With the ever-increasing competition in the digital space, the importance of local search rankings cannot be overstated. Local search rankings play a crucial role in attracting customers to your business. The higher you rank in local search results, the more likely potential customers will find and choose your company or organisation.
This article introduces several ways to boost your local search rankings.
Google My Business (GMB) is a free tool that allows you to manage the online presence of your business across Google, including search and maps. By claiming your GMB profile, you can provide accurate and up-to-date information about your business, such as your address, phone number, hours of operation, and website.
In addition, you can use GMB to showcase photos of your business, respond to customer reviews, and even create posts to promote your products or services.
Make sure your website is designed for local customers to find you easily. Doing this includes adding location-based keywords to your content, including your website’s business address and phone number, and creating location-specific pages.
For example, if you have multiple locations, you can create a separate page for each location with unique content and optimised meta descriptions.
A citation comprises your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) on other websites like directories, review sites, and social media platforms. Building local citations can help improve your local search rankings by establishing trust and authority with search engines.
To build local citations, start by claiming your listings on major directories, such as Yelp, Yellow Pages, and TripAdvisor. Ensure your NAP information is consistent across all listings and that you have completed your profile with accurate and up-to-date information.
Client reviews are an important factor in local search rankings. Not only do they provide social proof to potential customers, but they also signal to search engines that your business is reputable and trustworthy.
Ask your clients to leave testimonials on your Google My Business profile and other review sites such as Yelp and Facebook. Respond to all positive and negative reviews to show that you value customer feedback and take their opinions seriously.
Schema markup is data that assists search engines with understanding the content on your website. Local schema markup, in particular, helps search engines find and understand the location of your business and appear more often in local search results.
To use local schema markup, add the appropriate schema markup to your website, including your business name, address, phone number, and other relevant information.
Local content creation is the process of creating content related to your local area, such as blog posts, videos, and social media posts, that is designed to engage with your local audience and improve your local search engine rankings. By creating content tailored to your local area, you can connect with your local community and help build awareness of your business.
For instance, if you own a restaurant, you could create blog posts about local food festivals or create videos showcasing the local cuisine. This type of content not only helps improve your local search rankings but also helps establish your business as an authority in your local area.
Dominating local search rankings requires a comprehensive approach that includes claiming your Google My Business profile, optimising your website for local search, building local citations, getting customer reviews, using local schema markup, and creating local content.
At Hurricane Digital, we specialise in helping businesses succeed in local search rankings. We offer a variety of services, from local SEO to content creation, that can help you reach your potential customers and expand your business. Call us at (07) 3132 8715 to find out more!
