When you think about improving local SEO, do you think about content?
I admit, this is not always the first thing that comes to mind.
But here’s the thing – content directly affects local SEO and overlooking it is a big mistake.
Yes, we may have limited text boxes and places to enter content.
Listen to me. That’s more than you might think.
Key Differences In Local & Organic SEO Content Strategies
You may know the content that Google likes to see on a site and how to optimize it to appear higher on search engine results pages.
The thing is, content strategies for local SEO and broader organic SEO aren’t really that different.
No matter what, good informative content must always be a priority.
The main difference between local SEO and organic SEO content is in the intent of the user.
With local SEO, the user’s intention is to find goods or services near them, so include a location indicator in your search query.
For example, you can search for [Kansas City Hair Salon], [Kansas City Hair Salon], or [Hair Salon Near Me].
The location indicator tells Google to give priority and shows the results of users in their area.
This has been the case for a long time, as Google wanted to offer more localized SERP features (such as map results) for searches for which it detected local intent.
So when you write for local SEO, you create content that highlights your location.
Getting Started
Before you start writing content for your site, always take a minute and think about your final game.
Ask yourself what goals you want to achieve.
And how can your content and messages help you meet your goals?
Let’s say you want to improve your local SEO so that more people will visit your regular store to ultimately increase sales and revenue.
Good local SEO can help you achieve this, but creating an listing in Google My Business is not enough.
Give priority to creating high quality content that highlights what you have to offer and your location.
Local Content Audit
If you haven’t already done so, now is the time to do a local content audit.
When conducting a content review, ask yourself what your ideal local customer is looking for.
Are they researching what is available in their target area?
Want to visit a location now?
Are you looking for a provider who would come to them or deliver the product to you?
Knowing this information helps you determine if there are gaps in your content that you could fill in to improve your local search rankings.
Another important part of local content auditing is competitor research.
See your competitors’ websites to gather information about the keywords they’re targeting and the structure of their content to encourage their local or customers to convert.
Once you know who you’re targeting and what they’re looking for, you’re in a great position to start writing.
Now, let’s delve into specific content strategies you can use to improve local SEO.
On-Page Local SEO Content
Here’s some good news, if you have a well-optimized site that includes quality content, you don’t need to change much to optimize it for local searches.
Just a few fixes here and there.
One of the most important things you can do to improve local SEO is to put your address up and running.
If you have less than ten locations, I recommend putting them all in the foot.
In addition, it’s important to create dedicated landing pages for each location you run.
Each of these pages must have original site / location-specific content.
Don’t simply copy and paste information from one page to another, even if you’re doing the same thing in all of your locations.
This would be duplicate content that could harm your SEO.
General reminders to create a good page:
Blogging
Blogging is a powerful tool to provide customers with useful information and set you up as an expert in their field.
Simply put, in the eyes of Google, it has the power to increase your expertise, authority, and trust (EAT).
But other than that, blogging is a great way to highlight your sites and increase local SEO.
First and foremost, it provides Google with new content that replicates where you are.
It also helps you target those annoying local keywords like “wine bar nearby” that may be hard to rank.
In addition, blogging allows you to get backlinks from other local businesses.
In addition, it offers the opportunity for people to comment or share your article, which are two things that improve local SEO.
However, I would be wrong not to remind you that one of the most important things you can do with a blog is to share it – on social media and on all the local lists that allow it.
Get comments, get likes and attract local traffic to your articles.
Off-Page Local SEO Content
Google Business
Your Google Business Profile is the first and most obvious off-site location for local SEO content.
Adding content to your Google business profile is important as you work to improve local SEO.
You can do this in a variety of ways, but optimizing your profile by including as much relevant information as possible should be a top priority.
You can add a description of your business, opening hours, product information and services. For example, the food menu and photos for the restaurant.
When optimizing your Google business profile, make sure all the information you provide is correct.
If something changes, such as your working hours, update your profile accordingly.
Another valuable thing you can do is publish photos, current blog articles, relevant special offers, and updated policies and procedures in your resource.
