Top Local SEO Strategies for 2021

Think of the last time you made a search on Google for information on a service or a product. You typed out your query and the search engine delivered a local business result that displayed the description of the business, details of the service or product and finally contact numbers and even directions to the business to fulfill your query.

The process of getting all the information required was effortless, and the backdrop of such convenience was a well-oiled Local SEO strategy. For businesses with a local target audience, having a solid Local SEO strategy is imperative, or in other words, is make or break. Think about it, 4 out of 5 searches on Google revolve around local information, that’s 80% of your audience online – that you can capitalize on or lose out.

How you can build a strong Local SEO Strategy

SERP visibility is your key to reach a local audience and improve conversions. That in mind, here’s how you can build a strong brand presence online with local optimization and this tried, tested, and successful Local SEO framework:

• Build Local Citations

A measure to build page authority as mentioned above, having local citations from quality websites will improve the reach of your business multifold. Having your business details listed on popular directories such as Yelp, Yellow Pages, Foursquare, etc., will improve authority. However, keep the points listed below in mind:

• Your UNAP (URL, Name, Address and Phone Number) has to be consistent as
  inconsistencies or duplication of details will affect your ranking and you’d lose
  out on potential customers
• Update key details such as the business description, work hours, amenities, type of product and services offered, photos and videos, and business category
• Report and spam duplicate business listings and content

• Google My Business (GMB) optimization

Having a GMB listing is possibly the most important step to take for a local business as it will describe and direct customers to your business on its search engine. To optimize for GMB, you’d need to:

• Ensure your UNAP and business category across all directories are consistent
• Your business location is accurate to be located on Google Maps
• Suitable photos and videos are added – 90% of customers are more likely to visit a business that has photos on a search result.
• Encourage customers to review your product and have fair responses
• Create local content using Google Posts

• Create Relevant Local Content

Going with Google’s recent algorithm updates, the search engine giant favors local content that is conversational and relevant to directly answer queries. As part of creating local content, you could:

• Create local flavored content with FAQs (long-tail keywords and conversational content) – optimizing for voice search and featured snippets
• Include Maps on the website for “Near Me” and Keyword-based queries
• Create Event Pages and include local news and activities
• Add local attractions around the business to acquaint tourists with the city

• Optimize for Mobile and AMP

With most searches carried out by users on the go, having an optimal website speed is critical, and here’s when having an Accelerated Mobile Page does the trick. By caching and loading lighter content (that’s necessary), the page load time reduces drastically. In addition, the on-page content needs to be mobile-friendly, with to-the-point and conversational content that is easy on the eyes.

• Optimize your URL and content

Having SEO-friendly or keyword-based URLs will improve the chances of the page being picked up by search engines. In addition, the content should have suitable Title Tags, Header Tags, Meta Tags and Descriptions, and relevant keywords and synonyms (keeping the recent neural matching algorithm in mind).

• Location Pages & Schema Markup

If your business has multiple properties in multiple locations, having a dedicated location page for each property is vital to reach a local audience. In addition, each location page should have relevant schema markup to describe the business and its location and other details to the search engine.

• Authority Backlinks

While internal linking on a website is important to describe authority pages and the hierarchy of website pages to search engines, having quality backlinks sets the foundation for an authority website. This can be achieved by guest posting on authority websites, or through partnerships and sponsorship programs.

• Local Pay-Per-Click Campaigns

Local Pay-Per-Click Campaigns helps get your business’s nose ahead of the rest in a competitive market as there is a surety of visibility on SERPs through Ad Campaigns. Of course, use Business Intelligent Analytics to ensure successful paid campaigns.

Using the 7 pillars of digital marketing as the foundation, Milestone carries out Local SEO Strategies for our clients to ensure that their brand is visible on SERPs to accomplish their goal of reaching their target audience and increasing conversions.

Download our free Local Marketing Guide.

To know more on how you can build and implement a strong Local SEO strategy, contact us at +1 408-200-2211 or mail us at sales@milestoneinternet.com

Reference:
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/local-seo