How To Launch A Winning Local SEO Strategy?

A local SEO service unlocks the business potential within the local community. When a website is optimized for local searches, then the customers specifically looking for the particular services in the given area are won over. Local SEO services are of high importance for businesses relying on foot traffic or running a physical storefront. Through Local SEO services, these local stores gain visibility and conversions from nearby potential customers. Local SEO services are the smart move for growing business locally.

The Important Local SEO Ranking Factors
Google focuses on the three pillars of Local SEO to determine the local search results, which include Proximity, Prominence and Relevance. The physical locations hold their importance but they are not the be-all and end-all because a business might be located slightly further away, but could outrank the nearest on grounds of prominence or relevance.

i. Proximity
Proximity means the distance between the users and the physical business store or else the service area. Google calculated proximity in two ways –
• The search query containing the location name.
• The location is calculated on the basis of the prevailing Google information regarding a user's device.
This might be tough at the time of local search optimization since matching a shop to a local market is not easy or even possible. Often proximity becomes a barrier for E-commerce stores looking forward to entering a local market.

ii. Prominence
Prominence means how well the local community know the business. Google considers several factors within this area. Business information from every corner of the web is collected for determining the rankings. This comprises details within directories, backlinks from other relevant websites and customer mentions on social media platforms.
Online reviews also influence the area of prominence by enabling the Google algorithms to detect whether the customers had an enjoyable experience and how much would they recommend the business. Prominence, essentially is all about creating a locally known and preferred business in a local area.

iii. Relevance
Relevance indicates how closely a business is related to the user’s queries and end goals. Google reviews the online published information to match the business to relevant searches and to understand the search queries.
Let us say, a generic search for "salon" will display a variety of different nearby options. On the other hand, a more specific search for "salon open on a Sunday" will bring up the businesses explicitly mentioned being open on a Sunday. This is all about satisfying the user's end goal.

Top 12 Ways To Launch A Winning Local SEO Strategy And Stand Out In SERPs
Right local SEO strategies have always proved rewarding for efforts to pay off. Here are 12 points for improving local rankings with a local SEO strategy.

1. Claiming or Optimizing Google Business Profile
Google My Business is an online directory providing users with accurate information regarding local businesses. Within the launching year, the business could automatically have a listing. Sometimes this is helpful but the automated listing could contain errors, so optimizing the GMB listing is essential. Here are the steps to get it done –
• Complete all the required information and then post the listing
• Upload the photos and videos of the exact business location
• Include product listing in profile. Promote the new products as a GMB listing optimizing method.
• Directly interact with the users and encourage reviews and ratings.
• Monthly update the listings and monitor them on a weekly basis.

Users can easily find the business when all the relevant information is included in the listing to optimize the profile.

2. Increasing the Citations in Online Directories
All the territories should be marked in all the big map data aggregators such as Google, Apple, Bing and Yelp for maximizing traffic for online and physical stores. The target should be landing in the top 5 results on Google since it fetches maximum user click–through rates.
Consistent and accurate information should be provided and any duplicate listings should be avoided for getting the maximum from the online directories. If needed, an application letter should be sent to the Chamber of Commerce membership in the community, to find access to the external inbound link as created for the area.

3. Performing a Local SEO Audit for the Website
Comparing a website to the competition to ensure your business is in a better competitive position should be done by using free tools and analyzers like Google Analytics to complete the audit. To compare the website's top results on the SERP, the target keywords should be identified.
Types of contents, elements, keywords and website layout should be encoded in a spreadsheet to keep all audits on track.

4. Identifying and Targeting Local Keywords
Local businesses target location-related keywords to utilize the increased website traffic. “Near Me” search terms increase a lot making the key focus for local businesses. These local keywords are to be identified and targeted to boost the website traffic and visibility.
Using Google's Keyword Planner Tool, keywords within 10 – 15 miles of business can be identified. This tool helps in filtering the location-based keyword searches to locate all the popular searches in the area. The Keyword Planner even brings up a list of relevant keywords for targeting local businesses. These keywords are to be included in the website's content, copy and URL.

5. Optimizing for Mobile
A mobile-friendly website is a must for local businesses as shoppers use Smartphones to browse. Local searchers will scroll through the website when a good user experience is created. Here is the brief guideline for optimizing a website for mobile –
• Fast and responsive page display
• Readable fonts with short paragraphs and subheadings
• Structured text format write-ups with white space
• Relevant images and appropriate media display

Research on the specific mobile-friendly features of successful brands is necessary along with the involvement of a web developer for creating a mobile-friendly website.

6. Encouraging Happy Customer Reviews
Customers enjoy the great happy customer reviews. So, claiming Google My Business profile and other online business listings for encouraging reviews is necessary to get maximum customer response.
Customers can be offered discounts or freebies as an incentive. It helps in improving the online presence of a website, improving the online presence of a store and building trust with potential customers. When responses are given to all reviews, then the business is better engaged with customers.

7. Creating Relevant Local Content
Localizing the content to target audiences makes the business more relevant. A blog post, a press statement release and a separate landing page connecting with the community are some hints. Offering insights about the local community, promoting local events or offerings and partnering with local organizations help to relate the brand's value. Contents going beyond what business sells are more effective.

8. Focusing on High–Quality Backlinks
A backlink means a link from a third-party website leading back to the website. Backlinks from high–quality websites positively impact a website's ranking and authority, specifically important for local businesses.
Here is how high-quality backlinks can be built for local businesses –
• Partnering with top-ranking websites and offering guest posts on the website
• Participating in outreach activities and influencer engagement
• Tracking brand mentions through social listening
• Producing relevant and shareable content

Writing long-form, relevant, high quality and fluff-free content is the key to an effective backlink content strategy.

9. Creating Location Based Pages
Creating location–based pages is helpful if there is more than one business location. Including the store name, location, operating hours, contact details and unique store description and inserting testimonials from the satisfied customers who have visited the location is more relevant.
An interesting "About Us" page is appropriate when there is only one store in a specific location. It should contain the trivia about the area. A Google Map of the area can be included to generate the best results.

10. Making The Website Google Search Friendly
Together with optimized business listings and content, page structure should be emphasized to boost search rankings. Title tags, meta descriptions, headers and URLs should be optmized. Creating each new blog post means creating a new indexed page, targeting a local search phrase for the URL to rank higher in the SERPs.
By adding high-volume keywords to the page structure, the "near me" local searches can be optimized. Geo-targeted content can be strengthened by including case studies and customer success stories.

11. Adding Google Business Profile Posts and Creatives on Social Media
To promote Google My Business listings of local businesses, social media is very much effective. By browsing social media, customers are aware of the latest sales, events, and business changes like store schedules and product visibility.
There are Facebook users who visit the local business pages once a week.
Follow these hints for making the most out of social media strategy –
• Whatever your preferred channel is, remain active there.
• Be consistent to post quality and relevant content.
• Explore scheduling and automation tools for maximizing engagement.
• Enable convenient online shopping for customers.

Small businesses earn a lot of significant impact from social media to gradually increase sales and web traffic.

12. Participating in Local Community Events
The more a business participates in local events, the better its local SEO improves. Attending these events enables original connecting with audiences and being acquainted with the local community. Hence, a fruitful brand promotion method.

A brand can gain maximum exposure and spread awareness through sponsor events, joining larger community events, partnering with organizations or becoming a panelist. These are the opportunities to utilize fruitfully and increase visibility and reach a wider audience.

The higher the proposition is on the search results page, the users are more likely to click on the link and land on a website. A search engine user would rarely scroll down to the second page of results to come across their preferred match. Hence, a website has to achieve the first-page rank on search engines.