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Do you want to improve your local SEO rankings and customers? You have to follow some steps and activity to get that. In the Earlier years of search-engine, it was very easy to get local rankings but nowadays several algorithms and guidelines that you need to crack to beat your local competitors.
As usual, In the SEO there are mainly two techniques that you have to follow on page and off-page, if you understand these two techniques deeply then rank locally for your business would be very easy.
According to SeoExpertBrad, 46% of all searches on Google are seeking local information. So it could be very important to rank locally when customers are searching related to your business and its keywords.
I am SEO Expert and founder of Local SEO Work, I have been working for local businesses as well successfully ranked for them by following below SEO steps, so by analyzing working experience and reviewing top SEO experts reviews, mentioned here the top local SEO tips to improve local SEO rankings.
As the name suggests, Google introduced Google my business to improve local results and better serve to local users. GMB is the same as a business listing page.
When you search locally with local keywords then at the top of the search engine Google my business listing comes that displaying according to business distance, GMB reviews, according to keywords and more, it is pretty easy to be found on GMB page.
Suppose customers searching for a business like “restaurant near me” then if you have GMB page of your restaurant business near searching area then it will be displayed on top of SERP.
So what are you waiting for, it is free to create GMB page, also easy to set up. Where you can fills business name, business hours, business categories and a short description. It is essential to feel all the details to better rank on Google SERP.
After registering on GMB final step will be to verify your ownership by postcard or a call, it depends on Google for verification methods. After entering the code of your business, it will be live in the seconds. Moreover, if you do not want to show your location then it has the option to hide that on the setup section.
Tip: I have one trick that shows your business listing even with the keywords on the SERP under the GMB listing. Just you need to do enter the keyword in the Google my business setup page after the business name, so when someone searches in your low distance with keywords, your business may come first.
For Example: When I am, searching for “mobile app development company Melbourne” in the Google, businesses are coming on the top of SERP page that name contains the keyword I am searching for.
How will search engine and visitors be aware that you offer services locally in your city? Then one of the important solutions is by adding the keywords.
Keyword helps to search engine better understand your page and rank it locally, and also helps to user for better understand, they are on the right page as they are searching. So it will be a serious point to find keywords according to them.
In the keyword research first you have to decide your targeted city or area, after that, you have to find keywords those are customers searching and helps give the conversions. There are several steps to get suggestion about your keywords.
When you are searching on Google, it is showing suggestion of related keywords in the bottom of the page, as you can view in the screenshot. Like here I have searched for “web development Melbourne” and Google Showing suggestions for that related keywords.
So, I want to tell you that, when you want to target local business, you can get more keywords ideas by searching in Google SERP. This will help you to target multiple keywords and get found for them locally with low competition.
When you are doing keyword research, it would be important to find long-tail and related keywords. Today, many popular blogs like Forbes and Search engine land suggests a Keywordtoo.io as the best tool to find long-tail keywords. It is free and paid, if want to know search volume and competition then you have to subscribe to this tool, even without subscribing it give you the more suggestion for your keywords.
As above, I have searched with the keyword ‘web development Melbourne’ and it has given me the long-tail keywords related to my local keywords. There may be some keywords unrelated to your business, but you can ignore them and filter the keywords that are important for you.
As the name suggests, Google keyword planner was developed by Google. This tool is available into Google Ads. Find keywords in the keyword planner very easy and accurate compare to other tools.
Keyword Planner is showing related keywords ideas of your business and keywords to target a particular country or city. Alternatively, you can change your targeted city and country from the locations setting available on the left of the keyword planner. Even you will get average searches and competition along with the keywords.
As you can view above when I searched for the keyword “web development Melbourne” then it is showing me related keywords ideas with searches and competition, so it would be good to search on Google keyword planner.
Now, after completing the step of finding local keywords, we go further to setup keywords on your website. Now where you can set up the keywords, you have to add keywords in the meta title and description of the page and also need to add in the content body, that will make your page completely local user-friendly, that surely help you to increase the SEO of your business locally.
