From solving everyday queries to providing recommendations, Google is an indispensable tool in our daily lives. Google performs billions of searches every single day, and it’s estimated that up to 73% of this online activity involves local searches. This occurs when Google displays nearby results automatically, even when the location hasn’t been specified.
Local searches ensure that the most relevant search results are prioritized. For example, if you’d like to order some tacos, it only makes sense for nearby Mexican restaurants to be shown first, rather than those located in another state.
The world of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is an incredibly competitive landscape, and finding ways to outrank your competitors can seem impossible at times. This is where local SEO comes in. But just what is local SEO? And how can you use locations to boost local SEO?
What is local SEO?
Local SEO refers to the way website owners can optimize their online content to target users in a specific location. This has a number of benefits: It can improve visibility, increase local traffic, and cultivate brand awareness. Basically, local SEO represents the best way to get your site in front of suitable potential customers.
How can you improve local SEO?
To provide users with the most accurate and relevant information, Google uses a local search algorithm in addition to its usual ranking system. This takes into account three main factors to identify the most suitable content: relevancy, distance, and prominence. But how can you help improve these factors and consequently boost local SEO?
- Get a Google Business profile: When creating a Google Business profile, you simply need to provide a few details about your company, such as photos, your location, and what services and products you offer. In turn, this entirely free tool can help to increase your visibility across all of Google’s services, including Google Search, Google Maps, and Google Shopping.
- Create local branch webpages: Location pages provide a general overview of your business, acting as a useful starting point for users who are conducting a local search.
- Optimize with niche keywords: By using niche keywords combined with relevant information related to your business location, you can appeal to local searchers. Be sure to target your keywords effectively; the more specific they are, the more likely the page is to achieve a high SERP (Search Engine Results Page) ranking.
What are location pages?
Location pages are an important part of SEO strategy and target specific search terms to help you reach your audience in that area. Each location page should contain useful and location-specific information that gives an overview of your products and services.
Think of your existing website as an outfit. Your homepage and product/service pages are the essential items that you can’t function without — your shirt and trousers if you will. Like a stylish handbag or a pair of glasses, location pages act as accessories; although they aren’t essential for success, they are a useful addition and complement the finished product.
How can location pages benefit your business?
If your business has more than one branch, you may run into difficulty when trying to rank for multiple locations. For example, if your main base is in Charlotte, NC, but you also have secondary premises down the road in Greensboro, you’ll want to appear in SERPs for both locations. Location pages are a great way to get around this problem, using a dedicated page to target area-specific keywords.
How to write content for location pages
When writing content for branch pages, you may be struggling with how to differentiate the copy from the regular service pages. Here are a number of helpful tips that you should remember:
- Make it personal: It’s important to tailor your content specifically to each location and include any relevant information about that particular branch. It’s also important to bear in mind who your typical customer in each area is — you may need to modify your tone of voice for different demographics.
- Keep content unique and engaging: If you’re writing multiple location pages, the temptation can be to copy existing content for ease. However, Google is against duplicating content, so you should strive to make each location page as unique as possible to avoid impacting your SERP ranking.
- Include prominent CTAs: If the user is searching for location-specific terms, this suggests that they’re ready to make a purchase pretty soon. Including prominent CTAs (Calls To Action) prompts customers to take action and clearly signposts where they can contact you.
- Link to all the services: Location pages allow you to showcase just what your business has to offer and provide a great opportunity to internally link to other service pages.
How can Breeez help?
If you’d like to improve the ranking of your website, why not get in touch with the experts at Breeez? As a full-service digital marketing agency, we offer a whole host of services that will enhance the online presence of your business, including national and local SEO. From our office in Charlotte, North Carolina, we help businesses all across the US to get noticed by potential customers in their region.
Our friendly experts have extensive industry experience and are always happy to help devise an effective local SEO strategy for your needs — simply get in touch with us today.