You’ve worked hard, and built a successful business.
But you can order most everything with a click of a button these days. How can your business stand out and be found in your local area?
Here’s what local SEO ranking factors are and the ones you need to keep an eye on.
What are local SEO ranking factors anyway?
The goal of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is so that your business shows up when a customer searches.
Your company bakes wedding cakes that are gluten-free?
So when a customer searches “wedding cakes gluten free” you want your business to come up first. There are various factors that affect that ranking.
Before, the local ranking factors didn’t necessarily include the traditional SEO factors. Google changed that with their Pigeon update a few years back.
That means getting all your SEO efforts up to speed, not just local.
Here are the top 5 to keep a close eye on.
On-page signals
In recent years, the phrase “near me” has been tacked onto searches twice as often and continues to grow.
For Google to consider you in a nearby search, they have to be able to find your location information.
Name, address, and phone number should all be text on your page, not in an image. That way, Google’s bots can read your information and include it in nearby search results.
Plus, 2016 saw the rise of AMP – Accelerated Mobile Pages.
AMP is all about serving up information to customers quickly. If your site isn’t mobile optimized yet, it needs to be. ASAP.
Links
Backlinks, or links that point to your site from another, have long been a staple of SEO.
They’re also an important local SEO ranking factor. And it’s about quality, not just quantity.
Make sure the links you’re putting on your site, and ones that link to you, are authoritative.
Google My Business page
Is your business listed on Google? And more importantly, is your listing accurate and up-to-date?
If not, you can be penalized by Google (and no one wants that!).
You’ll want to upload at least 5 photos and choose an accurate category for your business.
Make sure your Google My Business page is working for you.
Content and keywords
Hopefully, having great content is already part of your marketing strategy.
If it’s not, it needs to be.
Great content is not only valuable to your customers, but it contains keywords. Keywords help Google identify what your site is about.
The name of the game is making sure Google knows who you are.
Reviews and reputation
One of the key local SEO ranking factors is Google reviews. You need to make it easy for your customers to post a review of your business.
If you’re worried about the possibility of a bad review, there’s a way to deal with it. And, not only does Google use the number of reviews in your ranking, so do customers.
You can even offer an incentive like a discount on their next visit if they leave a review.
Just make sure you’re not buying a review – Google will figure that out and will penalize you.
How we can help
We are an online marketing agency, specializing in helping you boost and manage your online reputation. The online and offline worlds are no longer separate, so a positive online reputation is essential.
Do you know what your customers are seeing about you online?
Start with our free report and take control of your digital presence today.
