A Comprehensive Guide to Local SEO in 2021

28The success of every company today depends majorly on its digital footprint. People use search engines very often, and if your business does not show up on Search Engine Result Page, it means you are depriving your business of a continuous stream of potential customers. This is why Local SEO in 2020 is very very important for your business.

Now, most of the consumers search for local information on a search engine. In fact, 46% of all searches on Google are local. There is no point in learning about business in other cities. Hence, local search is vital for companies.

Understanding Local SEO?

Local SEO services empower businesses to effectively endorse their services and products to local consumers. It helps in increasing traffic and leads while improving brand awareness. Search engines usually rely on content, social profiles, and references to deliver maximum and relevant results to the searcher.

If you are a small business and do not have local SEO, then you are missing out on a large number of customers. According to Google, 74% of users that search for something local on their phone visits a store the same day.

How to maximize Local SEO?

1. Boost Google My Business page

One of the best techniques to make your business prominent in search results is to improve your Google My Business (GMB) page. It is a tool offered by Google for your business to appear on the local business list.

The first step is the creation and verification of a GMB page. If you already have one, try to boost it by always providing detailed, up to date, and accurate information. This starts with mentioning the proper name, address, and contact details. All these details should be precise and easily understandable, with no misspellings. Also, make sure these details are consistent on all platforms, like your website and social media profiles. Remember, a customer is happy when they can easily extract information such as store locations, payment methods, and timings.

3. Create local content and use local keywords

When addressing your local audience or customers, the entire content on the website and social media pages should align with the local consumers’ requirements. Their taste, their preferences, annd their experiences are what you have to get hold of.

Crush your competitors and lead the industry by promoting unique, compelling, and engaging content that keeps a visitor hooked to your website. It can be related to local industry gatherings, news, employees, and trends. The content which holds power to engage a visitor can attract a significant amount of traffic on the website.

Similarly, you should adjust the content by using local keywords in the URL, header, Title, meta description, and main body. You can take assistance from local SEO services for this bit. But also remember that all your competitors are also striving for maximum search optimization, so choose your keywords wisely. Make sure you do not miss any information mentioned in the content.

4. Ensure your website is mobile-friendly

Smartphones and tablets have become the easiest way to do searches online. When customers are looking around for your shop, they will check your store’s location on a mobile device. Therefore, it is essential to make your website mobile-friendly. Almost 90% of smartphone users carry out their local searches using their portable smart devices.

A mobile-friendly website should have concise and clear content with an easily-navigable infrastructure. Too much information can cause analysis paralysis, confusing the consumer, leading them to abandon your site.

The images and videos should not be too heavy to delay page load time. Page load speed is directly proportional to the consumer’s decision to purchase. Any page which takes longer to load might irritate the consumer and thus resulting in them moving on to the next option. Add social media sharing buttons to your product pages and blog posts. Make it simple and convenient for the visitors to share your content in their social circles.

Also Read: How to make SEO friendly ecommerce website design

5. Positive Customer Feedback

Nothing can beat a positive review by a customer. This adds up to your credibility, and you earn the trust of your target audience. Positive reviews can also help you attract new customers. People trust personal recommendations more than anything.

Always give quality service to your audience so that they become your brand advocates. Never delay in responding to reviews, whether it is positive feedback or a negative review. Thanking customers for positive feedback serves as a cherry on top, replying to a negative review with an apologetic tone can have a positive impact too. The rule is to be responsive.

6. A strong social media presence

The search engines, especially Google, consider the content that is shared on the social media platforms as very legitimate. An exceptional social media presence will make your brand more credible and trustworthy, thus, bringing more traffic your way.

You need to be very active and keep your audience engaged with relevant content. Do not let your customers drift away to your competitors. It positively impacts the local SEO strategy in the long run. The more you post, the higher will be the chances to appear at the top of the SERP. Social media is the new place for promoting your business effectively. One can easily say it reaches the masses rather than using traditional promotional techniques. It increases the brand’s visibility, which is the best thing for a business.

7. Build your own community

Inbound links are a great way to promote your local SEO efforts. These links serve as witnesses for Google that your company is legitimate. You should begin with your personal references, which may include trade associations, Chamber of Commerce, sellers, and vendors, licensing bureaus, or other partners.

There are several ways to build a connection with prominent people and influencers, for example, you could host a community event, sponsor a webinar, promote local products/ services, and several others.  Also, positive blog posts by guests can help you attract links. Have a word with others in your industry, and serve as a resource provider for your community. Active participation in the community helps you form more social media growth, inbound links and media coverage.

Closing Word

If you’re looking for a guide for SEO in San Antonio, this comprehensive guide might just be the place to be. An effective local SEO strategy requires time and effort. It cannot be done overnight by any random person. You have to look for recent trends and keep on creating content that would attract local customers. Everything is changing in this fast-paced world and so is the SEO industry. To stay at the top in the market, all businesses have to keep on evolving and keep up with the latest developments. The sooner you capitalize on the opportunities, the better you perform and stay ahead of the competition.