Since the number of “Near Me” searches in search engine results has dramatically increased, local SEO is crucial. Local SEO plays an important role in the success of small businesses. According to the Think with Google report, “near me” searches have increased 130% in the last 12 months. Consequently, improving our local rankings is our main goal in an effort to increase website traffic.
Now let’s look at the top 5 essential components that will improve the ranking of your website.
Setting up Google My Business
“Google My Business” is the first result a visitor sees when searching for your brand on the internet. Ensure that your Google listing is verified before trying to draw in visitors, as it is often the case that the first impression is the last. The next step entails adding the required information to your Google listing, such as the relevant business category, a link to your website, your operating hours, a locatable address, and real photos.
On-page SEO
Your website’s on-page content needs to rank highly in local searches. Make sure you don’t overuse keywords and focus mostly on posting content that people will find interesting—not just search engine algorithms. Make sure the header, titles, and metadata on your website are relevant if you want to raise your search engine ranking. A NAP footer with the correct information (name, address, and phone number) must appear on every page.
Keep Making Links
Building a ton of regional, high-quality links is essential to raising your ranking in local searches, even though it may sound a lot like general SEO. Links originating from locally relevant domains, such as listings in local business directories, will be more valuable to you. The links have to be made in a way that is relevant to your business theme because quality matters more than quantity. With online backlink analyzer tools, you can check your backlink profile regularly.
Citation Trustworthiness
While it is well known that the best way to increase local search traffic is to build citations, it is even more important to keep the NAP information consistent across all of your citations. Therefore, whenever you choose to use citation-building services, make sure that each listing on your website has a consistent and accurate address. Listings made at similar-looking domains with citation authority are more relevant to your website.
Purchasers’ Reviews
You may find this a little odd, but according to Statista, 84% of consumers trust online reviews left by other customers just as much as they do personal recommendations. Ask your clients to leave honest online reviews. This helps you in two ways: first, it makes it easier for you to fix mistakes in your work so that you can provide the best possible service to your clients; second, it helps promote your brand and services. Even though creating local SEO is a competitive endeavor, employing the previously mentioned tactics will surely assist you in meeting your financial goals.