An Introduction to Local SEO

JonCarlo Hernandez-Lopez

What is Local SEO?

Local Search Engine Optimization, or Local SEO, refers to the process of ‘optimizing’ your business’s online presence in search engine results pages to increase relevant web traffic and convert local searches. Typically, Local SEO is most effective for businesses with a physical location, like a brick-and-mortar retail store, dentist’s office, and restaurant or service-area businesses (SABs) like cleaning companies or electricians.

Local SEO ranking factors commonly include keyword research, Google Business Profile, local listings, niche citations, on-page optimizations, link building and online reputation management. By considering these ranking factors you can optimize your business to capitalize on local searches in your area.

Keyword Research for Local SEO

In-depth keyword research is incredibly important for a Local SEO strategy to be implemented correctly. It’s extremely important to know the where, how and why searches are finding your business, as well as your competitors. It’s also equally important to find new opportunities to try to rank for that you may be currently missing out on. The data that you find from strategic keyword research will give you incredible insight on your business, and also influence your Local SEO optimizations.

Types of Search Queries for a Local Business

Using the example of a plumber, we can identify a few ways users might be searching on Google. Common local search queries for a plumber can include, but aren’t limited to:

• plumber in atlanta
• commercial plumbing in atlanta
• sewer repair near atlanta

Here, plumber is the primary Google Business Profile category, and a plumbing business could show up in search engine result pages for any of these queries. These are search queries that are either implicitly or explicitly looking for a business or service in a specific area. This is commonly known as a local search.

Identifying more local search queries like the examples discussed above is why local keyword research is so important. There might be dozens, or hundreds of ways people are finding your business online. Keyword research is a time consuming process and can often be difficult, however there are strategies that should improve the effort and impact of this task.

Keyword Research Tools for SEO

There are many tools that can be used to perform keyword research for local SEO. Here is a list of some of my favorites for gathering data and insights on key search queries:

• Google Keyword Planner (Free)
• Google Search Console (Free)
• Third-Party Tools
  • Ahrefs (Paid)
  • SEMRush (Paid)
  • Moz (Paid)

By using a combination of these tools, you can gather data from a variety of sources to build an in-depth list of queries searchers are using to find your business. Third-party tools can be used to discover what terms your top competitors are ranking for, so you can try to out rank them. Once you have a well researched list of key terms you want to rank for, you can use this list to influence decision making moving forward.

Understanding NAP for Local SEO

NAP is an acronym which refers to the name, address, and phone number for your business. The NAP of your business is critically important as this is typically the first bit of data that search engines will understand about your business. Inconsistent NAP information can confuse Google and searchers, and earn distrust for your business online.

A businesses NAP will be displayed on its website, Google Business Profile, local listings, citations and more, and it should be consistent across each platform. Other important business information that should be consistent includes:

• Business Hours
• Website URL
• Business Category

Keeping this information consistent sends trust signals to Google and builds credibility for your business online. Updating this information on your website and your Google Business Profile is a great place to start optimizing for Local SEO.

Google Business Profile (fka Google My Business)

Google Business profile is a free and easy-to-use tool for businesses and organizations to manage their online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. (Source)

Having a Google Business Profile comes with many benefits, and is the only way you can rank in Google Maps and the “local pack”. A well optimized Google Business Profile contains plenty of information about your business. Through Google Business Profiles, you can manage your business information & make updates when necessary, interact with customers that engage with your business, and understand & expand your presence online.

What is the Local Pack?

The “local pack” refers to a SERP snippet that appears on the first page of results for any local search query. This SERP snippet features three Google Business Profiles that most closely relate to the query. The local pack is typically the first result for local search queries across a multitude of devices, including desktop, mobile, voice assistant and Google Maps.

Google Business Profiles are free to set up, and have a fairly straightforward step-by-step process to get your business listed on Google, which includes creating or claiming and verifying your business within Google Business Profile. Here’s how to get started with Google Business Profile.

Local Listings for Local SEO

Local listings refers to sites similar to Google Business Profile where your business can show up in search results. Some examples of popular ones include Yelp, Tripadvisor, Facebook, Apple Maps and Bing Places. While these sites don’t receive as much search volume as Google, they are still important places to have a presence. Users looking for a “reliable plumber in atlanta” might check out Yelp for someone with good reviews, and while Bing only accounted for about 7 percent of the global search market, it’s still a source of some search traffic. It’s critically important that you continue to maintain business information consistency (remember NAP!) across all platforms that your business is listed on. Some sites will pull third-party data to populate listings so any inaccuracies can lead to a snowball effect if other listings decide to use this incorrect data too.

Setting up profiles on these sites can be as straightforward as setting up a Google Business Profile and is definitely worth taking some time to do. Alternatively, you can hire an agency or consultant to take care of the leg work and help you get listed on these sites.

Niche Citations for Local SEO

Niche citations are similar to local listings in that they mention the name, address, and phone number of a local business online. What makes niche citations unique is that they are relevant to your specific business category or location. For example, a plumbing business in Atlanta may want to seek citation opportunities for a local Atlanta business directory or local publication.

