Semalt: 10 Local SEO Optimization Tips For Your Business
Various ways need to be set to maximize business potential, one of which is to make sure your business appears on the first page of search engines. In addition to using SEO for a wider scope, you can also take advantage of local SEO that reaches local targets or those around your business area. What is local SEO and how to optimize it? You will find more details in the following article.
Get to know local SEO
Have you ever searched for something on the Google search engine with an additional location behind it like "Cafe Surabaya"? Users will usually use specific keywords to find local businesses around them. That way, the Google algorithm will provide search results based on area.
Local SEO is an SEO optimization method to increase the visibility of local businesses. This will help your business get on the first page of search engines so that users can find you easily based on your location or nearby area. With the right implementation, you will bring more traffic to your website and increase purchases.
Research says that 46% of Google searches are local information searches. Information with the type of "near me" or "close by" has also increased over the last two years, reaching 900%. This shows how important it is to use local SEO as a business strategy, especially if your goal is to master the local area.
Tips for implementing local SEO
The majority of people first look for information on the Internet before deciding to buy something. This is where local SEO comes in, as it will help the nearest potential buyers to find your business. Few of them end up visiting the company's premises and even making a purchase. So how do you make this strategy work optimally?
1. Use Google My Business
Are you already using Google My Business? If not, immediately create an account and verify. If you already have an account, try checking the completeness of your profile again. Make sure you've done the following so that your business is easier to find in local searches:
- Fill in the name, location, active phone number, business category, hours of operation, photo, and attributes or business description. Do an update if there is a change in information.
- Invite customers to provide reviews so that your business is more credible, and don't forget to respond to them.
With complete Google My Business data, your business will be more easily detected or indexed by Google so that it appears on Google Search and Google Maps.
2. Riset keyword
Using the right keywords will increase your company's ranking in search engines. This is why it is important to do research. When doing keyword research, pay attention to search volume, keyword difficulty, keyword suggestions, search engine results page (SERP) and search intent.
To easily find these local traffic-generating keywords, you can use the Dedicated SEO Dashboard. Indeed, the Dedicated SEO Dashboard is a very powerful SEO tool designed by Semalt's experts to help anyone who wants to rank well on Google and any search engine. With this tool, you can target local, more specific keywords so that it reaches the people most likely to make a purchase. In addition, you can also use its advanced features to ensure that the keywords you choose are always searched for.
I'll tell you more about this tool in the rest of this article!
3. Create local content
Local content is closely related to the location of your business. For example, if you are running a hotel business in New York, you can explore local content around New York such as various interesting tourist attractions to visit, must-try New-York specialities, upcoming or ongoing events, and so on. Find out what's trending in the local community. The key: the more relevant content will make it easier for users to find your business.
4. On-page SEO optimization
The purpose of 'on-page SEO' optimization is to make it easier for search engines to identify, as well as assess the context of the content and the relevance of the website with keywords. In addition to attractive titles, maximize the use of headings and subheadings in the content. Also, add meta tags which include title tags and meta descriptions. Use Google Webmaster Tools to analyze and ensure that your website is indexed correctly by Google.
5. Competitor analysis
Analyzing competitors will help you to develop the right plan or strategy so that you can outperform them. Know who your competitors are in local keywords and what citations they use. Check competitors' backlinks by entering their URLs on a link analysis website. See how many reviews you need to rank high in search engines.
To achieve such an analysis, you can use the Dedicated SEO Dashboard. Indeed, this tool has a powerful feature called Google SERP Analysis.
This set of features allows you to:
- know the positions of your website in the Google SERP
- know the TOP pages and the keywords for which they rank
Our competitor analysis tool allows you to reveal the main competitors in your search niche, check their traffic-generating keywords, and get an idea of their promotion strategy.
With this tool, you will have all the useful information about your competitors in such a way that you will feel that they are at your fingertips!
6. Improve link performance
External links (backlinks) that point to your website are important. The more links from other websites to your website, the more domain authority scores you collect. This shows good relevance of the content to users so that it has the potential to enter the top search results. In addition to backlinks, you also have to pay attention to internal links. These internal links will help increase page authority, which is when users spend more time on your website because they can easily move from one page to another.
7. Consistent NAP
NAP consists of name, address, and telephone number. This simple step to displaying your business profile is the key to relevant local searches. This is important in winning the Google algorithm. So, apply NAP consistently across various platforms such as Google My Business, websites, and even social media.
8. Pay attention to consumer reviews
Reviews are closely related to local SEO. 87% of people read online reviews when doing a local search. 9 out of 10 people read online reviews before making a purchase, and one of the parts that are often looked at is the star rating. Therefore, interact by inviting customers to give reviews and respond to their reviews. The number and diversity of reviews are two important indicators of the credibility of a business.
9. Make sure the website is mobile-friendly
Most internet users are using mobile devices. Mobile-friendly means the website has been optimized to be adaptive to various screen sizes or to suit mobile devices.
Google also prefers this type of website. That way, the chances of your website being accessed and the business being contacted are higher.
10. Conduct a performance audit
SEO is an ongoing strategy so it is necessary to check periodically to see if optimization has worked as expected. In this case, it's a good idea to do a comprehensive performance audit to actually achieve your goals. The following questions can help you carry out the evaluation:
- How is your Google My Business, is the information accurate?
- Is there a missing element that hinders indexing?
- How is the website ranking, is the on-page SEO maximal?
- What about your link performance?
- How does your website's search results position compared to competitors?
To do this audit in a simple and thorough way, you can use the SEO Technical Audit feature of the Dedicated SEO Dashboard.
This is one of the big competitive advantages of our Dedicated SEO Dashboard. It allows you to perform a complete website analysis. Everything from technical audits and speed tests to plagiarism checks is now under one roof.
Here are some important details to know about the Dedicated SEO Dashboard
When running an SEO / Digital Marketing / Web Development / Hosting or similar business, you need a set of professional web analytics and SEO audit tools to provide your clients with up-to-date insights. Then, Semalt's Dedicated SEO Dashboard is just the right one. It's a toolkit under your own brand that your clients can use for free with your company's domain.
- As a professional SEO toolkit incorporated into your website, it improves customer loyalty and helps increase your sales.
- Its comprehensive SEO analytics service can be a magnet to attract new clients to your website.
- Your clients won't go elsewhere for the right tools. Now they will stay on your website.
- You no longer need to splurge on paid third-party APIs.
- Save your time and money on platform maintenance and focus on working with your leads.
- Your customers can now send service requests right from the DSD.
- If you're involved in the Semalt Reseller Program, the DSD is a great way to skyrocket your SEO service sales.
The good news about this tool is that you have a 14-day free trial period. During this time, you will have access to all the features included in the standard package.
So, you can start your trial today to appreciate the performance and reliability of this tool before you commit financially.
Conclusion
Local SEO is a great method to attract local potential customers by increasing the visibility of a business in search engines. You need to do optimization by considering various SEO tricks so that your business gets on the first page or even top rankings. Apply the 10 tips above to improve the online performance of your business.