Local SEO guide in 2022. Everything you need to know.
Solomon Mugo
Digital Marketing Content Writer | Creator of B2B & B2C content that converts | I will help grow your audience and get more leads
Does your business rank in local online searches? If not, then you need local SEO.
Does a search on Google, Baidu, Safari, or Apple display your business with the correct Name, Address, and Phone number?
Check your online status now! Your company may be losing 80% of potential customers .?
In this comprehensive SEO guide, I will answer all questions relating to local SEO in 2021.
Did you know that,
The internet is driving business in 2021, and innovative companies need to invest in technology or become irrelevant.?
All search engines matter, but Google is a clear leader, with 87.35% of the global internet-search market.?
It will be wise to focus your business optimization efforts on Google.
To properly understand local SEO in 2021, we must answer the following questions.
Table of Contents
What is local SEO?
What is "search intent," and what different types of search intent?
What are keywords, and why are they Important
Why small businesses need Local SEO
How small businesses can improve their local SEO
Let's jump right in
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a series of best practices that enable your business to rank highly in local internet searches. It's a variation of the standard SEO.?
It's the process of optimizing your online content to attract geographically relevant local traffic in search engines.?
A search for coffee in a browser gives the results below.?
Notice that Google offers a map with the nearest coffee shops, names of the business, and other relevant information, including their closing times, star reviews, and distance from your location.
Local coffee search on Google
For a company to appear in local search results, it has to register on the Google My Business platform .
What is Google My Business?
Google My Business is a free platform from Google that allows local businesses to advertise their services and attract relevant local online traffic.
Google describes it as,
"Google My Business is a free tool that allows you to promote your Business Profile and business website on Google Search and Maps. With your Google My Business account, you can see and connect with your customers, post updates to your Business Profile, and see how customers are interacting with your business on Google."
Google offers an enhanced Google My Business App for mobile devices.
This is because the importance of mobile devices in local business is multiplying.?
Research by HubSpot marketing shows that 61% of shoppers are more likely to visit a company if they have a mobile-friendly website.
The Google, My Business phone app is available for companies who wish to exploit the impressive power of mobile devices.
Google My Business Website
Google My Business official website
Search intent
Search or keyword Intent is the basic building block of any Local SEO strategy.?
Search intent refers to what a user is looking for or aims to achieve when conducting an online search.
Understanding search intent is vital in SEO. How Google understands the search is what determines the information displayed on SERPs (Search Engine Results Page)
There are three main types of search intent.
Transactional search intent
This intent shows that the user wants to take a particular action. There is a definite purpose that the user aims to achieve at the end of the search.
Transactional user intent employs such words as,
Transactional search intent means the user has a clear purpose for conducting a purchase either now or in the immediate future.?
The users may visit websites and landing pages of the particular goods and services they need.?
The search intent is usually specific, with the user having the name of the brands and the type of goods he needs.
Other transactional searches that may not use the traditional names include searches for "a flight to the U.S" or "uber rates." Google will understand that the intent is transactional, and results may consist of prices, offers, and competitor rates.
There is a commercial element to the SERP displayed.
Local search for "guitar in Qatar" on Google
Informational Search Intent
The majority of online searches are informational. They are general and give results to search queries without being very specific.
Informational intent uses words like,
You can phrase informational searches in an endless number of ways.?
One particular characteristic of informational search queries is that they are non-specific. They dont specify brand or website names; thus, Google doesn't send them to company landing pages or sites.?
They don't usually lead to conversions. Google gives general results from sites such as Wikipedia.
SEO definition on Googe
Navigational search intent
Navigational searches are between Informational and transactional search intent in the sales funnel. They target particular websites or primary landing pages.
For example, a search for "Youtube" is navigational. The user's intent is very particular.?
Navigational search queries usually don't lead to conversions directly.
Nokia.com search on Google
Keywords
Search intent is influenced by the choice of words employed during an online search.
Keywords are particular words, word groupings, or phrases that a search engine primarily focuses on to determine the user's search query intent.
Google's main aim is to deliver the highest quality content relatable to a user's search.
Consider the two searches below.
The first search is for bananas near me.?
Banana near me searches on Google.
The second search is banana.
"Banana" search on Google
领英推荐
The two searches have a common word, banana. The difference is the added word near me.
The difference in the organic results for both searches is due to the keyword that Google has considered.
Keywords determine how Google algorithms understand search intent. There's a direct correlation between keywords and SERPs.
If you want the content to rank highly, use relevant keywords with a high online search volume. The right keywords will improve your organic traffic and increase your SERPs ranking.
Keywords include everything about your content. Typically companies focus mainly on text, not realizing that images, videos, infographics, audios, and everything else eventually count as keywords.
Keywords are critical in Local SEO strategies because,
If the keyword "organic" appears in multiple searches for fruits, a fruit store will have to stock up on organic fruits to cash in.
By targeting keywords, companies can better adjust to meet customer demands.
2. Keywords help you narrow down the market. If a company wants to appeal to a specific demographic, it will probably be wise to study keywords.
In attracting millennials or generation y's, a company has to focus on "woke" keywords that match the searches of their intended clients.
Keywords run everything; even the 2016 Google algorithm emphasizes the importance of keywords in ranking quality content. Google strives to give the most relevant content concerning keywords used in a search query.?
Keywords are powerful tools that can make or break your SEO campaign and are crucial for online and offline content.