In the SEO there are number of activity available, but which activity come first to rank locally? To rank your local business search engine most depends on local back links, so it could be essential to generate some high authority backlink from local sites.
When your primary goal is rank locally or want to target local business then you have to submit your brand name and link in local news or press release submission sites, to get some reputation locally. For Example if you want to target local city of Australia, then you have to find local news submission sites.
As my experience, this is very important point to rank locally. As each your competitor who have same business and services still they are standing front of you in the search engine, why? Because it has some high valued award and recognition that give them reason to stand at upper position, it generates some unique value and authority in search engine’s mind. Do not be nervous if you do not have, you can part in the local business award and donation camp that helps to win awards and recognition, award also be the reason to get listed in local news sites.
There could be a number of reasons when users ask questions related to your business or services like when they are confused about product, want to get review before buying, or get some idea about services and other more. So this is the best opportunity for you to be a part of this. It is one type of local marketing. There could be a number of forum website where you can give questions and answers belong to you. Forum website also helps to increase your brand awareness locally.
If you ask experts about number one website which is standing globally for local users then there is one for you quora.com. According to Impact ‘Quora is the best place to Build Brand Awareness’ It is a place where local users ask their opinion and experts give their answers, and most important it is high authority website which is normally standing in the first page on SERP.
Most of SEO expert familiar about article submission sites; it has been popular since the starting of SEO. But if you want to target your local business then your primary aim might be to get back links from local article submission sites. There are several local article submission sites available sites available free and paid where you can submit your content and links.
Local business listing is best option for the startup business to get recognition locally. Today in 2019 there are number of high authority business listing sites available like Clutch, yellow pages, Glassdoor and more. It would be good to submit your business In Globally popular website, but when it comes to local authority, then you have to first submit your business in local business listing sites. Moz Local Search is the best tool to check, where you or your competitor business listed locally.
Competitors research it also important to beat your local competitors. There are number of popular tools available for competitor research, which help you to make your research easy and get your local business on the first page. But when talk about competitor research, what you need to do, All SEO expert familiar about common competitor research steps like check back links, content quality, keywords in the content, social media account and more.
But still how can you improve competitor research locally, then you have to check competitor’s local customer reviews and its sites. Here is one trick is that you can also get local business listing sites from your competitor research by searching competitor brand name in Google that will show all the business listing first in Google SERP, that websites you can also use for your business to beat the competitors.
As a SEO expert I have tested hundred of website, and increase their real local review and result is in front of me, so I want to say that review still matter to rank locally for your business. First where you can get reviews and it get values in the search engine. Today most of business listing sites shows review of related business, so by increasing that from your real customers you can increase your local rankings. There is could be forum website where customers asking about your product or services so you can tell to your real customers to share their review on that website. Moreover, in the Google my business you can get reviews from your local customers. Remember that I am not talking about fake reviews, it will take you to spam so do not try it. Just you can inspire to your customers for reviews by giving discounts and special offers or any other method.
Some experts think that social media is not great source for the conversion, but I do not believe that as it completely depends on business and their services, if customers are more interested in your product services then you definitely get conversion from social media also. When you target whole country then may be its get time to get conversion, but in the case of local traffic it is too easy to great. Just you need to post some attractive image, increase local users and follow them, chat with them to if they are interested not to everyone but that you think its reply to you or commenting, tell to a friend or colleague to share your post, invite more local people to like your page. There is also some other methods, but in short you have to share only attractive post with image, that increased your post impression and convert to customers.
I am sure this will post help you to increase your rankings, as it is overview of my whole experience period, combination of expert reviews, and some points referenced by top SEO articles. However, if you are SEO expert and still you want to include some important points then mention below in the comment section, I will add in my next post.
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Well explained points, these article helps to increase my local SEO rankings more easy way.