All You Need To Know About Local Search Engine Optimization

Local search engine optimization is beneficial not only for local businesses but for major businesses too. One should try to use the keywords to make it more search friendly on local network.

You must be familiar with the search engine optimization but most of the people have no idea about the local search engine optimization. A local SEO is very much similar to the way SEO works but has different target audience.

It mostly focuses on the local cities and states as there are many websites, whose business is confined to a local network only. This is a great way to break your business website to local networks, which will have more chances of reaching out to the customers.

Types Of Local Searches:-

Only Keywords:
This is a very traditional method of ranking higher in the searches. It includes only the keywords which are related to the products or services and has nothing to do with the city or state. Keywords like 'android developer' or 'best architecture' form a part of this group.

Keywords With Location:
This is one of the most used method of ranking higher in local searches. This really helps in the searches as most of the people search with the location along with the name like 'best garage door services in Edmonton'.

When you are including a city name in the keyword section, it helps in better understanding of the website location and contributes to its ranking.

Searches For Mobiles:
This can be really frustrating for most of the people as search engines display different results for the same words used for searches on desktop and mobiles. No matter, you are using keywords only or adding locations to it, it will display different results every time for mobiles and desktops.


What Are The Key Factors For The Local Search Engine Optimization?

One thing to keep in mind is that the SEO and Local SEO have very similar approaches when it comes to giving results. However, there are some factors which help in the local searches to a great extent!

On-Page Optimization:
This is exactly the same way, where one tends to use the domain name as a keyword factor apart from content. In local searches, the focus is more on the content which has keywords related to the local network, contact address and phone numbers.

This greatly helps in making the search engines attract more to your website as you are providing local contact details. It is recommended to place this information on the header and footer of each page and please don't stuff your headers full of local keywords.

Local Links:
Local SEO depends greatly on the quality of local links from the external websites. It should be good in quantity but not too much that it gets hard to digest! Make sure to place your local business links to sites that are relevant to your own products and services. A mismatch of information will only waste your time and money.

Business Descriptions Socially:
This is also very helpful and a promising factor in the ranking of a website. All your social accounts should have business descriptions with your keywords involved intelligently.

This will have more chances of your website getting ranked higher just as a domain filled with keywords would do. So, it is important to write your content intelligently for all your social accounts.

Using External Directories:
It makes sense to place your contact details like name, address and phone numbers on the online directories. This helps greatly when the search engine is trying to relate these external links to your  website's local result display.

There are a lot of business directories available online and one should make the use of the maximum to brighten the chances of a higher local search.

Behavior Of a User:
It is important to have a close watch on the user behavior online. Some of these things include user click through rates from search, calls placed to the local businesses or sites where they have checked-in.

This user track will help in knowing the interests of the targeted audience and one can alter their keywords with the same, getting more chances of recognition.

Giving Users a Personal Touch:
Just think of this, if you are giving the same thing which the user is asking for in the searches and that too close to his/her location. It can't get better than this for a user experience and one should work closely to know their area of interest and give the desired results with their preferred location.

The Review Section:
The review section holds quite importance when it comes to boosting the efforts of local search engine optimization. All the online reviews on the website or other links would provide great help in making the business traceable locally. Although quantity is a factor for sure but the reviews should be more of the qualitative and positive nature.

The Social Accounts:
It is very important that you make social accounts depending on your business and keep it updated on consistent basis. When you will keep on writing on regular basis for these accounts, it will directly affect the local search engine optimizations as it picks up the updated links and websites more. It is also recommended communicating with your users, so that your communications form a part of your keywords only!

What Google Says For Improving The Local Searches?

If you have used Google maps, you must be having some idea of its working. It displays results depending on factors such as relevance, proximity and prominence.

So, it is important that you work accordingly to make these factors countable to your website. If you didn't get what we meant to say, check out the following in detail:-

Relevance:
This is one of the most important factors for local searches. This means Google will display results which are most relevant to the searches, one is looking out for. So, it is advisable to write content intelligently and use the keywords which are likely to match with what people are looking out for.

