{"id":510,"date":"2018-01-23T12:02:57","date_gmt":"2018-01-23T12:02:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.searchenginewatch.com\/2018\/01\/23\/how-to-get-started-with-local-seo\/"},"modified":"2020-03-13T18:17:45","modified_gmt":"2020-03-13T18:17:45","slug":"how-to-get-started-with-local-seo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2018\/01\/23\/how-to-get-started-with-local-seo\/","title":{"rendered":"How to get started with local SEO"},"content":{"rendered":"

Local SEO<\/a> proved to be one of the biggest trends throughout 2016 and 2017, and is expected to continue doing so throughout 2018.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Businesses that have been able to optimize their on-page and off-page SEO<\/a> strategies are already reaping the supreme benefits of local SEO.<\/a> For others, there are undeniable opportunities to begin their local SEO<\/a> journeys.<\/p>\n

Google suggests that 80% users<\/a> conduct online searches for local businesses, while 50% of users who do a local search<\/a> on mobile for a business visit its store within a day.\u00a0Yet\u00a0businesses continue to miss the opportunities that local SEO<\/a> provides.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be that business. Instead, use the tips and tricks mentioned in this guide to get started with local SEO<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Claim your Google My Business page and optimize it<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Google+ might have mostly fizzled out, but Google My Business<\/a> continues to be a cornerstone for implementing local SEO<\/a>. If you\u2019ve not claimed a Google My Business listing for your business yet, this is the time to do so. The chances of your business featuring on the front page in a local relevant search improve manifold purely by having a well optimized and\u00a0filled out\u00a0My Business Listing.<\/p>\n

Go to google.com\/business, start the registration and verification process, and wait for Google to send you a postcard to your physical store location.<\/p>\n

Make sure you understand that Google only allows real business owners to have their My Business pages; so you need to work out an arrangement with your digital marketing consultants so that you continue to own the My Business listing even if they depart.<\/p>\n

Your business name, address, and phone number (abbreviated as NAP) must match what you have been using for digital marketing till now. Also, lay special emphasis on selecting categories, business hours, types of payment accepted, etc.<\/p>\n

Then, have top quality photographs of the office front and insides uploaded on to the profile. Digital businesses without a location can hide the address to still be able to claim their My Business listing.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what a well maintained and optimized Google My Business profile could look like on a search page.<\/p>\n

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Understand and master the art of citations<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Here\u2019s it, put simply \u2013 every mention of your business online<\/a> is a citation. More citations are good for your business\u2019 local SEO<\/a>. How does Google consider a mention as a citation? Well, your business NAP has to be mentioned for it to be counted as a citation.<\/p>\n

Too many businesses have already lost several months of efforts in getting themselves mentioned online, purely because of inconsistent NAP. Though increasingly there\u2019s consensus among digital marketers that Google actually triangulates data<\/a> and identifies slightly different business names as belonging to the same business using NAP, we\u2019d recommend you play it safe.<\/p>\n

Keep on optimizing your website for mobile<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Though this is something every website owner must do, local business website owners need to speed up their game particularly well. That\u2019s because a majority of local searches are done on mobile devices, and are intent<\/a>-backed.<\/p>\n

Responsive layouts, intuitive user experience and interface design, etc. are the basics; you need to step past them! Google\u2019s Mobile Friendly testing tool<\/a> is a great starting point. I did a test on a post I was reading recently, and was impressed with the tool\u2019s validation.<\/p>\n

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Add business directories to your to do lists<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Apart from giving you a valuable citation online, business directory pages for your business also garner more visibility for your business. Here are some action points for you.<\/p>\n