How to do Local SEO for Beginners?
Local SEO is a valuable opportunity for businesses to reach their local audience. Before we start looking at how to do local SEO as a beginner, let's take a closer look at the statistics for 2024:
So where do you start? Local SEO all starts with your Google My Business profile. When you craft your Google My Business profile well, it has a positive impact on your local SEO efforts, helping Google understand your business location, improving your ranking in local search results.
Before you create a new Google My Business profile, you need to ascertain if Google has already set one up for you. This is an important step as you don't want your business duplicated. Enter your business name in Google and see if there is a Google My Business listing. If there is, claim it. If not, create a new listing.
Ensure you add your information accurately, this includes your business address and phone number, enabling potential consumers to contact you. If you have a website, you will want to add it now.
Always verify your location to improve your local ranking. Google will send a postcard to your physical address that has a five digit code. On receipt, enter the five digit code into your Google My Business listing to ensure your business hows up in Google Search and Maps.
The next step is to ensure that you provide any additional information about your business, helping Google understand your business, while enabling you to attract visitors. This includes business hours, any attributes, such as local deliveries or card payments, along with the products and services you provide.
Upload high quality images that shows your business, products, and team. Ensure your profile remains up to date at all times, giving potential customers accurate information when they need it.
Conduct local keyword research and then incorporate your chosen local keywords into the content you publish on your profile.
You can publish posts to your Google My Business Profile. See it as a social media platform, where you can add promotions, events, updates, and news, that can improve your local ranking.
Remember seventy six percent of consumers rely on reviews to evaluate a business, therefore you want to encourage your happy customers to leave a review. Always respond to reviews you receive, whether they are positive or negative.
With your Google My Business profile now set up, you are a step closer to improving your ranking in local search results. Now it is time to focus on the other elements of local SEO.
Citations are an important part of any local SEO strategy. Citations validate your address, helping to improve your ranking. Citations are ensuring your information appears n local online directories. It is essential that you ensure your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) remains consistent whenever you publish it.
Now it's time to take a closer look at your website. Content published on your website should use the local keywords you selected, helping you boost your ranking and reach your local audience. Remember to provide high quality and informative content that will add value for the reader.
Local SEO is a valuable tool, as long as you take the time to pay close attention to your efforts, monitoring and updating your strategy for success. Local SEO provides you with the opportunity to reach your local audience and drive potential customers either to your website or to your brick and mortar store.
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