Most business owners that have a website have heard about Search Engine Optimization or SEO. But what about local SEO?
What is Local SEO?
SEO is the process of optimizing your website in order to maximize the amount of organic traffic directed from the search engine results.
Local SEO goes one step further and is the process of optimizing your website for a local audience. This process will help ensure that people in your area will be able to find your business online, and in turn in person. This is especially important for businesses that offer regional services or have a brick and mortar location.
Statistics show that over 46% of all searches on Google are seeking local information so optimization for local SEO is essential for any business owner.
The Google 3-Pack
Being in the Google 3-Pack is an important goal for any business. Google uses the searcher’s location and displays the top three ranked businesses in a prominent location near the top of the search results page. The Google 3-Pack also displays relevant information to the user that they may need immediately, including address, phone number, store hours and more.
Local SEO is not the only factor that determines which businesses are displayed in the 3-Pack, however, it does play a significant role.
How to Optimize Your Website for Local SEO
Here are a few tips and strategies you can follow in order to optimize your website for local SEO.
Google My Business
Claiming your Google My Business (GMB) listing is the first step to improving your local SEO ranking. If you have not claimed your listing yet, you are not alone — approximately 56% of businesses have not claimed their GMB listing.
Completing your GMB listing will enable your business to be listed on Google Maps and in local search results. Your listing will show location, business hours, a link to your website, reviews and more.
Claim your Google My Business listing here.
Location Pages
Adding location pages to your website will also help increase your website’s local SEO ranking. This could be in the form of adding your location address to a “Contact Us” page, or by creating separate pages for each location if your business has multiple locations.
It’s also important to ensure that your full and accurate address is listed on your website in at least one location. We recommend adding it to the footer of your website so that it appears on every page of your website.
Business Reviews
Reviews from customers can play a role in your website’s ranking and inclusion in the 3-Pack. Positive reviews also encourage search engine users to click on your listing. Encourage your customers to leave positive reviews through email newsletters, signage in your store or just simply by asking them.
Local-based Content
Consistently adding local-based content will help boost your local SEO. Consider writing a monthly blog post about a local event or highlight and be sure to include keywords that are relevant to your local area. For example, if you are a Whistler-based business, you could write about the World Ski and Snowboard Festival and include keywords such as World Ski and Snowboard Festival and WSSF.
Mobile Optimization
Most business searches are done on a mobile device so ensuring your website is mobile-friendly is extremely important. Mobile-friendliness impacts SEO overall so it is an important aspect for any website in general.
Although these are just some of the ways to optimize your website for local SEO, following these steps will surely improve your ranking and increase your chances of being featured in the Google 3-Pack.
Need help with your website SEO? Not sure where to start? We can help! Read more about our Search Engine Optimization Services here.
