How to Improve Your Local SEO?

Before visiting your establishment or contacting you, your customers search for localized information on Google. They want quick and relevant answers and often place their full trust in the search engine. Does your business appear in the top results? Have you done everything possible to convince the user? You'll find out by reading this article!

🚀 Express Read: Summary of this comprehensive guide on local SEO

In this article, you will discover the following topics:

• The definition of local SEO
• The importance of geolocated SEO
• 9 levers to improve local SEO on search engines
• 4 types of content that boost your visibility in a specific region

❓ What is local SEO and why is it important?

Local SEO is a part of SEO that involves optimizing your website geographically. As a result, localized content and link building with local intent are two ways to appear on the first page of Google results when the query has a localized search objective.

Thus, when local SEO is well executed, users can quickly and easily find information about a business near their location. Optimizing local search is particularly important for small businesses targeting customers in their city or region. That's why this type of action is highly recommended for physical establishments such as:

• Hotels
• Restaurants
• Retail stores
• Artisans
• Service providers

Moreover, Google uses this type of result to improve the UX of its users. Even if the search does not contain location information, nearby establishments appear first (web results, Google Map, and Google My Business listing)! This is the case, for example, if you simply enter "hairdresser" or "Mexican restaurant".

It has been observed that conversion rates are very high during local searches (88% on mobile phones!). Additionally, statistics show that 25% of queries on Google are geographical.^[1] So if you want to attract customers near your establishment, you should not neglect this aspect of organic SEO!

💥 9 actions to take to improve your local SEO

There are no secrets; to succeed in SEO, you must work on several aspects of your website and other external parameters. Here are 9 tips to boost your local SEO!

1. On-page geolocation

If you want your site's pages to appear at the top of the SERP for localized searches, you must create dedicated content for this purpose. Not only should you place your exact location in the hot zones, but I also strongly recommend using a whole lexical field that precisely defines your catchment area.

For example, if you want to rank your business in Paris, consider including local information, such as:

• Districts
• Postal codes
• Key establishments
• Nicknames and synonyms

2. Metadata optimization

As you know, metadata (meta-title and meta-description) are the information (most often) displayed on Google's results page. They have a direct impact on the user's decision-making process.

By adding your location to these tags, you can easily reassure the searcher about the relevance and proximity of your business. Note that even if the description is not taken into account directly for SEO, it indirectly influences it through the click-through rate (CTR).

3. Improving user experience

UX is of fundamental importance for organic SEO, so much so that we even talk about SXO! Since local search is mainly done on mobile phones, optimizing the mobile version of your site is absolutely crucial.

If you're not yet convinced, consider that, according to Google, 90% of store customers first conducted a search on the search engine before visiting the establishment

4. Creating a "Google My Business" profile

To optimize your Google My Business listing correctly, here's what the Mountain View Giant recommends^[3]:

• Enter complete data (description, address, phone number, website)
• Verify the establishment
• Provide opening hours
• Manage reviews and comments
• Add images
• Provide product information

This not only allows you to appear at the top of the SERP but also to be present on Google Maps. Moreover, to further improve your local SEO, you can write short content (offers, events, products, and services) in the dedicated section (Google Local Posts)^[4].

5. Fill out your "Bing Places for Business" listing

Although Google is the undisputed leader of search engines, Bing still has an interesting potential to exploit (just over 8% of the global market^[5]). To do this, simply follow 3 steps^[6]:

• Claim your listing
• Fill out your profile
• Verify your listing to protect it

6. Obtaining customer reviews

The displayed customer review rating is a crucial factor for your success. First, you must take particular care of your clientele to avoid exposing yourself to negative comments. Indeed, if your Google rating is significantly lower than that of your local competition, you risk being penalized.

Secondly, consider encouraging your customers (satisfied with your services or products!) to leave their reviews on Google. By doing so, you increase your chances of improving your local SEO and conversion rate.

7. Activity on social networks

Social media has an indirect influence on your geolocated SEO. Indeed, if you feature your business on popular networks (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.), you add credibility in the eyes of search engines.

You can also add a link to these platforms on your Google My Business listing. In any case, you must remain proactive and respond quickly to questions asked on these various acquisition channels. This element also seems to be taken into account when judging your professionalism, and therefore the trust that Google can grant you.

8. Presence in local directories

Sites like Yellow Pages or Trip Advisor have excellent visibility on search engines and attract a wide audience. Being present on such directories is therefore essential.

Moreover, there are numerous specialized online directories in specific fields. Search for those that match your industry and request to be listed.

However, note that you must provide the same information on each of these channels to convey a consistent message to search engines and, of course, your potential customers.

9. Acquisition of proximity links

If you want to improve your local SEO, this involves a specific link building strategy. Thus, not only are you looking for trustworthy sites that match your theme, but you also want them to come from businesses close to yours.

Here is a list of ideas for acquiring such links:

• Local news sites
• City halls
• Community blogs
• Neighboring businesses
• Local social media groups

✍️ The 4 types of content for geolocated SEO

To improve your local SEO, you must implement a targeted and relevant content strategy. Discover 4 content ideas to create to appear at the top of search engine results pages.

1. Page dedicated to a locality or region

If you are only active in one city, this task is relatively simple. But if your catchment area is vast, creating a page for each locality and region becomes a real challenge. Indeed, you don't want to simply copy-paste your content by changing only the locality, but rather create distinct pages without duplicate content.

Rephrasing is an art that requires patience, rigor, and discipline. Revisit the structure of your page each time and change your way of explaining things. A good tip for making this work easier is to analyze the typical buyer profile for each region in advance. This way, you can more easily adapt each page to the needs and expectations of your future customers.

Adding a unique and specific FAQ to each of these pages is also an excellent lever for improving your local SEO. This is indeed a strategy often used by sites that appear at the top of the SERP for such queries.

2. Local events

You may also use social networks to find events happening in your region. I then like to visit their website to learn more.

As a result, if you organize an event, don't share it and don't create a dedicated local page, you risk losing customers (like me!) and miss out on a good local SEO lever.

You also have the opportunity to appear on other websites that specialize in this area. Thus, not only do you gain visibility, but you also have the chance to receive a relevant backlink for free. This is also the case if you are only a partner or speaker at the event!

3. Blog articles with local character

You are probably aware that a company blog is an essential asset in terms of SEO. And this is even more true for local SEO! Sharing geolocated information is also an excellent way to find inspiration for your next articles.

Here are some content ideas you could write. And this list is just a starting point, as the possibilities are endless!

• Announcing a new location
• Information on local legislation
• Introducing a new product/service in a specific region
• Retrospective on a local event
• Etc.

4. "Best of" guides

A best-of is a simple and highly effective way to promote your local SEO. Indeed, creating a guide to the must-sees in a given geographical area makes it easy to convey information and thus respond to the search intent of the user.

Moreover, topics in this area are almost unlimited. However, remember to stay consistent with your site's theme!

To optimize these presentation pages, you can also add numerous media and external links that make it easy to create this type of content. Among various ideas, you can include in your pages:

• Google Maps
• Establishment listings
• Links to relevant websites
• YouTube videos
• Trusted contacts

🙏 Sources used to write this article

[1] https://www.anthedesign.fr/marketing-2/seo-referencement-local/

[2] https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-strategies/search/global-shopping-online-search-statistics/

[3] https://support.google.com/business/answer/7091?hl=fr

[4] https://support.google.com/business/answer/7662907?hl=fr

[5] https://www.statista.com/statistics/216573/worldwide-market-share-of-search-engines/

[6] https://www.bingplaces.com/