By doing so, you are communicating to Google that you are an active promotion listing because you are providing valuable information to users.
After all, well-optimized Google business profiles receive more clicks and instruction requests.
A key part of building a good local SEO strategy is gathering reviews and responding quickly.
In terms of content, user-generated content ratings carry a lot of weight.
Presenting your business in a map package is a big deal.
It allows users to see your list first before scrolling through the SERPs.
Here are some content-related strategies that can help you get one of your favorite places on the map package:
Other Listing Services
When it comes to SEO, Google is definitely a major player.
It is therefore not surprising that the main thing associated with local SEO is Google Business.
However, we should not overlook other local listing services such as Bing Local, Yelp, Thumbtack, Yellowpages.com, Foursquare and more – depending on our industry and focus.
Posting content and other updates gives your site citations and increases local credibility.
If you visit these sites, be sure to pay attention to them from time to time and make sure you respond to any ratings you earn – even if you use aggregation services to send data to third-party directories.
Your online reputation is important to Google and should not be forgotten.
Social Media
As I’m sure you already know, social media helps SEO.
That’s why it’s important to have a list of companies on Facebook and Instagram.
It increases your audience so that your article gets more views.
And more views means more opportunities for backlinks.
After all, having a strong presence on social media and posting useful content on your social resource affects your EAT and makes you look more credible in the eyes of Google.
Final Thoughts
Good content is an essential part of a good SEO strategy.
When it comes to local SEO, good content with location indicators encourages Google to rank you higher in local search results and in the map package.
Simply creating quality content for your site is not always enough. Also share it with your Google business profile, other local sites and social media resources to increase traffic and show your expertise and trust.
For more content marketing tips, see SEJ’s Complete Guide to Content Marketing.
For more tips on local SEO, get a free copy of the SEJ Local SEO e-book.
Selected image: GaudiLab / Shutterstock
When someone searches for a business or place near their location, they will find local results across Google in places like Maps and Search. For example, you can probably find local results if you’re looking for an “Italian restaurant” on your mobile device.
How is local SEO different from SEO?
Here is the difference. While traditional SEO focuses on improving the visibility of your site nationally or globally, local SEO allows you to capture a local search area and connect with search engines in your area. SEO and local SEO use many of the same strategies.
Is Local SEO Easier? Local SEO is almost always cheaper than national SEO because there is less competition for local keywords and you will target a smaller audience than you would if you used a national keyword. In many ways, local SEO is easier to design, implement, and manage than national SEO.
Why local SEO is important for SEO?
Local SEO allows you to post important information about your site, such as your business address and phone number, online. In addition, you can use SEO techniques to highlight and promote the range of products or services you offer on your site.
Why is local SEO important factor for Google?
In fact, Google has confirmed that your rankings in organic SERPs affect your local rankings: “Your position in web results is also a factor, so SEO best practices also apply to local search engine optimization.” This means: the higher you are ranked in the organic results, the higher you will be ranked in the map package.
What are the benefits of local search?
Benefits of Local SEO
- Improved traffic. Did you know that local information is the subject of 46% of all Google searches. …
- Better conversion rates. …
- Less advertising costs. …
- Continuous business growth. …
- Long-term rankings. …
- Bypass competition. …
- Get more local opinions. …
- Get links with Neighboring Business.
What is local SEO?
Local SEO is a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy that helps make your business more visible in local Google search results. Any business that has a physical location or serves a geographic area can benefit from local SEO.
How do I do local SEO?
Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Local SEO Now
- Create a Google My Business account. …
- Get regular customer reviews. …
- Optimize for voice search. …
- Create content based on local news or events. …
- Optimize your site for mobile. …
- Focus on local keywords. …
- Use location pages or the About Us page for a specific location.
Why do I need local SEO?
Local SEO helps your business stand out – even if you don’t have a website – and helps drive more traffic to your premises through online leads. Because these potential customers come from people who are specifically looking for products or services offered by your business, they are also likely to provide you with a high conversion rate.
Does local do SEO?
