Do you want your business to stand out from the rest in your area? Do you want to dominate search engine rankings for a vicinity of your choice? Properly managed and optimized Local SEO and Google My Business can be the answer. Our omnichannel digital marketing agency in Los Angeles has helped businesses in a wide range of industries rank higher than their competition in their area. We can help your business to do the same.
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO is a specific subset of search engine optimization. It enables small businesses to promote their products and services to local customers precisely when they’re looking for them online.
After analyzing the behavior of users during trillions of searches, Google figured out that people seeking certain types of businesses need results from their immediate area. That’s why Google’s local search algorithm includes a “proximity factor.”
“Proximity factor” is a fancy way of saying that Google takes your location into account when you search for a local keyword/ query with local intent. This happens even when the searcher doesn’t include a city name or “near me” in their search.
So, with well-constructed Local SEO, when your potential customers are searching for a business like yours, you come up before your competitors.
The Importance of Local SEO
In a digital world where local businesses thrive on online visibility, understanding and implementing local SEO strategies can be the difference between obscurity and a successful local presence. For small business owners, harnessing the power of local SEO can exponentially boost foot traffic, increase online engagement, and drive real sales.
At Website Depot, we know how important it is for your business to rank highly in local Google searches. When you enhance the local SEO of your enterprise, you bolster your online visibility, ensuring that potential customers notice your business. This is especially important for small or newer businesses that may not yet be on their target market’s radar.
Google is a powerful ally in making your presence known to potential customers. With local SEO, your business can supersede even your largest and most well-established competitors in search rankings. This can drastically increase your visibility, attract a steady flow of traffic, and bring new customers. That’s just some of the ways we can help.
Why It Matters for Small Businesses
Simply put, by implementing local SEO, you provide search engines with the information they need to match your business with local customers. The benefits of local SEO can include:
Higher revenues
Higher conversion rates come from effective digital marketing strategies. Small and medium businesses can improve their chances of revenue growth and a chance to expand their workforce through digital marketing.
Improved conversion rates
Making your marketing strategy an engaging one is the best way to convert customers online. The conversion has even become simpler with targeted traffic. Omnichannel digital marketing, unlike past, traditional methods of marketing, allows you to have a two-way conversation with customers as well as leads.
Some of What We Do to Help Our Client’s Local SEO
1. Claim and Optimize Google My Business Listing
Your Google My Business (GMB) listing is one of the most influential assets in local SEO. It’s essentially a digital storefront for your business on Google.
How to Optimize Your GMB Listing:
- Optimizing your website for local keywords
- Claiming and optimizing your Google My Business listing
- Ensuring that all of your directories and citations are consistent
- Gaining high-quality and relevant local backlinks
- Managing reviews on local review sites
- And much more.
2. Ensure NAP Consistency
NAP refers to your business Name, Address, and Phone number, which is essential local SEO information. Inconsistencies in NAP data across the web can confuse search engines and hurt your ranking.
How to Keep NAP Information Consistent:
- Use the same format and structure for your NAP data everywhere it’s listed
- Update this information regularly whenever there’s a change
- Audit your NAP listings across the web using services like Moz Local or BrightLocal
3. Create Local Content and Landing Pages
Locally relevant content can greatly increase your visibility in local searches. This might include:
Local Content Ideas:
- Blog posts about local events or news
- How-to articles that are location-specific
- Landing pages targeting local keywords
- Showcase customer testimonials and case studies from local clients
- Highlight local partnerships and sponsorships
4. Obtain Customer Reviews and Ratings
Positive reviews and high ratings are vital for local SEO. They not only impact your search ranking but also influence consumer decisions.
Strategies for Review Gathering:
- Encourage satisfied customers to leave a review
- Make the process as easy as possible by providing direct links
- Respond to all reviews, both positive and negative
- Use reviews and ratings as social proof on your website
5. Implement Local Structured Data Markup
Structured data helps search engines better understand the context of your website’s content. With local SEO, you can use structured data to mark up location information, customer reviews, product availability, and more.
