Local service businesses often rely on content and citations to be found online. Content optimization is an important element of search engine optimization (SEO) which helps local business owners boost their rankings in search results. Content optimization involves creating high-quality, keyword-rich content that is targeted towards the local audience and contains relevant information about the services being offered.
A lot of people would like to know more about how to optimize for local searches. Indeed, it is a hot topic around the internet today. Below are some of the factors that can massively affect your local search rankings. Content and citations are the two most important elements.
1. Citations
Citations are one of the most important SEO Strategies for local search rankings. A citation is a mention of your business or website on another website. It can be in the form of a review, article, blog post, directory listing etc. Google crawls these websites to find citations and uses them as an indicator for local SEO rankings.
Very simply put, citations are a type of directory listing. It is very important, however, that you have NAP (name, address, phone number + website URL) consistency in your citations. This can be streamlined through third party services if you are worried that your consistency isn’t good. Additionally, you should try and write unique descriptions for each directory listing you create. This will help to get those listings indexed, and ultimately help to boost your rankings.
Do also remember that citations will drive customers or leads to your website organically. It is likely that customers find you on Google Maps or other directory listings first, and not directly from search engine rankings. This means if your citations are well-maintained, you will be able to start funneling customers towards your website in a more direct way.
Some of the services you can use to build citations are Whitespark, Neustar Localeze, Acxiom, Infogroup and Yext, or you can use an agency to help you get these citations. In some cases, agencies will provide discounts to their clients.
Whichever way you choose to go with your citation building campaign, make sure that the listings are accurate and up-to-date. It will help build trust with customers and search engines alike. Also be sure to monitor your citations and fix any errors or outdated information as soon as possible.
Citation building is an important part of local SEO and can give a much needed boost to your website ranking in the SERPs. With effective citation building, you can ensure that your website will be seen by more potential customers when they search for services in your area
2. Content
Another hugely important element in local internet rankings is your content. To get your content right, you should use your location as a keyword. The location should be found everywhere, in your headers, titles, anchor text, body copy and so on. As always, you do have to make sure you don’t keyword stuff. Rather, you need to place your location keywords naturally. Don’t forget to include your location in the description of your local business and on your inbound link anchor texts, this being the links that you have control over.
3. Display Your Business Information
The final thing to be sure to add your business address and a Google Map to your location pages. This will help ensure that both people and search engine robots know exactly where your business is situated. Additionally, adding a Google Map to your website can be an effective way to generate foot traffic into your store or office. Be sure to also include all necessary contact information on each page such as phone number, a contact form, and your business hours.
4. Google Business Profile
The most important factor to better search rankings or visibility is to create and optimize your Google My Business profile. Make sure to fill out all information, your services, add images, a good description that talks about your services and your location, and add a link to your website. This will allow your business to show up on Google Maps, and helps customers quickly find all of the information they need about your business.
By taking the steps outlined in this article, you can increase your online presence and drive more customers to your business. Creating an optimized website with relevant content that includes contact information is essential for potential clients to find what they need quickly. Additionally, setting up a Google My Business profile will help maximize visibility on search engines as well as on Maps. With these tips, you’ll be able to establish yourself as a credible source of information or services and attract new customers while retaining existing ones.