Try to work out according to the searches and using keywords which are close to the words typed in them. You can do this by keeping a track of the targeted audience on the internet and work accordingly. If you are not using relevant keywords, forget ranking, your site might not be visited by a small number also!

Proximity:
Proximity means how close is your location from the location one is looking out for. If you are using location keywords, chances are that Google will use your keywords and display your website in the results. On the other hand, if you have not used location in the keywords, Google will automatically calculate your distance and display the results accordingly.

One more thing to remember is that most of the people use sub-locations in the searches for better proximity. For e.g. someone living in Calgary would type a particular area, where he/she resides in the searches. Obviously, you can't cover each and every street but try to include sub-locations as keywords too.

Prominence:
This plays an important role when Google is trying to list out the best results to its users. The way your business is accepted online will be directly reflected in the searches too. How well known your business is on the online world, makes a great impact on the local search engine optimization.

This is usually as a result of information collected from articles, directories and other links on which your business is discussed. You can't achieve this in a single day but have to work consistently, which would make your business more prominent to the searches.

The Common Mistakes Which Hamper The Local Search Engine Optimization

While we are trying to put in maximum efforts to make ourselves rank higher in the local searches, we often ignore some of the mistakes we are doing. Doing mistakes is ok but if it is directly affecting your local SEO efforts, it should be treated at the earliest.

So, try not to include the following mistakes as a part of your local SEO efforts:-

Incorrect Address:
This is a very childish mistake that many owners do. They have a digital address completely different from the physical address of their business.

This will create problems for you as Google might list your website under a location where giving services for you can become difficult. So, it is important to take care of these things carefully while designing.

Duplicate or Inconsistent Listings:
When you are using duplicate listings in the local search directory, you are not doing any good to your website. This can confuse Google for your actual address, name or phone number, taking all your efforts back to zero.

This will not double the chances of ranking higher but will cut you off the rankings. So, it is advisable not to use such tactics or inconsistency regarding your business websites.

Incorrect Categories:
There are a lot of people who use incorrect categories in the local directories to get a higher rank. This practice is not at all accepted as this is not the only reason Google will pick up your website and list it at the top.

Whatever information you provide on these directories has to be relevant to your business and services. Failing which, a website would loose out on rankings because of incorrect information on local directories.

What More Can Be Done To Improve The Local Search Results?

Yes, it is a fact that using location in the keywords is a great way to increase the local search results. This does not mean you should use it all over your content.

There are other ways too which can help you in getting a good rank in local searches. Here are the following suggestions which would help your website rank higher in the local searches:-

Contact:
Placing a contact is not enough, it is important to place it correctly. Try to add your address and other contact details to the header and footer. This will help the search engines to gather your content along with your contact details, making higher chances for a local search.

Get Social:
One should not limit the use of keywords to the website only but every where, one can. Try to have a Google+ page and other social accounts. This will help in more exposure to your keywords and locations.

Encourage Reviews:
Reviews can prove to be very beneficial when it comes to local searches. A lot is said and discussed about the products and services, which becomes a keyword in itself. Encourage your users to write reviews for your product and services.

Limit Your Keywords To Your Business:
You don't have to use keywords other than than your business and its services. When you are using too many keywords, it will confuse the search engines as to what exactly you have to offer. This may lower your ranking even below than before.

Either Hire or DIY But Add Yourself To The Local Directories:
This is very essential as discussed before. You should add your details to the leading local directories, since it helps Google to understand the relevance of your business to that area.

If you can do it on your own, well and good. If not, try using services like Go Daddy’s Get Found to help you with the same.

Take Help From The Professionals!
Have you tried everything to boost your website performance but still can't see any positive results? Don't worry, Glass Media is there for you. Making your website rank higher in the local searches is a very competitive and skillful task.

Our team of professionals have the zeal to stay ahead in the completion and are always looking for new and advanced ways to improve the local SEO rankings. Give us a call and see the difference, we make to your website!

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