6 Killer Tips to Improve Your Local SEO

When someone says they run a local business, it means most or all of their customers come from within a certain geographic radius of a physical store. Many companies that operate this way have brick and mortar locations or provide services that require meeting the customer in the flesh, like healthcare practices and law firms. The following local SEO tips will help boost your business visibility on searches from prospects within your locality:

Optimize Your Google My Business Listing

When you search for your business through Google’s Business Listings, you will likely find that your business has been listed more than once. So, the first step is to do away with the confusion and claim the right listing. Next, you will need to utilize all the appropriate linking options and ensure your business is placed under the correct subcategories. The name, address, and telephone number, or simply NAP of your business, should be aligned with the information you provide in all the other directories, blogs, and websites linked to your business.

Seek out Google My Business Reviews

Google Reviews not only influence consumer decisions but also directly affect search rankings. The reason these reviews and star ratings have so much weight is that they are outsourced from real buyers or users of a service.

One of the best ways to get reviews is to give your customers a reason to do it, either by asking them politely or giving them incentives such as discounts. You can also sign up with a software tool that makes it easier to send review requests to your customers.

Hire an SEO expert

You may need an expert to help you incorporate local SEO into your regular SEO strategy and ensure there is consistency throughout your content. An all-around local SEO company such as PeanutButter SEO Ottawa – Search Engine Optimization can handle your entire SEO strategy or a part of it, depending on your objectives and budget frames.

Create several location pages on your website

Most people will put a single landing page on their service website and cram all their location information there. Creating more than one page increases your visibility as Google has to crawl and index each of the pages separately. Consider setting up a page for each of the items in your service catalog and add your business name, contact information, and your location.

Create Citations on Major Directories

There are thousands of directories on the internet that can increase your visibility, especially among prospects that rely on these sites for recommendations. The most popular directories include Yelp, Angie’s List, Better Business Bureau, YP.com, CitySearch, Whitepages, Merchant Circle, Foursquare, Local.com, and Yext.

Get on social media.

A presence on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram can boost your local SEO strategy. Many young people, who are not familiar with local directories, use social networking platforms to find local businesses, so it is worthwhile to have a profile that states the location you serve.

Conclusion

Local SEO is similar to organic SEO in many ways. The difference is that regular SEO targets organic traffic while local SEO homes in on prospects in specific locations. Use the above tips to minimize your point of focus and increase the ROI of your strategy.