How to Include Local Structured Data:
- Use Schema.org tags
- Make sure the markup is valid and thorough
- Test the structured data using Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool
6. Utilize Local Citations and Backlinks
Citations are mentions of your business name and address on other web pages. They are important for improving your local search presence. Backlinks from local sources can also boost your local SEO.
How to Build Local Citations and Backlinks:
- Ensure your business has a listing on all relevant online directories
- Seek opportunities to have your business featured in local online publications or blogs
- Join local business groups or associations
- Host or sponsor local events
7. Monitor and Analyze Performance with Google Analytics and Google Search Console
Measuring the effectiveness of your local SEO efforts is crucial. Google Analytics and Google Search Console are powerful tools that provide insights into how your site is performing in local searches
Important Metrics to Track:
- Local traffic to your website
- Local keyword rankings
- Click-through rates (CTRs) for local search results
- Conversions from local searchers
What to Keep in Mind About Local SEO:
Localized optimization of your website attracts targeted traffic, leading to better leads. If your business caters to a specific geographic area, or you have a physical location in a specific place, attracting people within that area is more logical. Ranking for “personal injury law firm” on a national level, for instance, is irrelevant if you only serve the Echo Park area.
Citation building, a crucial component of local SEO, can significantly increase your website’s authority and ranking. This involves attracting high-quality links from other websites to yours. Such links are akin to votes of confidence from other websites, asserting that your business is legitimate and provides valuable information. Google values this, and the more links you have, the more your online authority is enhanced.
We can grow your local listings by submitting your business information to reputable directories and review sites and by guest posting on high-authority websites.
Website Depot understands that local SEO is a game-changer for businesses that want to be seen and recognized by their target audiences. This is why we ensure that we go above and beyond to create effective local SEO strategies that will get you noticed. We focus on localized keywords to attract the right customers, use resources like Google My Business to help you stand out in local searches, and employ citation-building techniques to increase your website’s authority and rankings in search engine results.
Further amplifying your online presence is content marketing and blogging, both of which are proven strategies to reel in website traffic while cementing brand reliability. At Website Depot, we understand the importance of a vibrant and frequently updated business blog. Providing fresh, search-engine-optimized content can greatly enhance your visibility in the digital sphere. We not only assist with strategizing keyword-rich, geo-specific content but also facilitate its distribution across social media channels, thereby improving the scope of organic search.
However, the journey doesn’t end with increasing web traffic. What sets Website Depot apart is our commitment to converting your website visitors into loyal customers. And therein lies the essence of website optimization.
There are numerous facets to local SEO, and we meticulously implement each one with the end goal of improving user experience, boosting your rankings, and ultimately, increasing your business sales. Be it optimizing your website for mobile search, streamlining the site structure for user-friendliness, boosting website loading speed, or conversion-oriented site optimization, we ensure your website caters to user needs effectively and efficiently. As users find it easier to navigate your site, obtain desired information, and purchase products or services, your business stands to gain a loyal customer base.
We can help with all of that and more. In fact, Local SEO also involves optimizing your website for higher rankings on Google Maps and Google My Business, thereby attracting more customers. On that subject:
GMB
Do you want to connect to more customers and rank higher on Google? A properly constructed Google My Business profile can help you to do that and so much more.
Google My Business is a free platform offered by Google that can do wonders for your business.
Among other benefits, it allows you to publish crucial details such as your business address, contact information, website URL, photos, reviews, and more. This can translate to more direct calls, leads, and sales.
Over the years, we’ve helped many different kinds of businesses get everything they need out of Google My Business. The benefits of a good GMB profile are almost too numerous to list, but, they do include:
Product Catalogs Where Your Prospects Can Find Them
Product catalogs on Google My Business profiles can now be featured in both desktop and mobile search results. In the past, these product catalogs would only be visible in mobile search results.
With these, more of your prospective customers/clients can easily see everything that you have to offer.
Create Short URLs on GMB Listing
Another useful update for your Google My Business Account is the possibility of creating customized short URLs for your GMB listings. These custom URLs are called “short names” and it appears only some businesses have access to them at the moment.
This short name is between 5 and 32 characters and it makes it much easier to share your GMB profile. When you create it, users can access your GMB profile by going to “g.page/[yourcustomname]”. You can also get reviews by adding ‘/review/’ at the end of that URL; so it would look like this: “g.page/[yourcustomname]/review/”.
