As Internet users become savvier, SEO is following suit. Consumers are now looking for businesses like yours on Google and Bing, rather than relying on word of mouth or traditional media channels. An established web presence can lead to greater visibility online, generate quality leads – and ultimately help your business make more money!
Your business name should be listed in multiple directories. Directories with high traffic will bring you higher rankings in the results pages of search engines. If you are into local businesses and looking for ways to grow it among the stiff competition, then we’ve you covered. In this article, we will have a look at the top ten tips to improve your local rankings and drive more leads to your business through local SEO services.
1. Optimize your Google Business Profile:
If you want to rank higher in local search results, then your profile must be up-to-date. Make sure that it contains all the relevant information about your business, such as an address, phone number, and more importantly the right category of your business.
Make sure that high-quality images are used on your website: Business listings with high resolutions images usually get ranked higher than those without them. They tend to load faster on mobile devices too.
2. Build local backlinks:
While backlinks are important for any business, their importance is elevated when it comes to local SEO. The number of local links that point to your website plays a key role in improving your rankings on Google Maps and other real-time search engines. Create great content specific to your location, publish the link on various platforms, and you will see an improvement in rankings within six months.
3. Update your website with current information:
One of the most important factors behind effective local SEO is timely updates of information about your business. It would be best if you have an automated system where all the necessary information can be updated in one go. Also, keep it consistent across different directories so that users find similar results no matter which directory they use.
Google also gives preferences to those businesses that keep their information relevant and updated. Invalid information often leads to an unfavorable situation for your business.
4. Update your Google Places page:
Your Google Place page is one of the most important local SEO tools. And, you need to update it regularly in order to gain higher rankings in search results. It’s one of the fastest ways for users to find information about your service or product when they are searching locally. You might have done this earlier too without realizing that it can contribute towards improving the quality of your local searches. Make sure that you keep all the major details updated on this page at least once every three months.
5. Create an online presence on the web:
Once your website is created, it’s important to be visible everywhere else where users are looking for businesses like yours. You need to create an optimized local search presence across directories, social media platforms, and other websites that may attract a relevant crowd for your business. This includes creating a Google Business page, a Yelp listing, and a company description on LinkedIn, etc.
6. Use social media:
Most people turn to Google only after they have checked out the reviews about a particular company or service provider on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. Social media channels offer you a great platform to connect with your customers and improve your reputation online through positive customer reviews and feedback. You can also use social media channels such as Pinterest and Instagram for sharing inspirational images and videos related to your industry. This way you can grab some eyeballs from outside visitors too.
7. Add local keywords to your email signature:
You would have been using email signatures for a long time. However, do you take advantage of them by including relevant keywords in the right places? If not, then begin today and allow it to drive more traffic to your website. You can also add a link to your social media accounts or local directories that provide information about your business. This will help users get accurate information while they are contacting you through emails.
8. Don’t ignore location extensions:
Location extensions allow you to add a clickable phone number or a map with directions right in the search results. As a result, it allows more people to visit your website directly which will improve its rankings too. The process of adding this extension has become simpler over time, and most modern-day webmasters don’t have an issue carrying out the task.
9. Make use of Google Analytics to monitor your progress:
It’s important for businesses to keep track of the various local SEO strategies being employed in order to gain momentum. Most importantly, you need to understand whether customers are finding your website relevant and useful based on their search behaviors. With this knowledge, you can easily create a positive image for your business online with consistent efforts. This will also help you improvise on current strategies if required without wasting too much time and energy in thinking up new ones.
10. Enable the “Place Pages” section on your website:
This will allow your visitors to see your contact information right on the search results pages. Google uses these details to display it prominently in SERPs. As a result, users can visit your place page directly which makes it easier for them to connect with you immediately. It’s better than using phone numbers or physical addresses that are hard to remember. Just keep in mind that customers don’t want lengthy listings so ensure they all remain within 160 characters, including location extensions too!
Wrapping up!
With the help of SEO packages, you can manage to get out of the competition in your local search results. Many businesses have been proven wrong by overlooking these strategies and suffering from low online visibility. In contrast, those who have followed through with them were able to see their optimization efforts produce positive ROI within a short span of time. Get started with these above tips and improve the local rankings.
