to be consistent. Remember that any contact information you include in citations, on your Google My Business page, and on your website should be exactly the same.
If you’ve recently gone through Office Relocations you’ll want to make sure that you update the information across all of your citations and your website to ensure Google has the most up-to-date information.
This kind of consistency will help Google understand your site better and, in turn, will also allow the search engine to send more local visitors your way.
7. Make Your Website Mobile and Voice Friendly
One of the best ways to boost your business in local results is to ensure that your site is both mobile and voice search-friendly. This kind of compatibility and optimization is essential because many customers will search for your business when using their mobile phones.
Local customers often search for goods and services when they’re in town and will use their phones to do it. By optimizing your website for mobile and voice search you’ll ensure that they’re finding you in search results as easily as possible, right when they need to the most.
Final Thoughts
If you run a local business it’s essential that you use the techniques listed above to improve your ranking in search results. Only then will you experience the real changes that you need to make your website work for you and get you more local customers.
From getting SEO citations to encouraging local reviewers to review your business, there are a lot of things you can do to improve your local search traffic. Make sure you work on each of the items above if you want your business to outshine the local competition.
Looking for more tips to improve your online presence? Click here to learn more about optimizing your website for a great return in 2019.