Share Positive Reviews on your Google My Business Posts
Word of mouth matters so much online. Done right, GMB automatically suggests positive reviews, putting them where those considering your company can see them. You can even share them through your Google Posts as customer testimonials.
Google My Business: Giving Your Business Your Best Chance to Grow
Being present and active on Google My Business (GMB) offers numerous advantages to your business. Simply by providing vital information such as your opening hours and contact details on your GMB profile, potential customers have instant access to the information they need, making their journey easier and increasing their likelihood of conversion.
The above has been said, Google My Business isn’t simply a listing service – it’s a potent tool for enhancing your local SEO. Google prioritizes local business listings when delivering search results, an invaluable advantage for small businesses and startups striving to increase their exposure and connect with their local audience.
Remember: your competitors are likely already taking advantage of GMB, and if you want to remain competitive, you must do the same. You don’t want to get left in the dust, so to speak. We can help to create a GMB profile that stands out from the rest.
Just Some of the Reasons Google My Business is So Important
On Google My Business, you’re not just listing your details but controlling your business listing. An unclaimed or basic listing can reflect poorly on your business, and outdated or incorrect information can lead to customer dissatisfaction. By proactively claiming and managing your GMB profile, you can portray your brand in the manner you deem fit and ensure your listing is current, precise, and competitive.
Incorrect business hours. Wrong addresses. Old phone numbers that don’t work anymore. Those turn off potential customers (to say the very least) as well as Google. We can handle those for you so that when someone wants to find your business, they can.
Moreover, your Google business listing isn’t static. You can make regular posts to your account to keep your followers informed about recent developments, launch new products, or announce temporary closures.
Regular updating of your GMB listing akin to updating your website, keeps the audience engaged, helping your business stay top-of-mind when they’re ready to make a purchase. We can handle this on your business, making sure that your prospects see how vibrant your business is as well as how much you have to offer.
An active and complete Google My Business listing can boost credibility and trust in your company. We can help to further that trust by promptly responding to customer inquiries and encouraging customers to leave reviews on your page.
Positive reviews work as powerful social proof, resonating with customers potentially more than any marketing efforts on your part.
How Google My Business Can Help Your Marketing
Google My Business doesn’t just provide a way to increase your company’s visibility. It also provides a wealth of marketing tools as well. As a premier source of consumer insights, Google My Business assists in understanding your audience intimately.
From where your audience is finding your listing through search to the types of posts they engage with most – Google My Business is a goldmine of information. The analytical depth is exceptional, with detailed demographic breakdowns and geo-targeted heat maps to pinpoint your customer base.
It can do wonders for SEO, too. Equipped with complete and accurate information about your venture, Google My Business works behind the scenes to elevate your ranking in search results, driving more traffic and ultimately, more customers your way.
Indeed, you can target the local customers you want to target through Google My Business. Running a local promotion? Want to share the latest news? Google My Business offers targeted promotion options to make your news visible to customers in your business vicinity, ensuring you reach the right audience at the right time.
When using Google My Business right, you can explore the ways customers interact with your business, tracking metrics such as how many people have viewed your listing, their discovery paths, and their subsequent actions – be it a phone call or a website visit.
You can not only use Google My Business to keep an eye on your customers, but you can use it to learn more about your competition, too. Monitor their performance, and customer engagement, and learn from their strategies to stay a step ahead, all with property Google My Business practices.
Professionals to Help Your Local SEO, GMB, and More
Google My Business is a powerful, multi-functional tool that can significantly enhance your marketing efforts. Embrace it to understand your audience better, increase your visibility, improve your SEO, manage your reputation, and more!
Local SEO transcends beyond rankings and traffic. Its core advantage lies in translating this traffic into the lifeblood of your business – the customers.
Here at Website Depot, we can make sure that you’re able to take advantage of all of this. Your industry is competitive. Your competition is fierce. Moreover, we know how much you put in your business. You deserve to have a proven Local SEO strategy, one that leverages Google My Business and all other tools for success.
Our team of experienced pros is ready to help. Schedule a free consultation with us through our site or call.