All businesses have the same goal: to be seen.
Whether you have a brick-and-mortar or online store, or both, you want people to know your business exists and you’re ready to give them the products or services they need.
Ensuring your business ranks high on search engine results lets people in or near your location know that your business exists.
You can increase your shop’s visibility by working on your local search engine optimization or SEO.
As an SEO company in Dubai, we have witnessed how a strong local SEO strategy is crucial for businesses aiming to expand their customer base. Most modern consumers go online to search for services they require or things they need to buy. They also consult the web to find out if they can avail of a service or purchase a product from somewhere nearby.
If your business ranks high on the local search engine results page or SERP, you increase your chances of being found and attracting new customers.
SEO Tactics That Can Improve Your Local Search Rankings
If you want your business to appear more and rank high in local searches to increase your customer base, apply these effective SEO strategies:
- Know the local search ranking factors that affect your website.
Ranking factors are the elements search engines use to measure and evaluate website pages to determine how they arrange and display the results.
If you want to rank high on local searches, focus on two vital ranking signals – local pack ranking factors and local organic ranking factors.
Local pack ranking factors pertain to the local listings relevant to a searcher’s geo-location.
It’s the boxed area you see on top of the usual organic listings that appear when your search query has local intent.
Proximity is one of the most crucial signals from Google’s local search algorithm that determines how websites appear on the page. It refers to the relevance of your business address or areas you service to a search query.
This local search algorithm update, which was nicknamed “Vicinity” update by Sterling Sky’s Joy Hawkins, was confirmed by Google in 2021.
Because of this modification, Google’s local pack search results focus more on proximity. Moreover, the search engine debased websites guilty of keyword-stuffing their business names.
Aside from proximity, other important local pack ranking factors you have to note and work on are your company’s Google business profile or GBP (aka Google My Business or GMB), reviews, and on-page signals.
Local organic ranking factors also consist of GBP, citation, review, on-page, link, social, and other signals.
These localized organic results are made up of the traditional blue links to specific websites.
At present, on-page optimization and links are the most critical factors for localized organic rankings. You would also do well to work on these elements.
However, ensure you pay attention to the other signals since they could give you the final push you need to outrank your toughest competitors.
- Make your GBP listing local search-friendly.
GBP is a tool used by Google to help companies and organizations create and manage a business profile for Google Search and Maps for free.
It also gives organizations a clearer picture of how they appear on local SERPs.
GBP uses various factors to determine ranking for websites. One of the most important is distance.
Proximity also plays a vital role in your GBP. Unfortunately, the particular way Google determines which websites to show in a local search is a highly kept secret. Because of this, it can sometimes be difficult to rank in a certain area.
However, there are ways for you to optimize your GBP to make your business rank higher on local SERPs. These tips include:
- Using your complete, actual business name on your listings.
- Ensuring your profile is 100% complete, which means providing as much data as possible.
- Checking your phone number and opening times and updating them when necessary.
- Creating citations on other reputable business listings or directories and review sites.
- Responding to customer reviews.
- Keeping your information updated.
- Target the right keywords for local searches.
Keywords are the words and terms people type into Google and other search engines when they need information about something.
In turn, search engines use these keywords to determine which websites to rank.
To find out which keywords you should target, conduct local keyword research. This is the process of discovering search terms that people use when looking for local products and services on search engines.
Start by thinking about the keywords that best represent your business and the areas you offer your products or services.
You can then use SEO tools to determine which keywords currently rank high on search engines and discover less obvious ones that are also worth using.
Examples of these tools include Ahrefs, Keyword Explorer, and UberSuggest.
Once you know which keywords people likely use to search for your products or services, add or modify the content on your website to include them.
However, avoid keyword stuffing, since Google and other search engines frown upon this practice.
- Publish different types of local-focused content.
The type of content you publish can also help boost your ranking in local searches.
Aside from incorporating keywords in your content, ensure they are well crafted so your target audience finds them relevant, useful, and engaging.
If you’re thinking about which types of content to focus on, below are some of the best ones:
- Blog post
Websites with active blogs are in better positions to compete in local SERP queries. They generate good quality backlinks and enhance your branding efforts as well.
- Local events and activities
Publishing articles about current and upcoming events and activities is a great way to expand your local reach.
- Best of guide
Best of guides or listicles are posts that showcase 10 to 20 items and discuss them briefly. This type of content appeals to people with short attention spans or in a hurry to get information.
- Optimize your on-page elements.
Lastly, don’t forget to implement traditional, tried-and-tested on-page SEO practices to optimize your website content for both search engine bots and your target local audience.
The key on-page elements you have to optimize are:
- Header tags and meta tags
- Local business schema
- Business name, address, and phone number of NAP
- Content
- Schema markup
- Internal linking
With these expert-approved strategies and tips, you can boost your local search rankings and outrank your competition.
AUTHOR BIO:
Eloisa Mangilinan is a full-time content writer at SEO Sherpa, a multi-awarded search engine optimization company in the UAE. She produces content for different niches for guest post sites, blogs and client websites. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Saint Louis University.