Similar to the fashion trends which keep changing frequently search engine optimization (SEO) also keeps changing all the time. If a business wants to remain on the top of the search results, it will need to keep upgrading its SEO strategy. Read about the perfect local SEO strategy for 2021. Businesses need to invest time and conduct thorough research if they wish to stay on the top and relevant in the market. With new competition entering the local market every year, it has become more important for businesses to be easily searchable. Word-of-mouth and local advertisements play an important role in attracting customers from the local area. However, an online search is equally important. A report by Social Media Today stated that 97% of search engine users were searching online to find a local business and majority of them were mobile searches. Hence it is important for a business to work on its local SEO strategy to grow its business and to create a mark for itself. If a business does not rank high in local search results it will miss out on good quality traffic and customers. In simple words, local SEO can help in growing the business and keeping it relevant in the market. Before you learn how to improve local SEO for your website, let us understand what is local SEO?

What is Local SEO?

Local SEO is about increasing the search visibility for businesses that serve their local customers offline (in person). Local SEO is useful for brick-and-mortar businesses that are local and small business which are located at specific places like a medical store or hair salon or service providing businesses that cover a certain geographic area, like a house cleaning company or pest control Services Company. Local SEO involves strategies that are designed to improve the businesses visibility on search engines like Google when customers perform a search for a specific location or an area near them. For example, local SEO tactics help businesses to be displayed on Google Maps or search results when a person searches for ‘pizza New York’ or ‘Pizza near me’. In simple words, Local SEO strategies can help improve sales of a business by building a strong online presence and improving online visibility. An experienced local SEO company can help determine the best local SEO strategies for your business. Read this blog posts to know what is local SEO and how it works.

7 local SEO tactics for 2021

Below mentioned are a few local SEO tactics which the local SEO services company can deploy to ensure the best results.
  1. Claim and Optimize Google My Business listing
Google My Business (GMB) is the most important part of a local SEO strategy. GMB allows the creation of free business listings. A business needs to provide important business contact information like the store or office address, exact location on a map, category of business, phone number, website address etc. while creating the listing. Read these Google My Business Secrets for Success and Growth of your business. Once the listing goes live it needs to be verified. Post verification the business can optimize Google My Business by:
  • Uploading pictures of their store or office and their products or services.
  • Mentioning the business operation hours.
  • Mention additional categories which are relevant to the business.
  • Share business updates and fresh content on a regular basis.
  1. Add Location details on the Website
Search engines send crawlers to the websites to find the most comparable matches to a search request and display the related websites on the search engine results page. If a business has several business locations or stores, it is advisable to create a separate landing page for each business location. Having a landing page for each business locations helps the crawlers to easily locate your page and display it in search results for a specific location search by a user. Include the complete address with the street name, city, zip code etc. on the website. Ensure the information updated on the various listing and social media profiles match the contact information mentioned on the website.
  1. Ensure NAP Consistency
To ensure search engines crawl through your websites and listings and display your business in the search engine results it is important to maintain NAP consistency. NAP means business name, address and phone number. It is important to be consistent with all the details listed anywhere on the internet. The name, address and phone number have to be the same, if the business name includes co. or Inc. then it needs to be added at all places. Make sure there are no spelling mistakes or discrepancies in the details mentioned, and if any resolve them immediately to improve your local SEO.
  1. Garner plenty of customer reviews
Customer reviews are vital in creating a positive image and trustworthiness of the brand. Reviews are Google’s local SEO ranking factor, they help to make your listing stand out. If you can impress your customers with your products or services and convince your customers to leave a positive review on Google, it can do wonders. It is one of the most effective local SEO tactic. The reviews result in higher rankings for the business and there are high chances that Google will feature your business in its local pack. When users search for a specific product or service and see five stars next to a business, they immediately understand that the business is highly recommended by other users. Customer reviews help in taking care of three major components of conversion: ranking, click-through rate (CTR) and conversion rate optimization (CRO).
  1. Focus on Local Link Building
Link building is very important for the promotion of a business. Linking domain authority and quantity are considered top factors in influencing the search engine ranking in local searches. Similar to regular SEO, link building plays an important role in boosting the link profile in local SEO too. In Local SEO the linking domains should be more relevant to the target location. Optimize the links by establishing a relationship with the local websites related to your industry. Earning links from websites having a high domain authority in the local area can help boost the rankings.
  1. Develop Local Content
Developing content focusing on your niche will help make an impact on the local search rankings. We all know that content is the king. By developing unique, informative content you can win your customers. Developing and publishing relevant and unique content with important keywords can help improve local SEO. Introduce keywords and content with the name of location or city for local SEO.
  1. Utilize Social Media Platforms
Social media platforms are a wonderful way to remain in the eyes and minds of the audience. Google crawlers can pull search results from your various social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn etc. Having social media pages pointing to your location and business is very helpful when it comes to ranking for local SEO. Other than this, you should also keep optimizing your website for speed. A website that is fast to load has a lesser bounce rate and can convert a potential customer.

Implementing a Local SEO Strategy

The online business world is flourishing and growing every year. Due to the strong competition, it is difficult for a business to survive. To stand out and make your business seen, it is important for it to get noticed. You can increase the traffic to your website by improving the search engine ranking. Local SEO strategies help a business to grow and improve its online visibility. As one of the best local SEO Company in Tucson, GSM Marketing Agency can help in building a strong online presence for your business and driving more traffic to the website. Get a free analysis of your business online listing from us. We believe that for a business to succeed in the long run it is essential for it to invest in regular and local SEO services. If you want to improve your current online marketing approach, contact us today and we can help build a local SEO strategy that will work wonders for your business.