Local SEO Essentials To Know For Beginners

In the world of content marketing, local SEO has been receiving lots of attention. It is getting more popular than ever. Research has shown that approximately 50% of consumers tend to visit a store within a day of doing local search on their smartphone. In addition, nearly 35% who searched on a tablet or computer did the same. As you can see, the Internet has become the main source of local business information. You will be committing business suicide by not showing up in local search. Here are some of the local SEO essentials you should know:

Local Links

Today, link building is still a crucial part of general Search Engine Optimization. The stellar thing about working with local links is that they can be specially tailored to benefit your local SEO campaign. Next, your goal is to be linked with other reputable local websites. Meetup.com, for example, is a great way to connect with people who share similar passions like yours. Simply keep track of the various meetups that are directly related to your business or industry. When you can find a meetup that appeals to your personal interest, attend it and make new friends. From there, you can take the chance to invite your new acquaintances to check out your website (and build local links!).

Accurate NAPs

Your company email address and phone number are essential contact information that has to be visible on every page of your website. When you want to list company information on your social media accounts, citations, and directories, it is pertinent that your Name, Address, and Phone Number (NAP) are accurately formatted and listed. There should be consistency. If contact information and NAP are not easily available on a site, visitors can quickly lose interest and are more likely to leave without accomplishing what they have in mind.

Listings in Major Search Engines

You can promote your online visibility by listing your business in major directories. Google, Yahoo!, and Bing are the three major search engines that you can establish local business pages on. By doing so, you can help these search engines index you as a local business. Searchers who require the type of service or product that you offer will then be able to see your basic contact information, business hours, and location whenever your business shows up in SERPs.

Local On-Site Optimization

When it comes to including geo-specific keywords and industry keywords in your content, you should aim for a keyword density of approximately 3% to 5%. Here are a few things you can do to optimize your page and achieve a healthy keyword density for local SEO:

• Include a relevant keyword + region/city in your landing page image ALT attributes.
• Include a relevant keyword + region/city in your landing page content.
• Include a relevant keyword + region/city in your landing page URL.
• Include a relevant keyword + region/city in your landing page H1 tag.
• Include a relevant keyword + region/city in your landing page title tag.

Unique Localized Service Pages

It is common for local businesses to manage branches in other locations and/or serve more than one geographic community. That’s why you should strategically create unique local service pages when it comes to designing your website. This means that you have to create original content. They must be unique on each of the local service pages. Next, use these service pages as opportunities to connect, educate, and engage with your target audience.