When it comes to Local SEO, relevance is key. But how exactly can you show to Google that your website is located in, say, Chicago? We’ve listed 3 things you can do today to start ranking higher specifically in local search.
1. Citations
A citation is a reference to your company from another website, this is different from a backlink. For example, your company’s listings in Yelp, and the Yellow Pages serve as a citation. There’s hundreds, if not thousands of sites where you can get citations for free. You can use a site such as Knowem to get a list of websites where you can acquire a citation. Where you get a citation from matters, relevance is huge to Google, so if you’re a therapeutic firm, you should looking for therapeutic directories.
Besides directories, your social media profiles serve as citations. These are social citations, and Google can differentiate between the two. While your listings on Google My Business, Facebook, and Twitter are a great start, there’s hundreds of other social media sites where you can list your company for free. Make sure to record all of the usernames and passwords so if you ever change address or business name, you can go back and update all of your citations.
2. Reviews
Not only do reviews serve as an excellent form of social proof, they are weighted by Google and will affect your rankings in both national and local searches. You should look to create an incentive program to get happy customers to write a review for your company. Acquiring reviews on Yelp, Facebook, and your Google My Business page are a great start, but how many reviews are enough?
Search the keywords you’re wanting to rank for, and see how many reviews your competitors have. The volume of reviews, and the star rating are both taken into affect. If you have any negative reviews, make sure to reply to the customers and own the issue: don’t push back. While only Google reviews show up in search results, check out your competitors on the various other business review aggregators.
3. Google My Business (GMB)
Your GMB page is an integral part of any Local SEO efforts. Information from this page will show up in search results, such as business hours, reviews, and contact information. Beyond that, mobile users will often end up at your GMB page before your actual website, so you should make sure to brand this page with company photos and logos. In addition to branding the page, you can also post content that potential customers might find interesting.
Make sure your page is verified, this way you can access analytical information and post on behalf of your company. An active GMB page will attract more traffic, and in turn bring in customers. Think of your GMB page as a second website, you should make sure it’s always up to date and in line with key branding elements.
Next…
These 3 tips will get you started increasing your exposure to local search terms. While many companies will benefit from just these changes, more competitive niches will need to employ more advanced techniques to see results. If you’re looking to increase your firm’s exposure on the internet, connect with us by starting a a free analysis below.
