Many local businesses are still ignorant about local SEO optimization. They do not know how to dominate local SEO. We have shared the pro tips that you can follow in the beginning. If you want to get a step by step guide on dominating local SEO then we got you covered.
Several parts we have covered in this article including, local SEO, GMB profile creation, citation building, directory profile optimization, etc. Before we started writing the article, we have discussed every tiny details from our best local SEO experts at The Ideal SEO. Well, without saying anything, let’s start by knowing local SEO.
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO is a sophisticated term that we use for search engine optimization based on any particular geographical location. Well, for better understanding, let’s see this example.
Imagine that you have business shop in a specific location, and you are providing different products or services to the customers. Now, what do you want? You want more people finds you and visit your shop to buy products or services, right?
Now, on the internet, usually when we optimize any business, it is for the world, meaning is that anywhere in the earth people can get your site through search engine. Well, for your business, it is not worthy that people from the outside of your locality are getting informed that you have a product or service business.
Instead of that, you need to reach those people who are searching the products or services from the locality where your shop is. Now, optimizing your business shop website for those keywords or phrases that people are using to find products or services you are selling. Optimizing those location-based keywords for your business site is what we call local SEO today.
5 Definite Pro Tips to Dominate Local SEO
We have already discussed the way of optimizing your business website that brings targeted local audience into your local shop. However, here are the five advanced tips follow them adequately and you will know how to dominate local SEO.
- Set up Your Google My Business Account and Verify.
- Publish New Blog Posts About Local Events, and News.
- Add local Area Based Meta Descriptions.
- Encourage Customers to Leave Their Honest Reviews.
- Build Up a Good Network & Relationship with other Local Businesses
Step By Step Method on How to Dominate Local SEO
We have found a base-rule for local SEO that you need to have local business shop name, address, and phone number and you can rank for any city with these three info. If you can implement local SEO factors with proper addresses in any city/region based on your business, then it would be easier for you to rank higher in that area for that particular keyword.
Keyword with city/region will allow you to create location-oriented landing pages dedicatedly for that specific location. You need to publish content describing the location mentioning the perspective with the product or services you are providing.
We have seen many times that people are simple ranking because they are writing about the location on an individual page. If you see those pages, then you can easily tell that it is made just for SEO purpose.
To help you dominating local SEO for whatever purpose you need, we have developed this comprehensive step by step guide on “How to Dominate Local SEO.” Without further delay, let’s start with the most important job for local SEO, which is GMB profile creation.
GMB Profile Creation
If you are new to local SEO and just want to start with it then Google My Business listing is the first thing you must go with. After all, Local SEO on Google’s dedicated platform will take you further to get higher ranking on local keywords.
Well, there is a popular local term that people are using for searching anything they want on search engine, “product name + near me.” If you can optimize local SEO for your site correctly then there is huge chance that you will rank for these terms.
For an example, imagine that a person who need coffee and he has a smart phone. Now he has searched for “coffee near me,” and his location is on. Now, google will show him results based on the location he is staying right now.
Think about it for a moment that so many people are searching the product or service you are selling and they are using the same style while searching. If your GMB – Google My Business account is available and optimized well, then you will get such visitors at your shop. It is because Google has feature that allows users to get direction to your shop.
Well, make your Google My Business profile as optimized and professional looking as you can. To learn how to create your Google My Business Account, how to verify your business on Google listing, and make it as authentic and strong as possible, follow our steps in the below.
What is Google My Business?
Before anything to start, let’s know briefly about Google My Business. Well, GMB is a free platform or you can say it a tool that let’s business owners to manage how the business appears on Google search and Google maps. Needless to say that, if you add your business name, location, hours, and contact details (phone, address, email) then you will get to know about your customers.
In addition to that you can monitor and reply to customers’ opinion or reviews about your business on this platform. You can also add recent images, events, and the list goes on. You can learn how people are searching for you, what they are trying to find from you, etc. It can be your one-stop business solution if you can use it following the right way.
List and claim your business
Listing your business on the Google My Business is nothing but to let Google know that you have a business. Most of the cases, you will find your business on Google with less info than you think because often they searches for new business and collect information through the local guides.
If you do not see your business, no need to worry, just add it and ensure that you have included your business address in proper manner. It must be matching with the address you have used on your website or anywhere else.
The next best thing is claiming the business and let Google know that you are the rightful owner of the business and the location. If the location have not been claimed before then after some simple steps you will get your business claimed.
However, if you see that the location was claimed before then there will be a security precautions to claim it. You need to contact Google directly and within few days they will return with some additional security precautions that confirm, you are the owner. Google does not want a single individual to claim several places.
Another “must consider” thing is that whichever Gmail account you use, it will be the only communication media for further contact. If you do not use a personal email like “Gmail,” then use the business email, and it is more professional.
Well, if you all of them correctly, then congratulations, Google now knows that you own that local and the business.
Verify your business
During your GMB profile set up it is the most time-consuming step you will face. After claiming your business, you will see an option “Verify your Business,” and you need to click that option. After clicking, there will be a form that allow you to give your address.
