Local SEO Tips to Rank Higher on Local Searches

Are you a small business wanting to attract more customers from within your local community? Local SEO is a super powerful and cost-effective tactic that can significantly boost your visibility and drive traffic to your website.

As 69% of all website traffic comes from local and organic searches, optimizing for local SEO can really keep a business on top of its competition. But what is local SEO, and how does it work?

Below is the complete guide to local SEO, which will be introducing you into this world of strategy and will help you know the six key steps of better ranking in local search.

What is Local SEO?

Local SEO is the strategic method of optimizing your presence online to improve your visibility in local search results. A business that has a physical location can really profit from using local SEO since there is a big potential to earn organic traffic coming from customers in the area.

They feed the most relevant local results to users based on signals such as local content, social profiles, links, and citations. Proper application of local SEO strategies places your business in a position where it can be discovered by those searching for your products or services.

When a user performs a local search, Google analyzes its index and comes out with the most appropriate results. Local SEO is not like any form of regular SEO because it includes its own set of ranking factors that Google applies to figure out the positions to showcases the local search results.

Why Local SEO is Important?

The final goal of local SEO is to get dominance in SERPs through getting into a key position for localized search, which is that queries contain a specific geographic area or phrase “near me.”

Some interesting statistics revealing the extreme level of importance local SEO holds for businesses are provided below:

• Of all the Google searches, 46% are “local in intent,“ meaning nearly half of all Google searches are directly related to finding local businesses, products, or services.

• 29% of all Google SERPs feature a local pack in the results. A local pack is a three-pack of businesses that come to the forefront, very often including a map and business information. This prime location is a hotspot for businesses to appear before potential customers.

• 76% of mobile users who are searching for something local will visit a physical store within that day. This is one proof to the present immediate impact of local SEO. While searching for local businesses on their mobile phone, the ready-to-buy consumer is immediately going to expect answers from local businesses nearby for their queries.

These statistics clearly reveal the importance of local SEO to businesses. Consumers are increasingly relying on search engines to find local business so it logically follows that businesses unoptimized for local search will miss opportunities with significant numbers of would-be customers.

Top Local SEO Tips for Higher Rankings and Visibility

To dominate the local search results and attract more customers, here are some of the most effective local SEO strategies you must do:

1. Create Google Business Profile and Optimize it

Start with claiming your Google Business profile. This will establish your online presence and increase your profile’s visibility. To maximize this impact, include all these essential elements:

• Business category: Google will automatically give you the suggested categories that best match what you typed in the box so you can find the best one for your business.
• Physical address: Input the accurate and precise business location so clients can easily find you.
• Contact number: This has to be the number of your business so that customers can call you directly.
• Website URL: Your website address, in case a customer requires more details about your business.
• Cover photo: A high-quality photo to be uploaded with minimum resolution 1024 pixels by 575, aspect ratio 16:9; the purpose behind this is your business will be showcased.
• Business logo: You can upload your business logo and the idea is, so that customers can identify your business and it would build your identity.
• Attributes: Add relevant attributes like “women-owned” or “veteran-owned” to make your customers more informed about your business and what it stands for.

You can also find and add relevant keywords, high-quality images, and photos of customers in your content for a more qualitative response from your target audience.

2. Find and Target Localized Keywords

Next step is to find the relevant local keywords that may increase your chances of ranking on the local searches performed by your target audience. You then implement the keywords organically throughout your web page content, headings, meta titles and descriptions.

3. Optimize for Mobile Searches

Make sure your website is fully mobile responsive so that everyone, whether it is a mobile user or not, gets to have a seamless experience when accessing your website.

To get maximum visibility and best user experience for local mobile searches, you should use the following strategies:

• Responsiveness: Make sure to optimize your website design for enhanced mobile SEO, focusing on improved looks and functions to be accessed flawlessly on any device.
• Page speed optimization: Ensure that your pages load really fast so that they are navigable by most mobile users.
• Include Viewport Meta Tag: Include the viewport meta tag to control how to display the width of your website and scaling on different devices.
• Implement schema markup: Use schema markup so that Google understands your content and indexes it efficiently.
• Optimize images: Optimize the images on your website to ensure smaller file sizes with larger filling times.
• Optimize for voice search: Optimize your content for voice searches using natural language and long-tail keywords.
• Shorten your metadata: Be very short with your metadata so you don’t get truncated on the screen size of smaller devices.

