Local Business SEO

Today, nothing seems out of reach.  But how do consumers find the products and services they are trying to buy?

Simple... They google it. 

Within just a few clicks consumers are able to find the products or services they are looking for, compare reviews and pricing, and make a decision. 

However, only the businesses that focus on their SEO can rank high enough to access these customers. 

Over the past decade, the types of businesses the people depend on Google to find has grown to include almost all local business industries.

Dentists, Lawyers, and Chiropractors typically know that focusing on their search optimization is important.

But how about the roofing contractors, urgent care facilities, plumbers, locksmiths, heck even window washers?  What about the local yoga studio, technical school or coffee shop?

Is this starting to click?  Your customers are looking for your product or services online.  If you don't show up when they look they will choose your competitors instead (and that's bad!)

What is Local SEO and how does it work?

To understand how local SEO works you have to understand the difference between standard searches that can pull information from anywhere and what we call "local search".

The easiest... or rather quickest way to determine if you are getting local search results is to look for map listings at the top of the search results.

Think about it this way. 

If you are searching for the "best war movies" you can get results served from a website regardless of where you are located as they have strong optimization.

However, when you have local intent-based searches, such as "dentist near me", search engines detect that local intent and try to serve localized results.

It's all about relevancy in search results, so to compete against other local businesses we just have to prove we have higher relevancy.

To do this you have to ensure your Name, Address, and Phone Number is consistent and listed in all relevant directories, your google my business page is optimized, yelp and social media sites have been created and you also need proper local schema implementation.

Local businesses must also take additional steps to ensure their Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) is the same everywhere online.  If your NAP profile has inconsistencies you will be less likely to show up in local search results such as the Google Map Pack.

Want to gain a better understanding of local SEO, check out the Wikipedia page here.

Is Local SEO Competitive?

The competition in your area will determine much time and work will be needed to optimize your rankings.  Take Austin, TX for example (our home town!), Austin is the 4th largest city in Texas and local businesses have a lot of competition here.  

The good news is, that if you are in a relatively low competition area, or an area that accessibility to tech and marketing experts is sparse you can achieve local rankings pretty quickly.  If you aren't in a low competition area you need to be ready to invest in your business's long term success and think about SEO as a utility that brings you, customers, rather than simply allowing you to do business.

It's a HUGE opportunity!  People trust search engines, and in turn, will trust your business if you rank well in the search results.  When combined with positive reviews and an optimized website SEO makes your business a clear choice for customers searching online

If you would like to learn about your local business's market and how competitive it is, drop us a line!  We are happy to provide FREE competitor & keyword gap analysis for potential clients.

Targeting Local Search Terms

Ranking well for location-based search terms is determined by three things.

1. Proximity: Search engines take into account your distance from the searcher's current location (not where they live, where they are physically located when conducting the search)
2. Relevance: Is your business & website relevant to what the searcher is looking for?  Google's knowledge graph builds a profile on your business so it's important to help provide them with indicators of who you are most relevant for using topical targeting and semantically related keywords.
3. Prominence: How are people interacting with your business, have they been quick to leave positive reviews?  Is your BBB profile clean with an A+? Are local blogs writing about you?  These things show prominence and help search engines trust your domain.

You need an extremely well thought out strategy to rank in the local search results. Keyword research for SEO has always been mandatory, but using it to help rank in the local scene is a whole new ball game.

SEO Services Every Local Business Needs

So now that you understand a little about local SEO you may be thinking "so what services do I need to rank my local business"?

1. Domain & Business Profile Localization

To get your domain to be localized you must include your NAP throughout the site and include location-based keywords where appropriate.  You don't want to stuff keywords or overuse any terms, that won't get you what you need.  Rather you should include your NAP and also use local schema to help search engines better read and understand your business intent.

2. Directory & Citation Listings

Used to be... way back when...  Simply getting more directory listings than you competitors was enough to get listed above them.  That's no longer the case, however, citations and directory listings are still a foundational technique that needs to be paid close attention.  It's very important your NAP stays consistent in every listing to avoid any problems.

3. Google My Business & Bing Business Places Listings

If you haven't set up your Google My Business page you should do so now.  Google & Bing business listings are SUPER important to local SEO, they also get you ranking in their respective local results.  Make sure these profiles are set up and optimized for your business.