Local SEO Tips
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Google Maps and Yelp have been playing an important role in the growth of business worldwide. Google Maps shows your business’s details and location on a map. People can use such information to come to your business or contact you. Yelp is a review website where customers leave reviews about your services or products, and new customers can use it to find your business.
Google Maps and Yelp are the most preferred navigation and review sites; hence, ranking highly on these sites could be a good thing for your business. Google is the most used search engine in the world, and if you are ranked high on Google Maps, a quick search of your business’s name means you appear first on the result.
If you want to rank number one on Google Maps and Yelp, you need to understand why having a local SEO is important and the strategies you need to use to become number one on Google Maps and Yelp.
Importance of Local SEO
When you search for a business or service on Google, Google will personalize the results according to your location, which is usually within a 15-mile radius. Geolocation helps personalize the search results of any keyword showing your business or services that are close to you. For example, if you are looking for a mechanic in New York, type the word mechanic on Google, and the search results will show the New York mechanic closest to your location.
A local SEO is an easy way to get free traffic for your business. When you have a listing on Google Maps or Yelp, you get free traffic when searching your business online. Free traffic will also lead to conversion, where customers will start to contact you using our contacts listed on Google Maps or Yelp.
Google Maps Strategies
Here are steps to take to get the most out of google maps strategies.
Create an Account
Google Maps is the most popular SEO, and many businesses will always start by listing on Google Maps. You first need to create an account on Google My Business, sign up for the service and enter your details. The account is free; therefore, avoid people who will ask you to pay a fee so that they can place your business on Google Maps.
Fill in the Details
The details will include the business name, address, hours of operation, email address, and phone number, among other things. You can hide if you do not want customers to show up at your address. You should note that Google wants you to have a physical address; hence, without it, you cannot create a listing on Google Maps.
Ensure that you complete filling in the details, paying close attention to keywords. If you have images, you can add them to your account to help customers find your business easily. You should also add third-party directories to build more trust; for example, if you are a lawyer, you should link your account to any other website that lists you as a lawyer.
Get Positive Reviews
Getting reviews on Google Maps is also very important because it can help you get a high ranking. To get reviews, offer good services or products to people, and you will start getting positive reviews that convince other customers to trust your business. You should also ensure your information is consistent, ensuring Google Maps displays the same information every day.
Look at Your Competition
You should also pay attention to your competition and see what they are doing right. If there is a business that has a higher rank than yours, check their details and see what they have included in their account that might be missing in yours. Your keywords should also contain niche directories, and if possible, you can write a press release for your business listing on Google Maps.
Yelp Strategies
As established, getting reviews on yelp is crucial for your business. However, you can apply some specific strategies to give your business an edge.
Create an Account
Yelp is a review website, and some of the strategies you used to rank number one on Google Maps can work on Yelp too. You need to create your business account on Yelp and ensure you fill in all the details. You can also add images, fill in the correct details in the correct section, and ensure all the details are consistent.
Get Positive Reviews
Reviews play a big role on Yelp, but they do not play a huge role in ensuring you get a number one ranking. Reviews will build trust but do not stress about getting many reviews; a few positive reviews can help build trust with customers. You will be prompted to advertise your business on Yelp, but you do not need to run ads on Yelp to get a high ranking.
Offer Deals and Reply to Messages Quickly
You should offer deals to potential customers and ensure you respond to messages as quickly as possible. Download the Yelp for Business app to ensure you can respond to the messages from anywhere. Yelp shows how fast you reply to messages; therefore, if you leave messages unreplied for hours, you will not get a high ranking.
Final Thoughts
Ranking number one on Google Maps and Yelp can help your business grow by increasing customer search traffic and converting them into sales. You can use the strategies above to improve your ranking on Google Maps and Yelp and reach number one in your location.