4. Create Location Pages

Location pages in a website helps to boost local SEO rankings and gain attention from the target audience in their targeted regions. By providing relevant information through location pages, businesses can offer their services and products in an effective manner.

These location-based pages will be effective only if you include the following important points:

• Unique page for each location: If you are operating from or serving to multiple locations then you need to create separate pages for all. Hence, you need to provide specific information about each one of them.
• Accurate NAP: Check your business name, the full address, and your phone number (NAP) and then display very prominently on each location page.
• Local news and offers: Notify the community with news or coming local events if for example, there are any coming in some area or site in relevance to your business.
• Location-specific content: Make a unique attribute, local attraction, local event, or community activity unique on every location page.
• Prioritize ‘near me’ keywords: Use some local terms in your page title, header, and body text as appropriate in doing a local keyword research that would aid in improving your Google search ranking.
• Google Maps Integration: You should have a Google map that you can include in your website to locate where your business is, and there is no reason why your user cannot find you.
• Clear Call-to-Action: Make the visitor’s decision clear by providing an appealing call to action that can lead them into making a reservation, getting directions, or contacting your business.

5. Create Localized Content

Provide informative and good-quality content to your targeted audience and the local area. At the same time, make sure to include keywords related to the locality in your content. To ensure that you actually talk to your target audience and really reach local markets, don’t forget these key tips:

• Know your demographics and behavior: Understand your target audience’s demographics, cultural preferences, and more so you can develop SEO-optimized content that honors the needs of your audience.
• Focus on key areas: While you’d like to localize everything, focus on the most important content, for those are most likely the pieces that will give you the biggest impression with your target market.
• Use inclusive language: Be culturally sensitive and avoid using idioms, expressions, or metaphors that your target audience may not understand.
• Develop a style guide: Develop a style guide that will be used for consistent terms and usage throughout the localized content.
• Be culturally sensitive: Be conscious of regional language variations and cultural sensitivities when choosing images or other visual elements to use.
• Be creative with transcreation: Translate is not enough. Use transcreation or creative translation to adapt your content according to the local cultural dimension of your target market.
• Personalize content for local markets: Create content localized for local markets, such as blog posts, social media posts, or videos about your journey. It will help you establish a personalized tone for your local audience.

Creating content for your local audience will help you increase ranking on local keywords on Google. Also, make sure to optimize your content for mobile devices as their usage for searching continues to grow.

6. Add Local Schema

A local business schema can provide search engines with valuable information about your business, helping you appear in local search results with rich snippets.

To implement a local business schema, follow these steps:

• Determine your category: Pinpoint the specific category your business falls under. For example, a burger restaurant would use the category “FoodEstablishment.”
• Create or update ‘About Page’: Create or update your About page to include a “AboutPage” schema item. This will provide search engines with information about your business’s history, mission, and values.
• Test Your Code: Utilize Google’s Rich Results Test or the Schema Markup Validator to verify that your schema code is correct and structured properly.
• Add and Publish Your Schema: Incorporate your schema code directly into your HTML code or use a managed user interface, schema app, or plugin. Publish your website to make the schema code visible to search engines.
• Crawl and Test Your Schema: Use Google’s Search Console to track your website’s search traffic performance and identify any issues with your schema implementation.

If you encounter any problems, review your schema code and make the necessary adjustments to ensure it is functioning correctly.

7. Build Local Backlinks

Acquiring backlinks from reputable local websites will enhance your website’s authority and local search rankings. This will also help you connect with local communities and trigger your brand to become more reachable.

