As a small business owner, you may find it challenging to market your business online. If you do not have a website, the challenges are multifold. However, local SEO is possible for small businesses and startups even before they own a website or online presence. You can create your website after you start promoting your business online. But we do recommend that you create a website to utilize the full benefits of local SEO and SEO in general. With a website, you have hundreds of opportunities to promote your small business online with Digital Marketing .
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO is the process of promoting your business listing online locally. This includes local SEO for websites and promoting your business on Google Business Profile. When you search for local keywords, Google Maps dominates the results with most businesses. When was the last time you searched for a plumber in your area or an electrician? How about doctors or lawyers in your area? You may have noticed Google listing a few businesses with directions and addresses in your search results. This is Google Business listing the local businesses near you. A part of local SEO focuses on getting your small business listed on Google Maps for your industry and optimizing it to rank better.
Fortunately, Google Business does not require you to have a website, but Google ranks businesses better with a website unless you can bring in a lot of reviews for your business.
How to Improve Local SEO?
The process of improving local SEO involves creating and optimizing your Google Business Profile, optimizing your website with local keywords, and adding relevant schema markups to your website to help Google understand your business and locality.
Creating a Google Business Profile is the first step to local SEO, but your profile needs to be optimized. Adding relevant keywords in the description, services section, and creating the right categories all impact your Google Business Profile.
Your local SEO for your small business does not end with your Google Business Profile. It extends to your website too. Creating localized content creates a big impact on your ranking on Google for local keywords, which directly influences your Google Business Profile. Geo-specific landing page optimization helps you rank better for specific keywords targeted locally.
One of the biggest techniques all SEO experts use for local SEO optimization and increasing your ranking is creating citations. Citations are references to your business from third-party websites, and they require that your name, address, and phone number (NAP) be present on these websites. Name, Address & Phone Number (NAP) need to be synchronized across all websites without variation. Real-time NAP validation and monitoring tools are available online that could help you automate the process, but it can be done manually as well.
Local SEO Tips for Small Businesses
Small businesses need to take every opportunity available to increase their online presence. With better online visibility, you have the opportunity to grow your business manifold. Local SEO is one of the easiest and fastest methods to grow your business. With less competition and targeted areas you serve, your business opportunity increases with local SEO. For a small business, it is important that you start small with minimal investment, and local SEO provides this opportunity for business owners.
Google My Business Optimization
Optimizing for Google Business involves two major steps:
- Optimize your Google Business Profile.
- Create citations and references to your business.
As simple as it may sound, the processes involved in each of these steps are more detailed.
Optimizing Your Google My Business Profile for Local SEO
Your profile reflects how your business is presented by Google on local searches. This process will determine if you rank well or land among thousands of others who have a business listing that no one sees.
Your Google Business Profile presents the information you provide to the end user or the person searching for related content. What you enter determines how well your business is presented online. So, do not hurry through the process. Provide as much information as possible about your business to Google.
- Ensure your business name is correct and consistent across all websites where your business is mentioned. For instance, if your business is “McDonald’s Burgers,” ensure you refer to your business as “McDonald’s Burgers” everywhere. Not “McDonald’s” or “McDonald’s Fast Food.” The same rules apply for your address and phone number.
- Ensure you provide accurate opening and closing hours. Display the correct time and days of the week you are open. Google sometimes conducts random checks to verify business hours, and incorrect information may harm your listing.
- Get the business category right. Your primary business category determines how well your business is listed for relevant searches. Getting the right business category will help your rankings significantly. Check the business categories of your competitors and choose the suitable one. You will also need to create a list of secondary categories.
- Create a detailed description with relevant keywords about your business and industry. Include keywords in the description and services list. Utilize the entire word count to maximize impact.
- Add relevant services and create custom services when necessary. Go beyond the standard services provided by Google listings. For example, add services like “WordPress website design” or “Web design for real estate” if they apply to your business.
The process of optimizing your Google Business Profile does not end with just these five steps, especially when you have a website. It also includes adding local business schema and creating local content.
Creating Citations for Google Business Profile – Local SEO for Small Businesses
The second step to optimizing your Google Business Profile involves creating citations. Citations are references to your business from third-party websites. A good citation involves having the business name, address, and phone number (NAP) in the same format and exactly synchronized with your Google Business Profile. Citations can come from websites like online directories, Yellow Pages, or even regular websites.
