Did you know, according to Google Business, 76% of people who conduct a local search on their smartphone visit a physical place within 24 hours, and 28% of those searches result in a purchase? These statistics highlight just how important it is to be optimised on local search, to boost not only online store visits and purchases but to also increase footfall and in-person sales. If you’re not sure your website is bringing people into your store, whether that store is physical or online, this blog is a good place to start!
If you’re new to SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), then it can be summarised as actions taken on a website and online platforms to ensure your business appears at the top of Google search results. It’s as simple as that. However, if you would like to read an introductory blog on SEO, head to our blog ‘SEO Tips for Your Website’.
So, what is local SEO? Local SEO is the practice of performing SEO optimisation focused on your business’s local area. This can include both on-page and off-page (and technical) SEO techniques, which we will go into later in this blog.
Local SEO is so important because, in this digital age, most people search for a business online before visiting it. In addition to this, optimising your local SEO will enhance your SEO overall, so if you’re primarily an online company or you aren’t bothered about targeting a specific area, this blog is still for you!
Google Business Profile
Every business nowadays needs a Google Business Profile if they want people to be able to find them on Google or on Google Maps. It’s the first step to optimising local SEO, and creating one is really easy. Make sure you have added all your business information including opening hours, high quality photos of your business, and keep your Google Business Profile updated when any key information changes. There’s nothing more frustrating than finding out a business is closed after checking their out-of-date opening hours in Google!
To create an effective Google Business Profile for local search, make sure to include Gloucestershire-specific keywords. For example, include words like ‘Web Design Cheltenham’ in your business description if you’re a web design agency looking to find business in Cheltenham.
Keywords
Ever heard people talking about on-page SEO? It’s not rocket science; it simply means the SEO actions taken on website pages. This includes using keywords strategically, for the search queries you want to rank for, using keywords in headings, optimising metadata for your website pages, internal linking, content quality and image optimisation.
However, when it comes to using local keywords strategically, you must make sure you’re not “keyword-stuffing”. This where you saturate your website content with the same keywords again and again, which will compromise the overall quality of your content.
The most effective local keyword strategy is to first research local keywords using a tool like Google Keyword Planner. Google Keyword Planner allows you to enter possible search queries that your customers might be using, and it will provide you with a list of potential keywords that you can use in your website to rank for those search queries.
More obviously, it works wonders with your local SEO to use location names in your website titles, headings, meta descriptions and content. Make sure to include all the nearby areas you are looking to do business in, and use both specific and general, short and long-tail keywords. Short-tail and long-tail keywords are keywords that are either one word (short-tail) or a combination of keywords (long-tail), for example ‘local web designer in Gloucester’ is a long-tail keyword.
Location-Specific Content
Another way to boost local SEO is by creating location-specific content. This could look like blog content that is localised, for example a blog about a local event or partnership. You could also have a case studies section or page on your website that features Gloucestershire clients and how you’ve helped them, with before and after stories and pictures, or something similar.
Online guides and tips aimed at local customers can also be a great way to optimise local SEO if you include the relevant place names, for example a guide called ‘How to Reach Customers in the Cotswolds on Social Media’. This will position your business as a local authority, and SEO is all about domain authority, i.e., if your website is found to be a source of knowledge and helpful advice for people, then Google will rank it more highly.
Local Citations and Links
Links, citations and backlinks are another fundamental element to ranking locally. Having links to other websites that are a source of authority on a subject is a great way to ensure your website also appears authoritative. For example, linking to a blog on the National Trust website about how the Trust looks after their sites and gardens in the Gloucestershire area will help you rank for gardening services in Gloucestershire.
Including links and citations to local directories, the chamber of commerce and respected review sites will also give your website credibility and visibility.
Backlinking is where other websites link to your website. This can be beneficial if the website linking to yours is, again, authoritative. For example, you could approach local Gloucestershire business blog websites and ask them to feature your website, or local news outlets for areas you want to rank for.
Reviews and Ratings
Reviews of your business will impact your website’s search ranking because Google will use these to decide on the quality of your services and products. Not to mention that Google has its very own reviews platform, Google Reviews, which will appear in Google search results when potential customers search.
To get more reviews, you can directly ask your satisfied customers to leave reviews on Google for you, maybe by including a Google review link at the bottom of a ‘thank you’ email. Responding to reviews promptly and professionally also bumps up your Google ranking.
Featuring your good reviews on your website also emphasises to Google the quality of the service that you provide, so it’s often a good idea to have a testimonials page where you detail the location of each anonymous reviewer.
You can also feature Google, Trustpilot or other review platform reviews on your website with a widget that looks slick and well-designed. Just ask one of the team at it’seeze websites Gloucestershire and we can do this for you!
Geo-Pages
Finally, one of the best ways to capture potential new customers in a specific area is by creating 'geo-pages' on your website. Geo-pages are basically separate pages on your website that are directed at the areas where you want to do business. For example, you could have a geo-page for ‘Website design in Stroud’, ‘Website design in Cheltenham’, ‘Website design in Gloucester’, and more!
This will mean that the Google bots will crawl and rank each page separately and as a result this website page is more likely to appear for more specific locational searches.
However, you must ensure that the copy on your geo-pages is not the same across the board. Google prioritises authentic and original content, so it is worth re-writing the content on each geo-page and tailoring it to that location.
Conclusion
SEO is never a finished project, and in the case of local SEO you may find you need to continually tweak your website to get the results you want. In addition, Google actually likes it when you regularly edit your website with new content and update any necessary information, or add a blog (demonstrating your website’s authority), so this is a good habit to get into!
And if you need a helping hand with your local SEO, the team here at it’seeze Websites Gloucestershire is here to make your SEO dreams a reality. Get in touch with us today!
If you’ve made it to the end of this blog, leave a comment and we’ll give you some kudos!
Want help making sure your website is ranking highly in local Google searches? Contact the team today!
This blog was written by Ruth Miller Click here to meet the team...
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