What is Local SEO?

Definition of Local SEO

Local SEO is the process of optimizing your business website’s presence to increase its visibility in local organic search engine results. This optimization benefits both online and offline businesses. Local SEO optimization has three main pillars:

1. Proximity: Google considers how close the business is to the user.
2. Prominence: How popular your business is, often influenced by backlinks to your website, social media, positive reviews, and consistent citation information.
3. Relevance: When a user performs a search, Google wants to show results that are most relevant to the query. Therefore, the information and content on your Google My Business profile or website must be relevant to your business.

Read Also: How Important is SEO? Here are the Benefits of SEO for Businesses and UMKM

Why is Local SEO Important for Your Business?

Have you ever wanted to buy something online but didn’t know the store name or address? According to Google data:

• 30% of all searches on mobile devices are related to location.
• 76% of people search for nearby businesses on mobile devices every day.
• 28% of these searches result in purchases.

Furthermore, based on Local SEO statistics for 2022, it is stated that:

• 46% of all Google searches include local searches.
• 97% of users search online to find local businesses.
• 62% of consumers will ignore a business if they cannot find it online.
• 86% of customers use Google Maps to find local businesses.

This is a golden opportunity for your business, as 56% of local businesses have not claimed their Google My Business listing.

Considering these statistics, Local SEO is crucial for optimizing both your website and Google My Business to grow your business online and offline.

How Does Local SEO Work?

The workings of Local SEO are similar to general SEO that we are familiar with. When a user performs a search, Google will provide the best results for a keyword based on its indexing process. However, the difference between Local SEO and general SEO is that Google uses a different set of ranking factors to determine local search rankings.

If you are looking to sell products or services to customers in a specific city, you need to familiarize yourself with Local Search Marketing.

Understanding Local Search Results in Google SERP

When displaying local search results, Google shows two types of results: the Map Pack, which is a Google SERP feature displaying the top local business listings and a map. This often appears at the top of Google search results for local searches. Below the Map Pack is the Blue Link section, displaying the traditional 10 search results we are familiar with. You can leverage both rankings for your business.

Now that you understand the results above from both the Blue Link and Map Pack, you need to optimize both your business website and Google My Business profile.

Factors Influencing Local SEO – Complete Local SEO Guide

Completing Your Google My Business Profile

According to Moz, one of the main factors for ranking in the Map Pack is your Google My Business profile. It is essential to provide signals to Google, such as:

• Specific business category.
• Google My Business description.
• Complete business address.
• Phone number.
• Website (if available).
• Business hours and holidays.
• Service area information (if applicable).
• Adding products and services.
• Adding relevant photos.
• Asking for reviews and actively responding to reviews. This is vital for building your business’s reputation.

In completing your profile, make sure you conduct keyword research to find keywords relevant to your business. This can include main keywords, their variations, volume, and local search intent, so you can apply them in your Google My Business profile, website content, and other information. You can also use SEO tools such as Semrush, Ahrefs, and others to optimize Local SEO through their keyword research features.

By having a Google My Business account, you can also use its free features to grow your business, such as Chat, Posting (Promotions, Events, etc.), Q&A, and Insights for analyzing local search data.

Creating Valuable Content

Creating relevant, high-quality content for your website is essential for Local SEO. Content can come in many forms, such as blogs, articles, videos, animations, and more, based on the keyword research previously conducted. High-quality, relevant content can be applied to both your website and Google My Business features.

On-Page SEO Optimization

Although Google My Business profile has the biggest influence on Local SEO, your business website remains important. On-page SEO helps search engine bots understand your website’s context, making it easier for your pages to be found in Google searches.

You can utilize your keyword research results for On-Page SEO optimization by including those keywords in your URLs, titles, headings, meta tags, and meta descriptions. Another important aspect of maximizing Local SEO is using Schema Mark-Up. Schema Mark-Up with the Local Business type provides signals to Google that your website is a Local Business, enabling your business to show up in local searches.

Moreover, a website that is SEO-friendly and mobile-responsive directly impacts On-Page SEO. Websites with well-designed user interfaces and user experiences (UI/UX) will be more easily discovered.

