Local SEO is vital for all businesses, not just those that are small, and that depends on local customers. It allows you to find new customers and bring them to your physical point of sale.
What is local SEO?
SEO is, as we know, the acronym which stands for search engine optimization. Local SEO also identifies those operations that are specifically targeted at favoring site placement in local search results on Google. A Digital Specialist can help you to create a personalized Local SEO strategy.
Google Local Search
Let’s suppose that Google has refined to that, depending on keywords it provides, it can approximate the search intent. If he believes that we are searching for a product/service in the area, he will run his local search algorithm to provide us with useful results to meet our needs.
Three main factors are required to research:
- Relevance for user research
- Distance to the user
- Evidence: This is how well a company is known and how much information Google has about it.
The same local algorithm activates for Google searches. This applies to all searches made via Google Assistant, Chrome, Google Maps, and Google Chrome.
Local SEO is therefore a local optimization activity. It differs from regular SEO which aims to position on a national or international scale.
How to do Local SEO
It can still be used for normal SEO. A well-designed site has clear information, and structure, and is easily accessed by phone makes it a great business card.
However, the most essential element is, if you wish, the existence of a Google My Business Page for the activity.
Google My Business
The Google My Business page is a privileged channel that allows the local search algorithm to have all information about our business to make us show up for the correct searches.
First, enter the name. If the business is already well-known to Google, then it is enough to claim the page. Otherwise, you will need to create it completely from scratch.
Next, you will need to confirm, correct, or amend the address (and ensure that the placeholder is at the right location) and determine the type of activity (e.g. restaurant, beauty centers). The next step is to add a phone number, website link, and additional attributes such as opening hours, available services, photos, and URLs.
Give consistent, high-quality information
Google must be able to access quality information about us. Consistent information about our business is essential. Phone number, address, opening hours, and phone number must all be identical on Google My Business and Tripadvisor. Because Google uses our web presence as a whole for local search purposes, an abandoned website or a sloppy Tripadvisor is not well-regarded.
Comments and reviews
Google considers comments and ratings as valuable for local ranking purposes. Google will consider the positive reviews as well as the stars earned by the business. It also considers the responses of the owners to customer comments. This demonstrates that its algorithm is responsive to customer feedback and satisfaction.
Local SEO, as it stands, is an optimization activity for local searches, where Google My Business, due to its synergy with the search engine algorithm, plays a crucial role. It is therefore crucial that your Google My Business card contains all of the necessary and ancillary information (but is always consistent) to fulfill the three basic requirements of relevance, nearness, and evidence.
Normal SEO is fine for local ranking purposes, as we have already stated. A well-designed website optimized for the correct keywords can be the difference between directing customers to our site and directing them elsewhere.