To that address, Google will send a secret pin through physical mailing service. Now the final step, you need to put that secret pin into your GMB profile. Once you do that, the verification and activation process will be completed. If you do all of the steps correctly, then will see a notification that says, your business is now verified.
After the official verification process, now you will get access to the limited edits on your GMB profile. With the term “limited” means there will be a limitation on how detailed information you can input on your GMB profile that people will see on search engine.
However, no need to worry, with this limited account, you should be add enough details about your business including, Name, Address, Phone number and hours of operation. It would help the best to communicate potential customers. Google will use your contact address then place on the google map to give direction to your customers to your shop.
Download the GMB app
Google cares its users and they have taken their GMB service to the next level by providing a dedicated mobile application. All you need to do is downloading it from the respective app store of the mobile you are using, and then install it.
After installing Google My Business (GMB) mobile application, now you need to login using your Gmail credentials. If you do it correctly then you will see every options that were present on the web version.
You can see how your listing is performing, how many clicks you are getting, and many other details that you should see to track the performance. Well, use the mobile application wisely that you can get the benefit of understanding what you should do to improve.
Know the difference between Google My Business, Google Places, and Google+
Local Directories Profiles
Local directories are those platform where you can put your NAP (Name, Address, and Phone Number) information, including contact email address, and other details about your business. It helps to generate targeted visitors to your shop. However, creating profiles on local directories can be crucial and useless if you do not do it correctly.
You should try to create location-based directory profiles. It will help you improve brand visibility along with the popularity. Remember that people are searching for business types or service types on the search engine and they are finding the best provider.
How they identifying? Well, they are observing your activities and availability including, comparable service details. Now, these local directories have their dedicated system developed within their platform and it automatically showing information that visitors need.
Build Local Citation
Local citations are quite similar to the directories because citation can happen on any directories. Well, the definition of local citation will be like this, any place where you can share the three vital item of citation NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) at least.
Why they are important? Well, you should know that it is essential to reach targeted people, regardless of which platform they are coming from. It is important for local businesses because whoever searches anything with local keywords, they are really searching for the particular products or services.
Create as much citation as you can but remember do not make multiple on the same platform. Make sure that you are using same information on every citation you are making. It will help search engine to rank higher your business on search engine by identifying all the citation of your business.
Optimize Local Profiles
Now that you have created all the local profiles, including directories, GMB profile, Bing local business, Yelp, and other citation for your local business. Now, you need to do is optimizing them for SEO.
You can optimize those profiles by using targeted keyword that you want to rank for. Optimizing your local profiles for SEO will not only improve your search appearance but also increase organic visitors. However, you will see that every local directories, or business listing platforms have their sophisticated search engine within the platform.
Regular users of those platforms are using those search engines for searching the products or service providers. So, now you understand why is it essential to optimize your local profiles for SEO that brings new customers to your business.
Handle Client Reviews
Client reviews are the most essential signals that the search engine bots receives for rating any local business. Competition in local businesses category are growing faster because people are starting to think that they can do a lot better online.
Now, after perfectly setting your all of the local SEO factors, you will surely get views and viewers as well as some reviews from real-life customers. Not all of your customers are going to review you on these platforms but you can request them to leave a review.
Some of the reviews will be good and some of them will be bad. You need to be calm and strategically move responding to your unsatisfied customers who reviewed you as bad service provider. Handling client reviews are not an easy job, it needs lots of effort and hours of study to make anyone becoming positive review after negative one initially.
Always be polite with the customers because they are paying you money to get your service, so try building up a good relationship that lasts. As well as, you will get recommendation from those customers.
Publish Local Content
All the terms mentioned above are off-site local SEO optimization. Now, we will discuss on-site optimization. Every locality has their own cultural events as well as other events that you may visit just as a stranger. Some localities are also organizing international events or celebrations to enjoy.
To make your strong relevance with those event, you can publish new contents about them on your website. Local content can show-up on local searchers’ SERP and they might get interest to check the page. Not necessarily all of the local content should be about events or celebration, you can publish any types of content that your local people would interested about.
Keyword research is the best choice to know what people are searching from your locality. If you can do KW research in the right way then there is a possibility that you will get many keywords that brings targeted readers.
On-page Optimization
Well, in the previous section we have mentioned a term about optimization, and here in this section we will discuss the final part of local SEO on-page optimization. On-page SEO optimization on any local businesses with proper keyword based on the location then you will get unlimited visitors to your business.
On-page SEO helps the most to rank higher on the search engine. It includes, location-based, Meta title, descriptions, URLs, and the body content. Now, if any business owner can optimize all of these items properly then their business must rank. However, quality of your website, webpages, content must be unique and above the fold that helps readers. Most importantly, publish content that people are searching for and optimize the content correctly.
You can take this service from us if you want.
Final Words: How to Dominate Local SEO
We are at the end of the discussion on dominating local SEO. If you go through our article then you should understand how to dominate local SEO that make sense and natural in the eye of the search engine. Without being natural there is a possibility to get banned.
Avoid anything like that, follow our instruction to get success on local SEO optimization. No need to worry, you can always hire any SEO Agency like us and get the best local SEO services that brings customers.
