SEO or Search Engine Optimization is one of the most important business tools nowadays. Appearing in the top Google results does wonders for your business as it puts you on the map with all the big market players. But what is SEO and why do you need it? Well, read till the end to find out more about it and see whether Local SEO is the time your business needs.
What is SEO?
SEO is a set of rules and practices you follow to help get your website ranked at the top on search engines such as Google. These practices can vary over time as the search engines get more and more optimized. In general, making use of best practices and optimizing your website in a way that it ranks on top is what SEO is all about. However, it does not necessarily mean that your website will be the number 1 result on search engines. The idea behind SEO is to get as good of a ranking as possible.
One misconception about SEO is that you don’t lose a ranking once you’ve achieved it. However, it can change over time even within a matter of days. You need to perform SEO best practices regularly to ensure you remain within the top-ranked search results on any search engine.
What is Local SEO?
Contrary to SEO, Local SEO is not concerned with the global ranking. Its main focus is to help appear and rank your website within a certain radius. It helps in increasing physical visits to your store. It also helps in improving the local presence of your business.
How does Local SEO work?
When it comes to it, locally optimized SEO depends on several factors that Google has laid out for all websites to follow. These are:
Relevance:
Relevance refers to how appropriate the information about your business is. To find it, Google uses information about businesses such as products, hours of business, etc. This information is then matched against the query entered by the user. The more relevant your business the better the chances get.
Distance:
When finding an appropriate match for the user’s query, it also takes into account the current distance between the user and the business. The closer you are the higher the probability that your business ranks within the search. This metric is important because users are more likely to visit your business if you’re nearby.
Prominence:
When ranking a website, Google also looks at the overall presence of the business. This can include but is not limited to online reviews, your social media presence, etc. This helps google decide whether your business is the right fit for the user. Thus, building a better presence on social media can help you get better rankings.
What is the importance of Local SEO for your business?
Locally optimized SEO plays a crucial role for businesses. As you get matched with people who have relevant interests, the chances of you making a sale get higher. It also helps you to get more visits to your physical store. Getting physical traffic to your store is also important. It tells Google that people are willing to physically visit your store which is a good thing for your ranking.
How to optimize your Google Business Profile for Local SEO?
When it comes to optimizing your Google Business Profile for SEO, you should consider the following things:
Locally optimized content:
Creating value for local customers in the form of content goes a long way. It can be in the form of blogs, articles, updates, etc. This improves the engagement of local users with your website. You can write content about events that are local to your business. Additionally, you can also write about how your business can add value for the local population. Writing content that interests a local audience creates a positive bond between both the business and the customers.
Customer reviews:
One of the key factors when it comes to Local SEO is customer reviews. You must try to get as many reviews as possible. For this purpose, you can create small rewards for users who leave online reviews. This can prove beneficial in encouraging customers to leave reviews on your Google Business Profile. The more positive reviews you have, the better your ranking. It also let new visitors to your store know that people like and trust your business. Thus, try to get as many reviews from customers as possible.
Optimized User Experience:
Whether users interact with your Google Business Profile or not greatly depends on the user experience you provide. Generally, your Google Business Profile should have an easy-to-access navigation system along with user-friendly User Interfaces. Try avoiding irrelevant information that make it hard for the users to read and understand the content of the website.
Error-free navigation:
Having an error-free internal navigation system on the website is also important. You should ensure that none of the links are broken. Additionally, ensure that your website is up at all times. Google gives importance to the navigation system of your website. Having broken links can reduce the chances of your website getting indexed.
Content optimization:
Make sure to use the proper semantic tags as it matters when Google is indexing your website. You should also ensure that the content on your website is easy to read and understand. By creating content that provides value to its readers, you can improve the engagement on your website. It is also a good practice for SEO to create original, high-value content for users to read.
Social media engagement:
Staying on top of the latest trends in your local community is crucial. This is a great way of engaging with people and showing that you care about the local community. You can improve social media engagement by regularly posting content, quizzes, etc. It all comes down to building an online presence and engagement with your community so you can get creative.
Keyword research:
Keyword plays an important part in Local SEO. Conduct in-depth research on keywords to find which keywords you should target. Having strong keyword research gives you an advantage over other businesses using SEO. Try to include words that are related to the local community. This is a great way of increasing relevance for your online business.
How RG Digitals can help you improve Local SEO for your business?
RG Digitals is a SEO agency that focuses on scaling businesses through the right strategies. We understand that you want to improve the online presence of your business. This can include executing multiple strategies with SEO being one of them. This blog acts as a guide for businesses to implement best practices. However, this is a tedious and time-consuming task. At RG Digitals we understand the importance of an optimized web presence. By combining the several techniques described in this blog you can improve your search engine ranking.
It is paramount to understand that SEO is a vast field. Employing the help of a SEO agency that has a grip on the technicalities of local SEO is crucial. For this purpose, RG Digitals has been providing services in the industry for the past 3 years. Get in touch with us and let us improve your online presence.