When it comes to creating niche citations you should keep two important things in mind:

• Citation business information needs to be correct and consistent across all sites
• Citations should be relevant to your business category or location

Auditing existing citations identifies inconsistent, incomplete, and duplicate NAP citations. This should be done periodically to correct blatant issues with the way your business is presented online. Niche citations can be identified, audited and created manually, which can be time consuming. Using a tool like BrightLocal’s Citation Tracker tool can significantly speed this process up.

On-Page Optimizations for Local SEO

There are many on-page optimizations that can be made for local SEO, which overlap with some traditional SEO practices. Local keyword research ties in with many on-page optimizations that can be made in places like:

• H1s and Other Headings
• Page Titles (or Meta Titles)
• Meta Descriptions
• On-Page Copy

Strategically implementing your top keywords into these on-page elements will help search engines understand your business better. Doing this will also optimize how your website shows up in organic search results, and how well it ranks for specific local search queries.

What Are Organic Search Results in SEO?

Organic search results are the results that are presented in SERPs strictly algorithmically, and do not include paid search results (advertisements). According to Google, organic search results appear because [they are] relevant to someone’s search terms (Source). Local organic search results appear because they are relevant to someone’s search terms and have local search intent.

Optimizing a Landing Page for Local SEO

Since your Google Business Profile and other listings & citations should contain your website URL, you’ll want to lead them to a landing page that has an abundance of useful information and is well-optimized for conversions. A great local SEO landing page answers the following questions:

• What is the product and/or service?
• Why should I choose this company over competitors?
• How can I contact this company?
• Can I trust this company?
• Where can I learn more information?

A great landing page contains many elements. Each of which provides value to the user and keeps them well informed. A great landing page contains unique content that is focused on the main products and services that the specific business location offers. Clearly explaining the specific products and services you offer will help filter in and out searchers looking for a specific offering. Providing your unique value proposition through enticing copy using your top keywords is a strong way to create unique content for your local SEO landing page.

Your business’s NAP and other important business information (like your hours and contact information) needs to be present on the landing page. This information should be consistent with your Google Business Profile and other local listings & citations.

A great local SEO landing page also contains reviews, awards or logos of well-known brands that your company uses or works with. These are examples of trust signals that can build trust with potential customers. These simple, but effective pieces of content can be a make-or-break aspect for why a lead chooses you over your competitors.

Of course, a great local SEO landing page has actions for the customer to complete. These can be phone calls, form submissions, email subscriptions, onsite purchases, and even reservation or appointment submissions. Each of these actions should be tracked using Google Analytics so you can measure the success of your optimizations.

Each of these elements will be key to earning relevant traffic and capturing conversions to your business. Other common on-page optimizations that can be made to your business’s website to help it rank include adding relevant schema markup, internal linking, page-speed optimization link-building, and more.

Link Building for Local SEO (Backlinks)

Building backlinks (or link building) is a traditional SEO practice that involves receiving a link from some other website to your website. Backlinking is important because when one website links to another, it means they believe the content is notable. High-quality backlinks is known to be effective for increasing a site’s rank and visibility in SERPs.

Link building for local SEO means you should try to build links to your business’s website from reputable local, or niche, publications with strong domain authority. Running a backlink audit of your top competitors is a great way to find sites to get backlinks from. Earning “link signals” is one of the most important ranking factora for local organic results and for ranking in the local pack. Link building requires a lot of time and effort, so although it’s an important ranking factor, it might be difficult to achieve for a novice SEO. It might be worth considering an agency or consultant to help with this task, or to use a tool like Ahrefs’ link intersect tool.

Online Reputation Management for Local SEO

Online reputation management is essentially receiving, monitoring and responding to reviews on your Google Business Profile and other listings. Local businesses should have a robust review strategy in place to earn reviews from their existing customers, and to respond to reviews both positive and negative in a timely manner. Typically, responses within 2 days are the most anticipated by users.

Reviews are one of the top ranking factors for the local pack and are also a key consideration when a searcher is determining why they should choose your business. It’s important to monitor all your listings like Yelp or Tripadvisor because Google pulls reviews from these third-party sites and will include them in your business profile.

Local SEO FAQs

What are the benefits of Local SEO?

Local SEO is beneficial as it allows you to reach more customers online. Optimizing your business’s online presence with local SEO strategies can help you outrank your competitors, increase your website’s traffic, improve your conversion rates, and provide continuous growth for your business. Any business that has a physical location or serves a geographic area can benefit from local SEO.

What’s the difference between SEO and Local SEO?

Traditional SEO and Local SEO have some parallels, yet also have many differences. The goal of local SEO is similar to that of traditional SEO because both are optimizations to increase the visibility of a business in organic search engine results pages. However, local SEO is specific to optimizations for local search results.

What matters for Local SEO?

There are many ranking factors for local SEO, however the top ranking factors commonly include:

• A well-optimized website
• A complete Google Business Profile
• Local listings & niche citations
• Online reputation management
• Link building (or backlinks)

How can I learn Local SEO?

There are many resources on the internet for learning local SEO including online communities, forums, blogs, and online courses like BrightLocal’s Academy, where you can earn certifications for a variety of local SEO disciplines. Learning by doing is also an incredible way to get real-world experience and exposure to local SEO. Consider providing a local SEO service to a friend’s business, or your own, to learn the ropes and put practice into play!

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