Having your local business rank higher in the search engines is becoming an increasingly difficult task. Local SEO has always been competitive and more businesses have realized that they must optimize for local search results. However, to make matters worse Google has taken out the premium spots for local businesses by reducing the appearance of local businesses on the top pages of SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). They have decreased the number of local results that appear in the Local Pack. The number of businesses appearing here has been decreased from seven listings to three. One of them is expected to be paid soon.
The factors affecting this kind of SEO have changed dramatically over a few years thereby making it a lot harder to rank for the local results. When you are working with local businesses or for a client situated locally it is significant to understand the changing local environment. You can take into consideration certain specific search strategies that will aid your business rank in the local SERPs. Let’s look at the important factors that affect visibility in the local searches.
1. Using Google My Business and Bing Places for Business pages for Local SEO: Several businesses do not realize that Bing and Google provide a free page on their search engines. When you claim your business on the Google My Business or Bing Places for Business there is a rise in the chances of your listing appearing when people search for the local businesses. Your business will appear on any device and you can also get exposure on Google Maps. You are required to provide the physical addresses of your businesses while claiming the Google and Bing business listing. In case you are running the business from your home or running it from an area where the customers are not coming to the establishment, do not worry. There is an option available to hide the physical address of your business. This is the first step for any local SEO campaign.
2. Get Localized Content: When you are facing competition in terms of SEO you should focus on creating content suitable for the local area on your website pages. Try to tie up the local events to your business. Remember, writing content regularly for your website is not optional but mandatory. You can create blog posts that discuss local events, news, and activities in the city and local areas. You can also create videos about the various charity events that include your business participation. If you are operating in several locations you can develop city-specific pages for your website. Just ensure that there are city-specific pages on the website and these pages are distinctly different.
3. Using Online Business Directories: This is a modern-day equal of the old-fashioned Yellow book. When you mention online directories you will hear about citations. They are the websites containing the business name, address, and phone number. But remember, all citation sites are not business directories. Some examples are Foursquare, Yelp, and Citysearch. This is a great method for getting backlinks to the business site. Google considers several of these citations as trustworthy websites. The local business listing many times shows up in the top search results which is a big bonus.
Conclusion
Identification of factors affecting the local ranking is the beginning of your local SEO journey. You are going to face competition no matter what the business niche is so, you must have the necessary SEO tools at hand to undermine your local search presence. You will need a set of tools that constantly provides information about the performance and keeps giving you an overview. Local SEO Company gives you just that. They will not only keep you up-to-date but will provide precise performance data.
