When it comes to marketing a business, SEO or Search Engine Optimization is very important. It is the way that customers can find you on Google, Yahoo, or other search engines. SEO involves many factors. There need to be great keywords to get customers’ attention. Companies should also research their competition to see how they stack up and what they can do differently. But one of the biggest thing’s companies need to consider is the target location. Bigger companies usually can have their target locations all over the world. But smaller companies mostly need to use local SEO.
WHAT IS LOCAL SEO
Local SEO is when a company targets its SEO to a specific location. It makes sure that the company makes sure that the business is found online by people in that specific location. An example would be a lawyer who lives in Phoenix. In order to get people in Phoenix to use their services, that lawyer would only use Phoenix SEO perimeters.
WHY IS LOCAL SEO IMPORTANT?
Local SEO is important, especially for local brick and mortar stores and services in a specific location. According to a study, 95% of smartphone users search locally on their phones. 61% end up calling the business and 59% actually go and visit the business. 18% of local searches end up becoming sales. So, local businesses have a really great benefit.
WHAT FACTORS ARE IMPORTANT TO LOCAL SEO?
As with any SEO, there are some important things to think about with Local SEO.
Keywords
Keywords are an important part of SEO. With Local SEO, it is important to make sure local keywords are in your content. Take the SEO for the lawyer in Phoenix for example. In order to target people in Phoenix SEO, they would use a phrase like, “Legal Services in Phoenix” for their keywords. This way, it only gets people in that area.
Content
When it comes to the content you want to show on search engines, it is important to incorporate local information in your content. According to the Search Engine Journal, “Depending on your industry, content with a local focus, depth, and knowledge tends to do well.” In regard to the lawyer in Phoenix, they would incorporate some information about Phoenix and the area, in particular, they practice in. However, there one big thing that the Search Engine Journal warns about regarding local content. That is to avoid content that is all over other sites. They say that this content is usually “thin” and will not give value to their content.
NAP
According to Lyfe Marketing, it is important for companies to put their NAP, or Name, Address, and Phone Number all over any local online directories they are a part of. Google will not list a business that has any discrepancies regarding their contact information. Lyfe Marketing also mentions that tools like Synup will help companies with online listings, so they don’t have to manually do that.
Citations
Another way to boost Local SEO is with citations. These are when a third-party site lists a company as a point of reference. With the lawyer from Phoenix, the legal section of an online magazine could reference their business. This makes their legal practice trustworthy and credible with the local population, thus increasing chances Google will list you and list you higher. You do not need backlinks for a citation.