8 Essentials for local SEO success

On-line search engines have been buckling down on calibrating their algorithms to give high quality results based on location. Google is the best at doing this, thanks to an update that rolled out almost a year ago. It is important to know that local search can change your SERP presence but even more so it is important to know how to act on local SEO in the most effective manner.

Below is a list of some essentials that could point you in the right direction when it comes to local SEO success.

1. Create a unique landing page for those directed to your website.
An interesting and diverse landing page can mean your content reaches your local target.Begin by thinking about your clients, what data would they say they are likely to need from you? A good landing page ought to include: 

• Address and Telephone Number
• Extra contact information
• Map and directions
• Opening times
• A photo gallery
• List of services
• Offers

From an SEO perspective, every landing page needs an optimised:

• Page URL
• Page title
• H1
• Meta description
• Tags

Keep in mind that these are just some suggestions, SEO is a very broad topic.

2. Add a business listing for each individual store.
You can add your business to Google and Bing for no cost using the straightforward online set-up tools. Make sure you check every posting, a little but vital detail.A good suggestion is that you create a business Google and Microsoft account to this opposed to using a personal account to set up the listings. This will come into play especially when creating Google+ pages and YouTube accounts for your business.You need the page to be found through relevant searches however you additionally need the listing to recall the attention of potential clients. The advantage of a confirmed business listing is more noteworthy SERPs dominance for brand searches, which can build CTR.

3. Build citations in relevant directories.
This is not about link building as such; it is about verifying your business with well-known business directories.
If you concentrate solely on high quality domains and directories with a relevant audience, you will potentially get direct referral activity.Also stick to one name and keep that consistent!

4. Add google reviews to your local business page.
Google reviews can have a beneficial outcome on positioning based on how recent the comments are. If you have a constant influx of reviews and your competitors do not, this will definitely give you an advantage for local SEO.

5. Provide a user-friendly locator
Make sure customers can find information about your business easily. This is vital when it comes to mobile devices such as smartphones where a poor UI design and slow page performance has a critical effect on exits/bounce rate.

6. Invest in local PR.
This point does not involve directly working on your SEO but it’s linked as the PR efforts can impact your local SEO.
A decent local PR technique will pick up coverage from well-known influencers with an existing market.
The SEO outcome of a PR effort is likely to be:

• Direct traffic to site website
• Referral activity
• Increased social conversation
• More reviews about your business

7. Set KPIs to measure/drive activity
You cannot measure performance like normal analytics. Make sure KPIs are well-defined in order to correctly compare your results with the hopes you had at the beginning.

8. Monitor competitor performance.
It is essential to know what your rivals are up to when it comes to local SEO. The best suggestion is to perform a straightforward benchmarking activity, adjusted to your KPIs. For instance, take a look at their Google reviews.
If they have social media accounts monitor their activity.It is not easy to be the best at everything, so in some cases it pays off to concentrate on being better than your competitor where it is the weakest.

What do you think is the key to Local SEO success?

[contact-form-7 id=”400″ title=”The contact form”]