Ensure that your web content is keyword optimized in the URL, headers, Meta description, and title tags.
Long-tailed keywords are great for local SEO because they are more specific and have a higher conversion ratio. A 2020 Statista report found that 40% of American online searches contained at least two keywords. This report underscores the importance of keywords.
Importance of local SEO to local businesses
Higher Ranking
SEO Allows a business to Rank highly on SERPs (Search Engine Results Page).?
The purpose of any business campaign is to get more sales, dominate the market, and make more profit ultimately.
Google is a market leader in the online world. Google accounts for 87.35% of the global internet searches, according to a Statista report of 2020.
Ranking highly on Google will increase online traffic, improve your CTR (Click Through Rate), and increase sales conversions.?
Google algorithms consider over 200 factors when ranking pages, but the two most important factors are high-quality content and keyword use.
Optimizing these two parameters will skyrocket your business visibility on the internet.
SEO ranking factors in 2021
2. Better client engagement.
The main advantage of local SEO is the ability to engage users actively. Since local SEO focuses mainly on physical locations, feedback from clients is available.?
Clients can leave comments or reviews, depending on their level of satisfaction. Companies can build their brand's reputation and grow their customer base through these engagements.
A 2015 survey by Moz concluded that online reviews influence 67.7 % of shoppers . Companies with excellent online reviews are more successful, unlike those without reviews.
3. Link customers and clients in real-time.
Local internet searches are usually transactional, real-time, and defined by geography.?
Knowing that over 46% of all Google searches seek local information, businesses need to update their SEO strategies.
According to Hubspot market statistics, 72% of users who did a local search visited a store within a 5-mile radius.
4. Overtake the competition
The primary focus of a business is to make a profit. For this, clients must access or have information about your business.?
Local SEO increases visibility, leading to higher CTR and conversions. Optimizing on local SEO allows you to overtake your competition.?
You can improve your site by inserting relevant keywords, Images, and videos to drive traffic to your business site.
5. Improving your company ranking on the local pack
The local SEO 3-pack listing refers to the first three results displayed by search engines when you conduct a local search, i.e., when you use words like near me.
Implementing Local SEO will improve your firm's chances of featuring on the local SEO 3-pack listing.
According to the SEO tribuna l, 78% of local mobile-based searches result in an offline purchase.
A business ranked highly on the local pack can convert new business from non-locals.
Recent research concludes that ?97% of customers learn about local companies online, so improving your company's ranking on Google is imperative.?
Local SEO Is the real deal for small businesses. To maximize returns, companies have to use SEO optimally in the following ways.
1. Site optimization
Perhaps this is the single most crucial factor in SEO optimization. You can use different site optimization tactics, including,
A website is the best platform for interaction between potential clients and businesses. A properly optimized website will get massive site traffic and conversions.?
Creating local content relevant to your geographical location will attract more local traffic.
2. Local 3-pack
Google defines local SEO as one which is determined by geographical boundaries. For a business to feature in the local pack, it has to register on the "Google my Business" site.
With 46% of all Google searches seeking local information , companies that appear on organic results in a specific locality have a higher client conversion ratio.
The top 3 companies that appear on SERP have a massive advantage. Research by HubSpot found that 75% of users don't scroll past the first page of SERPs.
3. Improve NAP on your site
NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone number. Local SEO works on geographical principles. Your NAP has to be consistent on your Google my business site and the company's website to maximize your returns.?
Having a consistent NAP on all the business pages is ideal. Conflicting information makes google ignore listings or give erroneous results.
According to nectafy research, 88% of people who do a local search either call or visit that business within 24 hours.
4. Backlinking
Backlinks are essential for building pages and domain authority.?
A backlink is an external Inbound link from a different website to your site. A backlink acts as a vote of confidence.?
It helps Google realize that your site is relevant if other high authority sites vouch for you. Backlinking will improve your page and domain authority. Sites with high DA and PA?rank highly in SERPs.
5. Build your local citation
A citation refers to anything to do with your business online. Your company name, address, phone number, postal code, zip code, or email address.?
Build your citation through blogs, vlogs, reviews, events, or seminars. Get your credentials out into the world. If you appear frequently enough, Google will start noticing.
Local listings are online portfolios that contain all the relevant information about your business. Many online platforms offer this service for free. Citations boost your company's profile online.
6. Increase Reviews
Reviews are an essential strategy in network marketing. Giving excellent service guarantees positive reviews from content clients. Optimize your page to have a review section.?
Google ranks companies with 5-star reviews higher than others. Reviews are social proofs and endorsements from the public.?
Reviews increase a site's CTR, which indicates to Google that you are a reliable brand.
With social media penetration at 49% worldwide, linking your review pages across all your company's social media platforms is a good idea.
7. Use reliable tools and software.
The online competition is intense. Your brand needs online tools to improve your site's SEO health. Software like google analytics, Moz SEO pack, ahrefs, and Google Ads, are good starting points.
Google Analytics and Moz allow you to modify and change your site for a higher ranking. Both software enables you to analyze your competitor's website.??
Wrap Up
Many claim that SEO is dead; nothing could be further from the truth. Google has made many algorithm changes, but this merely killed black and grey hat SEO.
SEO is still so relevant that 57% of B2B marketers believe SEO drives more leads than any other marketing campaign.
SEO is a game-changer, and it will be wise for any serious business owner to invest in it. The initial investment is high, but the ROI more than justifies it.