Congratulations! Your small business is up and running. You’ve got the best product, customer experience, and a beautiful storefront. So what else can you do to get more leads in the door? A lot. By harnessing the potential of your small business website and the benefits of local SEO, you can climb the search rankings and provide a quick, convenient answer for people looking to buy what you’re selling. Of course, SEO is not just for global competitors. Below are some simple best practices for local SEO, sure to boost your search rankings.
#1 Reference Your Location on Your Website
No, don’t just put your address on the “About Us” page. Instead, refer to your area of operations in the title tag, URL, image alt text, body copy, and meta description. The title tag and meta descriptions are crucial because your customers see them on the search results page. Therefore, you should view them as free ad copy space!
Also, make sure your body copy is keyword rich and reads naturally. Avoid repeating copy on different parts of your site; algorithms will penalize it. Finally, if you have relevant images on your site, place location data in the image alt text. Web design can be a lot to remember, so jump into the HTML yourself or get in touch with a suitable UK SEO service.
#2 Optimize Your Website for Mobile Devices
Most people do retail searches on mobile devices. Google knows this and practices mobile-first indexing to prioritize sites that run well on mobile platforms. Also, since potential customers will assume that your business runs about as smoothly as your website, you need to make sure their first contact with your brand runs smoothly. Give them a reason to shop local instead of a massive chain retailer!
See that your site loads quickly and formats correctly – this will please people and algorithms alike, boosting your search results and getting more leads in the door. In addition, Google provides a Mobile-Friendly Test for websites to help them determine how their site operates on a mobile platform. This advanced local SEO technique can boost your operation in a way that few other tricks can match.
#3 Make Your Google Business Profile
If you’re interested in how to do local SEO, making your Google Business profile may be the best place to start. It’s quick, easy, and has an outsized impact on your local search rankings. To maximize your results, fill it out completely. Google helps you with this, so aim for a 100% completion rate. When you fill in your physical address, Google will send a PIN to the address, which you can then use to verify your place of business. You can also have PINs sent to multiple locations if you operate a chain. Your business will be visible on Google Maps when people search in your niche within a few days of verification.
#4 Produce High-Quality Content Marketing
Content marketing is a long-term strategy to build brand visibility and impact. It works for global and local SEO and could be the most powerful way to build relationships with current and potential customers. You can develop your content marketing strategy yourself or hire one of the best resources for local SEO to do it for you. In either case, the content should be informative, in-depth, and valuable to your audience.
Web content is an opportunity to put keyword-rich (but not spammy!) text on your site that may earn precious backlinks if other site owners find it valuable. By focusing on content specific to your area, you can leverage content marketing into a powerful local SEO tool to give you the edge.
Conclusion
Now that you know more about SEO fundamentals and how Google ranks local search results, you can focus on signals that will improve your site’s digital footprint in the local search ecosystem. As a result, your business will appear higher on the search results page, perhaps attracting more potential clients.
