Various marketing strategies work for businesses of different sizes, but small businesses looking to reach a more significant number of customers in their vicinity should put their money on local SEO.
A massive portion of organic searches is made up of local results, and focusing on local SEO would definitely help increase website traffic. Businesses not optimized for local searches miss out on new opportunities. But what exactly is local SEO for small business, and what are the best strategies to make it work?
Small Business Local SEO for Rankings and Traffic
Local SEO involves using SEO strategies to optimize content and help small businesses get ranked in Google and other search engines. Quite like organic SEO, the aim is to secure a higher ranking in SERPs. Still, the focus of local SEO is to be more visible in SERPs for localized searches, which cater to a particular geographic area.
Ideally, it requires identifying local keywords and then optimizing content around them. However, it is not enough for small businesses to simply focus on organic SEO, but they also need to be prepared for AI overview search results.
Various AI tools can help in this regard. For example, aioverviewtracker.com is a popular choice that helps you understand and optimize your content to appear in AI overview search results. Not only this, the tool also helps track information about searched topics to make data-driven SEO decisions that help close any gaps left by Google.
To get good results, it is vital to confirm that your website is up to scratch, is near your target audience, offers relevant services, and enjoys a positive online reputation. The question is, “What are the best strategies for small businesses to rule the SERPs and, better yet, get mentioned in AI overview search results?”.
Essential Local SEO Strategies to Boost Rankings for Small Businesses
Local SEO for small businesses is essential. Optimization for ‘near me’ searches raises visibility and impacts footfall, making local SEO a vital component of marketing strategies. The following methods help in this regard:
Optimize Your Google Profile (GBP)
The easiest way to secure local search engine optimization is with a Google Business Profile. This business listing improves online search visibility and being easily accessible, it attracts nearby customers by appearing in Google’s Local Pack, that’s to say, on Google Maps and, as a result, in their organic searches.
Photographs have always been engaging. Google reported that profiles with photos had 42% more requests for directions than those without. Beyond images, a well-prepared GBP attracts high-value traffic. Using GBP for local SEO marketing confirms the business is a trading entity. The review system is vital, giving it credibility, helping it build trust and authority for a competitive edge, and positioning the small business as the local expert.
Ensure Consistent Nap Information
A GBP profile provides vital information to attract an in-person visit, such as its opening hours, location, and busy hours, as well as information on its products and services. This is why it is so valuable for small local businesses. It’s routine information with the acronym NAP (name, address, phone number) and a critical component of business SEO.
Obviously, a business’s NAP information should be correct, if only for accuracy on Google Maps, but it should also be consistent with how the information appears elsewhere, for example, on other business listing platforms.
Presenting incomplete or inconsistent NAP information confuses customers and search engines alike. It impacts rankings in the local SEO near me searches.
Leverage Local Keywords
Leveraging local keywords means businesses must conduct local SEO keyword research to establish which drives traffic effectively, results in conversions, and therefore represents the best value.
Google’s searches tend towards being more local in nature, so targeting local keywords enhances the chances of the small business’s website appearing high in its results, occasionally above bigger brand competitors. The keywords also signal the site’s relevance to Google’s Local Pack; they help ensure the business gets included.
Since local searches often indicate high intent, using geographical keywords such as local neighborhood names or landmarks furthers the chances.
A good starting point for businesses unsure of how to find keywords for SEO or how to use them is Google’s predictive search box. It reveals actual search terms. There are also paid SEO tools and your trustworthy friend, Google Keyword Planner, which offers a detailed and thorough analysis.
According to Google, almost half of all searches have local intent, and 60-72% of users initiate searches from their smartphones. The two statistics illustrate how important it is to have a GBP. It provides a way to connect with customers in the area who are already searching for products or services the small business offers.
Create Location-Specific Content
Location-specific content targets nearby customers and spotlights the business in its local community. Tailoring content to geographical areas this way increases the broader effectiveness of the local SEO strategy. It improves search visibility for better rankings on search engine results pages (SERPs), builds brand awareness online, and extends reach to new customer bases.
High-quality content is informative and engaging, reflecting local issues so that it resonates. In addition to being location-specific, geographical keywords should be incorporated into the text, meta descriptions, and tags as if they were spoken naturally since most mobile searches are also speech-activated.
For example, a company might have different landing pages with geographical keywords for its town or city and another for its immediate location, such as ‘Garden Maintenance in Austin’ and ‘Garden Maintenance in Little Rock’.
However, a GBP is only a vital component of the best local SEO. Many small businesses have seen increases in footfall and conversions after including customer testimonials and blogs about local issues, news, and events in their content or after being involved in community projects.
Build Local Citations and Backlinks
Between actively engaging in the community and developing a sound Google Business Profile, local SEO solutions are relatively simple and inexpensive. They encourage mentions and citations of the business on other business platforms like Yelp or TripAdvisor, attracting invaluable backlinks.
In small business SEO, backlinks build domain authority. Acting as a peer review, quality backlinks are confirmation of the business’s credibility, establishing it as a reputable source of expertise, information, or products.
Backlinks can be garnished by community involvement and outreach work, such as guest blogging or interviews and feature articles with the local media. Partnerships with non-competing businesses on special promotions, for example, a bookshop with a neighboring coffee shop or a health spa with a gym, also create interest and attract new audiences, boosting the local SEO.
Optimize for Mobile
It’s never been more vital to optimize for mobile. 76% of those who conduct local searches on them visit businesses in person within a day, hoping to make a purchase. Local SEO secures these high-intent customers by prioritizing sites with mobile-first indexing. It’s a major ranking factor for Google, signaling site performance, user satisfaction, trustworthiness, and credibility.
Optimizing first for mobile use is, therefore, an essential part of SEO for business. It’s technical SEO and cannot be understated. Sites that lack mobile-friendliness, lack visibility, and don’t rank.
The key is to ensure a responsive design without compromising fast load speeds and site performance. It starts at the design stage with user-friendliness, large buttons, clear fonts, structures, and hierarchy. Comforting for time-pressed small business owners, quality, not quantity, matters when it comes to content. A lean, streamlined website will run efficiently with little maintenance beyond the regular SEO review.
Technically, this SEO task requires compressing images, eliminating redundant code, and using CDNs (content delivery networks like Cloudburst). Coupled with AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages), even small business sites can deliver top-quality content and the best user experience in less than three seconds, which is what it takes to satisfy Google.
Keep an Eye on Local SEO Performance
Monitoring local SEO performance confirms whether specific strategies work or need improvement. Regular monitoring helps collect valuable data over time that could be used to tweak local SEO strategies to achieve better results.
For starters, local pack rankings should get the highest priority. Keeping an eye on the business’ ranking in the local pack ensures increased traffic, visibility, leads, and conversions. Local rankings going down means something’s not working, and businesses need to return to the drawing board to make changes.
Other than monitoring local pack rankings, it is also vital to monitor and analyze organic rankings, GBP insights, website traffic, local citations, local backlinks, and conversion rates. Getting more customer reviews and ratings also indicates local SEO strategies bear fruit for small businesses.
Conclusion
Local SEO shouldn’t be ignored when businesses want to tap into that segment of the audience that comes with a purchase intent. Getting ranked for local keywords is a surefire way of getting more traffic and witnessing increased conversions and sales.