Local SEO - Tips for Better Rankings in Local Search

Author: Daisy Andrew

Looking up contact details in the phone book was yesterday - these days people google it. Almost everyone knows that when we are looking for a restaurant or doctor nearby, we increasingly start our search on the go with our smartphone. Accordingly, local SEO plays an important role for regionally operating companies. In our blog post we explain what local SEO means, for which companies local SEO is worthwhile, and show you which measures you have to take to improve your ranking in local search.

What is Local SEO?

Local SEO means all optimization measures of your own web presence with regard to the local search. With local search queries, users use specific location information when they are looking for a shop, restaurant or service. But generic search queries that do not contain a place addition can also have a local reference, such as "restaurant", "car repair shop" or "baker". Here the location of the user is retrieved and the search results are adjusted accordingly. Google's intention is to provide the user with relevant search results. Because if someone is looking for a baker in Hamburg, they don't want any results from Cologne or Frankfurt to be displayed.

You can easily check for yourself whether your industry is suitable for the local search by Googling the relevant search term without adding a place name. If a map appears above, you know that Google will display local search results for your industry. In that case you should definitely optimize your website for the local search! Your company can be found better through local SEO and thus attract potential customers to your business.

For which companies is local SEO recommended?

Whether doctor, lawyer, restaurant, car repair shop, boutique or hotel - Local SEO is worthwhile for every company that sells products in a brick-and-mortar store or offers local services. In these cases, local SEO is even a must. Relevant information such as address, opening times or telephone number is increasingly being accessed on the smartphone while on the move. Users looking for services or products in their area are about to make a purchase decision. If you appear in the local search with the right information at this moment, you have a great chance of turning these users into customers. With Local SEO you increase your visibility in the local search results and make users aware of your store.

Important local SEO ranking factors

One of the most important ranking factors in local SEO is the physical proximity to the location you are looking for. This factor is not really optimizable unless you consider moving to the city center. In a central location you have better chances of being found, but there is great competition there.

In addition to the location, there are other factors that influence the ranking in the local search. In order to increase your visibility in the local search results, you should definitely optimize the following areas.

Consistent details of your company data (NAP)

The abbreviation NAP stands for Name, Address, Phone Number and means that these data should be given identically everywhere. Whether on the company website, Google My Business page, entries in business directories, social media channels or review portals, enter your company data uniformly on all of these channels.

Name : The complete company name should be here. The company name can be supplemented by the location or the service offered.

Address : All of your entries should have the same address of the location.

Phone Number : For the telephone number, you should choose a spelling and indicate it identically everywhere. (e.g. according to DIN 5008: +49 40 12345-67)

With the consistent entry of your company data, you have already fulfilled an important factor for local search engine optimization.

Google My Business

A well-maintained Google My Business entry is essential for better findability in the local search. Because with a Google My Business entry, your company will be visible on Google Maps and the Google Local Listings. These are displayed above the organic search results and attract more attention from the user. In addition, on Google My Business you can see how many users you have reached via Google. You will find an overview of clicks, calls, bookings, etc. in your profile.

To create a Google My Business profile, you need a Google account. After creating a Google account, you can start right away! In the following we will show you how to set up a Google My Business account correctly:

  • Log in to Google My Business with the Google Account.
  • Then enter the company name. If there is already an automatically created entry, select it. Now you only have to confirm the ownership and you can edit the information. If you haven't found what you are looking for, enter your company name under "Add company".
  • Enter your details such as address, telephone number, opening times and website. Pay attention to consistent NAP information! You should also link your company's official website to your Google My Business profile and verify it.
  • Pick a primary category that best describes your business. You can also add up to nine additional categories. However, you should not specify the goods or services offered, only the type of company!
  • Complete your profile by uploading photos, specifying your catchment area (especially important if you operate outside of your location or if you operate a delivery service), give users the opportunity to ask questions, etc. The more complete your entry, the higher the rate Chances for a better ranking!
    • Reviews and their important role in local SEO

    Reviews have a major impact on the ranking within the local search results. Many users use the Google My Business rating to decide whether or not to click on a search result. A good overall rating increases the click rate and attracts new customers to the store. But don't let your head down if there are mediocre or negative reviews from time to time. For Google, these are a sign that the reviews are genuine. Reacts confidently to the criticism expressed and takes a position. However, be careful not to get too many negative reviews. After all, a positive overall rating increases the likelihood that users will visit your store. Instead, consider negative reviews as valuable feedback from your customers to improve your products or services. Also not to be despised is the effect of new reviews that are added on a regular basis. If the last rating was a few years ago, this can be perceived negatively by users. So tell satisfied customers to rate you. The more positive reviews you have, the greater the impact on the trust of users on the one hand and on the ranking in the local search.

    Review portals and business directories

    In addition to reviews on Google My Business, there are numerous other review portals where users can comment and rate companies. There are wide-ranging portals such as "Yelp" or "GoLocal" or industry-specific platforms such as "tripadvisor" for hotels and restaurants or "jameda" for doctors.

    In addition, entries in local and thematic business directories increase the relevance of your company and thus also the ranking. Examples of general directories would be gelbeseiten.de, dasoertliche.de or meinestadt.de.

    When creating your entries, make sure that the NAP information is consistent. These should match the data of your Google My Business entry as well as the website. Furthermore, the selected rating portals and business directories should suit your company. There are directories and review portals that are only relevant for certain industries or regions.

    Local OnPage optimization on your website

    With a well-maintained Google My Business account and entries in relevant business directories, you have created a solid foundation for local search engine optimization. Since the content of your website also has an influence on the ranking, you should optimize it accordingly.

    Use of local keywords

  • Create or adapt your content with keywords that have a regional reference.
  • Optimize the meta information of your website by including the location and the service in the title and meta description.
  • Your headings, especially the H1 heading on your homepage, should contain your location, company name and the main keyword.
  • Don't forget to make the local reference visible in the alt tags of images.

    • Structured data

    Structured data help the search engine to better recognize and interpret the content of the website. These are stored in the source code and are not visible to the user. This allows a lot of relevant information such as company name, address, telephone number, geo-coordinates, payment methods, opening times, etc. to be highlighted. There are numerous awards and different information is relevant depending on the company. The following link provides a list of structured data that Google recommends for local businesses.

    Backlinks

    As with any search engine optimization, backlinks are also an important ranking factor in local searches. In order to strengthen the local relevance of your website, you should primarily rely on regional links. Possible websites for building a regional backlink would be, for example, dealers, suppliers, chambers of crafts, local newspapers, magazines or even private blogs. Basically you should pay attention to the quality of the links and not the quantity when building your backlink.

    Mobile optimization

    Another important ranking factor is the website's mobile user-friendliness. Because the majority of local search queries are made on the go from a smartphone. It is therefore essential to optimize your website for mobile devices as well. This not only includes fast loading times, but also a responsive design that adapts to the display size of the end device. If your website is optimized for mobile use, you will also achieve better rankings in local search. With the Mobile Friendly Test from Google you can test whether your website is user-friendly for mobile devices. In addition, the tool gives you tips on what you should improve.

    Conclusion

    SPOTLIGHTSEO - Local SEO company in Vadodara offers enormous added value for locally operating companies. Because your company can be found better through local SEO and thus attract potential customers to your business. With a mobile-friendly website optimized for local search queries, a well-maintained Google My Business entry, mostly positive reviews and other entries in relevant online business directories, you will achieve a better ranking in local search.