Local SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of improving search engine visibility for local businesses, especially those with common locations. By following local SEO best practices, companies can improve organic traffic from customer searches in nearby areas.
How local SEO is done?
Local SEO refers to the process of “optimizing” your online presence in order to attract more businesses from relevant local searches. These searches are performed on Google and other search engines. … People search for local businesses with different search engines … Google, Bing, Yelp, Apple Maps etc.
Is local SEO paid?
For a one-time project focused on analysis, research, cleaning, and optimization, the average cost for a local SEO project would range from $ 300 to $ 1,500 with an average cost of about $ 750.
Is local SEO important?
Local SEO helps your business stand out – even if you don’t have a website – and helps drive more traffic to your premises through online leads. Because these potential customers come from people who are specifically looking for products or services offered by your business, they are also likely to provide you with a high conversion rate.
What is organic and local SEO?
Based on these definitions, we can determine the fundamental difference between local and organic SEO: local SEO is optimization for sites, and organic SEO is optimization for content. Both have to do with optimizing your website and online presence for search engines.
What is an organic SEO strategy? Organic SEO is an online marketing strategy consisting of minor sub-strategies, such as keyword research and link building, that help your site rank at the top of organic, unpaid search engine results pages.
What is local SEO?
Local SEO is a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy that helps make your business more visible in local Google search results. Any business that has a physical location or serves a geographic area can benefit from local SEO.
Why do I need local SEO?
Local SEO helps your business stand out – even if you don’t have a website – and helps drive more traffic to your premises through online leads. Because these potential customers come from people who are specifically looking for products or services offered by your business, they are also likely to provide you with a high conversion rate.
How do I do local SEO?
Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Local SEO Now
- Create a Google My Business account. …
- Get regular customer reviews. …
- Optimize for voice search. …
- Create content based on local news or events. …
- Optimize your site for mobile. …
- Focus on local keywords. …
- Use location pages or the About Us page for a specific location.
What is the difference between organic search and SEO?
While organic search focuses on unpaid rankings in search results, paid search focuses on paid rankings. With organic search, companies use SEO to optimize the visibility or ranking of their site in search results. By comparison, paid search allows users to pay for a prominent place in search results.
Does organic search Affect SEO?
SEO and PPC work together for search engine marketing. Several studies have shown that SEO affects the number of clicks PPC ads receive. Google has found that when a site has strong organic search results, it will increase its clickthrough rate for its PPC ads on the same SERP.
What does organic search mean in SEO?
Organic search engine optimization (organic SEO) refers to the methods used to achieve a high placement (or ranking) on a search engine results page in unpaid results driven by algorithms in a particular search engine.
What is the difference between organic SEO and local SEO?
Local SEO has a geographic component that organic SEO does not necessarily have. This is the practice of building important signals around a particular location; brick and mortar business. Organic SEO is a marketing practice that more or less revolves around a website.
What are the most important factors for local SEO?
7 local SEO ranking factors 2022
- Google My Business. …
- Signals on the side. …
- Online reviews. …
- Feedback profile. …
- Online quotes. …
- Behavioral signals. …
- Local content.
What factors are important to local SEO? Google has three main local SEO ranking factors that every local business should consider when optimizing its online presence for local search: proximity, visibility, and relevance. Because many Google search queries are made locally, proximity is a key ranking factor.
What are the most popular local SEO ranking factors?
| Local package | Local ecological |
|---|---|
| 1. Google Company Profile (36%) | 1. On page (34%) |
| 2. Ratings (17%) | 2. Links (31%) |
| 3. On the page (16%) | 3. Behavioral (11%) |
| 4. Links (13%) | 4. Quotes (7%) |
What is local SEO and what are the benefits of local SEO?
Local SEO is a search engine optimization strategy that helps your business gain more visibility in local searches on sites like Google. Any entity that has a physical location can get the most out of local SEO.
What is local SEO and its benefits? Benefits of Local SEO. Local SEO activity, such as quoting, helps build online visibility. Greater local visibility means more pedestrian traffic, more customer service and more sales. Optimizing your site for local search provides more targeted traffic and more traffic for relevant search terms.