Local search is becoming an integral component of SEO strategies in Great Neck Plaza NY and can be highly lucrative: A 2017 report from Acquisio discovered that 75% of mobile searches with local intent lead directly to in-store visits within 24 hours.
There are various key criteria that must be considered when ranking local SEO, such as proximity, relevance and prominence. Read on to discover how you can optimize for these elements of success.
Keyword research
An essential step of local search is identifying relevant keywords and including them in your website content, to draw the attention of both search engines and readers alike. Google Keyword Planner can help you pinpoint local terms that may be popular. For instance, if your restaurant is situated nearby a tourist attraction or landmark, make sure that these landmarks appear somewhere within its text content.
Another key factor is assessing and managing online reviews for your business. Positive online reviews are considered ranking signals that can increase local SEO rankings, providing your company with legitimacy and trustworthiness – this makes writing quality reviews for your company extremely important! You could use tools such as Rank Math to optimize titles and meta descriptions to further boost local SEO performance.
On-page optimization
On-page SEO involves optimising a website’s content and structure to provide a positive user experience – an essential factor when ranking search results with Google. Optimization in this aspect includes using behavioral signals that signal to Google that a site is useful, relevant and trustworthy.
Behavior indicators are crucial in local search rankings as searchers tend to seek results that meet their individual needs. When you leverage them on your page, searchers will stay longer, which increases the chance that they convert into customers.
On-page optimization involves including relevant keywords in your title and meta description, while optimizing your content for voice searches. If you’re a portrait photographer in London, for example, optimizing your homepage with “London portrait photographer” as that will increase your ranking for local search terms – increasing the chance that new clients come your way!
Off-page optimization
Off-page optimization is of utmost importance for local search rankings. This means creating high-quality content relevant to both your location and audience that attracts organic traffic while building your authority and reputation online. Utilizing local keywords in title tags and descriptions can further boost visibility on search engines – however avoid overstuffing with exact-match keywords as this could incur penalties from Google’s Penguin algorithm.
Moz has identified review signals as one of the key factors affecting local search and snack pack ranking, since customers tend to contact businesses after reading reviews. Therefore, collecting authentic reviews through consumer directories such as Yelp, Facebook, Thumbtack and Foursquare is essential in improving off-page optimization for any local business. Furthermore, adding click-to-call buttons on both your website and GMB listing increases conversion of visitors into clients.
Link building
Link building is one of the cornerstones of local SEO. It can help your site rank higher in search results and drive more visitors. Link-building strategies may include attending community events, contributing to blogs or networking with local businesses.
Your titles and descriptions should include local keyword phrases for optimal performance. A tool such as Rank Math will assist in finding the ideal phrases while giving insights on how well your content is doing.
NAP Citations are also key elements in local SEO; these consist of mentions of your business’ name, address and phone number on reputable websites. According to Whitespark, NAP citations play an essential role in local search rankings as they help Google surface the most pertinent businesses during online searches. It is crucial for accurate citations across platforms; aim for NAP consistency when listing on platforms such as business directories or university.edu sites.