A couple of decades ago, when you wanted to find a local business, you had to look up the Yellow Pages or rely on ads in the papers.
Today, all you need to do is open the Google app on your smartphone and punch in your search query, whether you are looking for a doctor, plumber or even an SEO agency.
That’s local search at work for you.
If your business depends on local customers for revenue, local SEO must be an important part of your marketing strategy.
Why is local SEO important?
A Hubspot study found that 46% of all Google search queries are local. This means that local SEO can have a huge impact on your local business.
The search engines have evolved just like our search queries have. Today, more and more users are adding their location to their search query whether they are searching for a local ice cream parlor or a salon in their locality. Google recognizes such queries as having local intent and will show up all the businesses that are relevant to the query in its results page.
If your business has to show up on the top of local search results, you must have high local SEO rankings. That’s why you must leverage local SEO and make the most of it.
Here are some ways you can leverage local SEO to your advantage.
Google My Business
If you haven’t yet claimed your Google My Business profile, now is the time to do it. It’s free and it can significantly boost your local SEO ranking.
When claiming your Google My Business profile, be sure to provide all the important information about your business including your name, telephone numbers, address and business hours.
Add localized content
If you want to ensure Google understands the relevance of your business to local search queries, you must publish content that’s targeted at locals. Blog about local activities, events and news to gain attention from local customers.
Ensure your website is mobile-friendly
About 50% of mobile search queries are for local businesses. If your website is not optimized for mobile, you are missing out.
If you want to show up in local search results, ensure your site is mobile-friendly.
Use geo-targeting keywords for title tags
Be sure to use your location-specific keywords in the title tags. This is the best way to let the search engines know that your website is relevant to a locality/city.
Conclusion
These are some local SEO strategies to boost your rankings in local search. The more consistent you are in your local SEO efforts, the better are your chances. Black Bear can put together a local SEO strategy that delivers the results you desire.
Contact us today for a free chat.