Building Links

Link-building strategies can involve offering links or partnering with local websites from relevant industries. However, this strategy should not be done carelessly. Make sure the links come from authoritative websites and contain relevant keywords.

When adding internal links, ensure each link points to a relevant page on your site with sensible anchor text. Links can be placed at the top or side of a page.

Building NAP Citations

NAP Citations are essential for establishing your business’s relevance in local search results. The structure of NAP Citations includes your business’s name, full address, and phone number. NAP Citations should not only appear on your website but also consistently appear on social media and third-party websites that describe your business.

Here is an example of applying NAP Citations on a website:

What is Needed to Start Local SEO

Guidelines for Representing Your Business on Google

Learn the guidelines for representing your business on Google to understand the information required for local business marketers. These guidelines will help you avoid violations that can lead to lost rankings, penalties, or even removal of your local business listing. Review the guidelines regularly for updates.

Here are the basic guidelines for Google My Business:

• Represent your business consistently as it is known in the real world through signage, stationery, and other branding materials.
• Ensure your address and/or service area are accurate and precise.
• Select only the minimum number of categories necessary to describe your core business.
• Optimize one profile per business.

Preparing Your Business Data

Auditing your business data is not difficult if you have only one business location. However, it becomes challenging if you have multiple business locations across different areas. You must update each location’s information one by one.

Use the Basic Local Business Data template on a spreadsheet to record all the business data you have. You can add businesses, edit data, or delete businesses quickly and accurately using the bulk upload feature in spreadsheets.

Clear Identification in Your Business Model

Be careful when determining the right business model for your business. Business models can include:

• Retail stores or restaurants that customers can visit.
• Service Area Businesses (SAB), such as service providers who visit customer locations.
• Restaurants offering delivery and dine-in options.
• Home-based businesses such as childcare centers or other home-based enterprises.
• Businesses with multiple branches and networks, like McDonald’s.
• Multi-department businesses such as government offices or car dealerships.
• Multi-practitioner businesses, such as residential areas or veterinary practices.
• ATMs, kiosks, and other business models.

Clear Business Goals

Every business should have clear goals. After defining your business goals, think about which metrics you will use to measure success. These metrics will become the basis for your KPIs.

Goals can include increasing awareness, leads, consideration, or conversions. Having clear business goals will help you determine what actions to take, which can then be implemented in content and Calls to Action (CTAs) on both Google My Business and your website to achieve the set objectives.

Conclusion

By optimizing Local SEO, local businesses can easily be found by potential customers based on their proximity. Local SEO can improve the visibility of your business and website in local search results, leading to increased traffic and sales to your business location.

Contact SEO Experts from Doxadigital Indonesia for tailored SEO solutions to enhance and grow your business. Contact us now!

Wisnu Wardhana( SEO Specialist )

Halo! Perkenalka, nama saya Wisnu Wardhana, Saya adalah seorang SEO Specialist dengan lebih dari 5 tahun pengalaman dalam industri digital marketing. Selama bertahun-tahun, saya telah membantu berbagai perusahaan, mulai dari startup hingga perusahaan besar, untuk meningkatkan visibilitas online mereka dan mencapai tujuan bisnis melalui strategi optimasi mesin pencari yang efektif.

Saya memiliki keahlian dalam analisis kata kunci, optimasi on-page, pembuatan konten berkualitas, dan pengembangan strategi backlink yang kuat. Dengan pemahaman mendalam tentang algoritma mesin pencari dan tren terbaru dalam SEO, saya selalu berusaha untuk memberikan solusi yang inovatif dan hasil yang terukur bagi klien saya.

Di blog ini, saya akan berbagi wawasan, tips, dan praktik terbaik seputar SEO yang dapat membantu Anda memahami dan menerapkan strategi yang tepat untuk meningkatkan peringkat situs web Anda. Mari kita jelajahi dunia SEO bersama dan capai kesuksesan online yang lebih besar!

Terima kasih telah mengunjungi profil saya. Jangan ragu untuk menghubungi saya jika Anda memiliki pertanyaan atau ingin berdiskusi lebih lanjut tentang SEO!