Local Keyword Targeting
Keyword research is an essential part of SEO. For local SEO, keyword targeting differs from general SEO. While SEO targets broader terms, local SEO is geo-targeted for local searches with secondary keywords as service keywords. For example, SEO keywords may be “Website Design” or “WordPress Website Design Company.” But local keywords are geo-targeted, like “Web designers in Baroda” or “WordPress website design company in Vadodara.”
Finding local keywords involves using tools like Ahrefs, Google Keyword Planner, and SEMrush. Long-tail keywords play a significant role in local SEO and rank better. Another method is to find keywords related to your business from the Google Business Profile of your competitors.
Local Link Building for Local SEO for Your Website
Local businesses in your area are great for building links to your business. This may be challenging, but it is generally much easier than getting backlinks from businesses outside your area. With local businesses, you have the opportunity to meet business owners in person.
Local link building has a significant effect on your local SEO, especially if your link-building partner is closely related to your industry. If they are not willing to create links to your website, ask for citations instead. Creating just over 30 citations for your business has been known to increase rankings by 50% in most cases. If you have over 100 citations, your chances of ranking in the top 10 are higher, although this varies by industry.
For local citations, find local business directories and other citation sites like Yellow Pages. Explore opportunities where you can promote your business.
On-Page Optimization for Local SEO
Google Business Profile is not the only aspect of local SEO. Look for opportunities to optimize your website for local SEO. Local keywords with location names will rank faster on Google search. Include your keywords and location names in titles, meta description tags, and headers. Create a separate local landing page optimized for your region. This is especially effective if you have multiple locations.
Local SEO Analytics & Tracking
Track local SEO performance regularly. Tracking helps you adjust your keywords and SEO tactics. With a data-driven approach, you can identify the keywords that are ranking well, those with the highest impressions, and the keywords that people are clicking on. Based on this data, you can make changes, create new content, and adjust your Google Business Profile.
Use Google Analytics and Google Business Profile Insights for tracking local keywords. Google Analytics provides local SEO metrics to monitor location-based traffic. It is one of the best analytics tools for local SEO and is free.
Local SEO for Specific Industries
Some industries benefit more from local SEO than others. Prominent businesses that benefit greatly from local SEO include service-based industries and trades commonly referred to as “tradies,” such as plumbers, painters, electricians, and mechanics. Other industries include local stores, restaurants, real estate, and healthcare providers. These businesses often serve a specific geographic area and are unlikely to have clients beyond their location.
Local Reviews & Reputation Management
Reviews matter a lot when it comes to local SEO, especially for Google Business Profile ranking. Any business with fewer than 10 reviews is often ranked lower. If your business is new and lacks recognition, gain at least 10 reviews to get a head start. Ask existing contacts to leave a star rating—they don’t have to write a full review. Real reviews can come later from actual clients.
Getting More Reviews for Local SEO
Request as many reviews as possible for your local business. Don’t be shy about asking for reviews. Many businesses that succeed with local SEO ask clients for reviews once the billing is over. With just 10 reviews per day, you can accumulate 300 reviews in a month, significantly boosting your ranking.
Responding to Negative Reviews for Local SEO
Every business will face negative reviews from time to time. It’s important to respond to these reviews politely. If your response is rude or sarcastic, potential customers may be deterred. Be polite and try to resolve issues, offering compensation or something free if necessary. Reputation management is crucial for maintaining your local SEO ranking.
Voice Search Optimization for Local SEO
Voice search is becoming increasingly important, especially with people searching from mobile devices. SEO for local mobile search includes voice search optimization, where common questions are answered using simple language. Think about what people ask when searching for your business.
If you were a restaurant, people might search “Restaurants near me,” “Restaurants in Vadodara,” or “Chinese Restaurants near me.” However, with voice search on a mobile device, they might ask, “Which is the nearest restaurant near me?” or “Give me a list of Chinese restaurants that serve Ramen near me.” Voice search keywords are much longer than traditional keywords, and optimizing for voice search is often one of the best ways to attract more traffic from mobile phone users.
Take advantage of voice search for local SEO, especially because very few people optimize their businesses for voice search, as it is still a growing trend in many areas.
