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One of the biggest mistakes I see small businesses make is underutilizing Local SEO practices. If you want your local business to rank better in Google searches, Local SEO is a necessity because it reveals things about your specific location that could have you appearing in a user’s local search.
The key to success is learning what exactly Local SEO is, how to implement it in your own website, how you can support it with Technical SEO, and how the combined effect can impact your business. Let’s walk through it together.
About ten years ago, Google started plugging map listings into their search results and defining virtually every word in the English language to help them better understand a user’s intent. The result is when a user searches for a term such as “auto mechanic” Google will surmise that they are looking for an auto mechanic, and likely one not far from where they are. Essentially, Google uses proximity searches and word definitions to provide a user with what they hope is the exact information they are looking for.
If there is a map listing on a page, your goal should be to get in that local listing. This is key because the data seems to say that ninety-five percent of people go for the map listing results that appear when they do an online search. Specifically, your end goal should be to reach the top three options in the map listing to help maximize website traffic.
Bottom line? Google is basing the results they provide on the intent of the user, and to do that they are assuming that when the user does a search, they want a local business. If Google doesn’t recognize your business’ address or where you do business, they have no way of knowing if you are local to a user or not, which means you are off the list.
The best way to let Google know who you are by registering for their Google My Business program and to optimize your website for local searches. This is typically done best through signals such as:
Ensuring that your business meets guidelines for Local SEO should increase foot traffic, leads from the website, and engagement. It is that important.
Good technical SEO practices are foundational for a good search engine strategy. How you set up your technical SEO determines how a search engine like Google understands and indexes website content.
The best kind of Technical SEO is that which supports Local SEO. The relationship between them is symbiotic and can be successful when incorporating the following into your website:
Understanding Local SEO and learning how you can make it work for you is an underestimated pathway to success. Make sure you are on that path.
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