Here are some ideas to help you enhance your local SEO to welcome even more customers:

• Local business directories: Get an accurate and complete listing on some of the popular local business directories, including Google My Business, Yelp, and Bing Places. Optimize these listings with relevant keywords, high-quality images, and customer reviews.
• Connect with local bloggers and influencers: Build reliable connections with local bloggers to foster influencer marketing in your niche. Collaborate on content, guest post, or social media campaigns so you reach more people.
• Guest blogging: Guest blog on popular and local blogs/websites that are relevant. This will provide you with backlinks along with your position as an authority in the niche.
• Broken link building: Find broken links on other websites and provide relevant content to replace them. This way, you can build relationships with other websites and earn great backlinks.
• Reach out to local media: Reach out to local media outlets to share newsworthy stories or press releases for the generation of media coverage.
• Become a local resource: Offer a local guide or resource for your area and then place your business as a good source of information.
• Engage with local communities: Actively interact with your local online communities, their social media groups, to get connected and establish networks with potential customers.

8. Create and Distribute Citations

When you’re just starting out, you need to build citations in order to appear in local search results. Implement the following citation management strategies to elevate your local search presence and generate higher conversion rates:

• Choose relevant citation sites: Choose citation sites which are relevant to your business and make a big difference in local search rankings.
• Maintain NAP: Maintain consistency with regard to NAP. Make sure that your name, address, and phone number appear the same everywhere online.
• Add photos wherever needed: Add high-quality photos of your business to make your listings more visually appealing and to increase your chances of showing up in image searches.
• Target websites and press mentions: Make sure your contact information is correct and easy to find on websites and press mentions.
• Use data aggregators: Instead of trying to set up your business in as many directories as possible, use data aggregators to have the job done for you.

9. Utilize Social Media Platforms

Social media always complements SEO when it comes to increasing online visibility, gaining quality traffic and maintaining a firm reputation. When utilized strategically, it can provide more power to your local SEO efforts.

To successfully use social media marketing for local SEO, follow these tactics:

• Optimize your profiles: ensure that all your profiles on Facebook, Instagram, and twitter are optimized with the actual business information in them, such as business name, address, phone number, and web address.
• Tailor your content for local audience: They will definitely be interested in various topics of interest, culture, and events that pertain well to their surroundings. adding references, landmarks, or news about them will make your content relevant.
• Join or build niche communities on social media groups: join or create Facebook groups that are industry-related or in your local community which are comprised of your target audience. share valuable content and discuss the issues to build relationships, establishing your business.
• Utilize chatbots for personalized communication: Engage messenger chatbots that automatically provide instant support help and also assist in answering most frequent questions. use chatbots for suggesting a product or service to a customer based on the customer’s preferences.
• Host contests to gain followers and promote products: Try running contests or put on giveaways to gather more followers and increase the exposure of your brand. contests are an outlet for the promotion of your product or service and invoking further sales from customers.

10. Encourage Customer Reviews

Among all the above local SEO ranking factors, user-generated content like customer reviews possess a great significance. It not only drives new customers but also enhances your online reputation in your targeted region. Google also considers customer reviews as a key factor for defining a brand’s proximity, relevancy, and importance.

Implement these tactics to persuade satisfied customers to write a review for your business and subsequently build your reputation online:

• Request promptly: Request a review shortly after the customer has had contact with your business because the experience is fresh on their mind.
• Create a strong section: Place a section of your website that is dedicated to customer reviews so visitors can find and read the reviews without any trouble.
• Respond quickly to reviews: Ensure that all customer reviews, whether negative or positive, get responses as quick as possible. This will display the efforts that you put in place for customer satisfaction.
• Request for personal feedback: You can make personal review requests through text or email. This can be done by mailing them with a link to the review platform for easy access.

Rank Higher in Local Searches with Our Testified Strategies

As a reputed SEO agency, eSearch Logix offers support to help businesses achieve the objectives they desire through local SEO services. Being one of the best SEO companies in India we were ranked by Clutch for excellent service delivery.

We have helped our clients rank more than 1 million keywords on Google page one. We are local SEO experts. Our team consists of over 100 marketing professionals with over ten years of successful SEO campaign delivery experience.

What you can expect from us:

• Local search rankings: Our expert SEO staff is on standby to conceptualize and execute a local SEO strategy to place you at the top of the search results.
• Enhance targeted traffic: We ensure that your website and online presence are optimized so that you drive more traffic that’s targeted, meaning more qualified leads in your local market.
• Build brand awareness: With local SEO services, we will be able to build your brand recognition and position your business as an authority in the local industry.

Contact us today to learn how eSearch Logix can help you dominate your local search and drive business growth.