Local SEO: How Do Dou Do Local SEO?

Local SEO: How Do You Do Local SEO?

If you own a restaurant in Phoenix, Arizona, you do not want to spend all of your time and energy working to appear highly on the SERPs for people in Chicago. Instead, you want to appear first for people searching for restaurants in Phoenix, and then create strategies to capture new customers elsewhere. 

Here is what you need to do for your local SEO:

• NAP: The first step to a local SEO strategy is ensuring that your name, address, and phone number are accurately and consistently recorded across the web. You want to get yourself listed in a variety of online directories, including popular review sites, such as Yelp. You want to make sure that your business’s information appears the same on each site, as well as your business hours. Likewise, submit your information in a consistent format, such as always using the ‘&’ versus writing out ‘and’ if that is how you choose to do so. Other important directories to consider are local news organizations, and the Chamber of Commerce. Links from these local sources will help your business locally, and also increase your domain authority and ranking in SERPs.

• Google My Business: When it comes to local SEO on Google, few pages are more important than your Google My Business page. When you claim your Google My Business page, you can create a customized experience with images, reviews, and other means of engagement with your intended customers. Not many companies take the time to fill out their GMB page, however, quality images that help your business look welcoming and inviting is very important. You can also use GMB to select the industry and categories that Google offers you, such as “restaurant” or “real estate office” which will all help with your local search visibility.

• Local-focused content: Finally, you want to create website content that targets local search queries. This content should contain relevant keywords, which can help you attract local searchers, as well as blog posts, articles, or press releases with local themes and stories that help capture local interest. A local restaurant may write about where to shop for organic foods or offer recipes made with local ingredients, for example. Likewise, a flower shop might write articles about DIY floral bouquets to do on the weekend or seasonal gardening tips. Your content needs to speak to your specific customer, particularly in your area.

When done together, these three key areas will ensure local SEO success for your website. Utilizing local directory optimization, content optimization, and link building can all help to generate more local traffic and engagement with your business.

Related: NAP
Related: Local SEO: How do you do local SEO for multiple locations?