Why Local SEO is Important
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Learn all about local SEO
Want to learn about local SEO? The above video shows why Local SEO is important when searching for a business or service. Google personalizes results based on a business’ location. There are different ways to get more traffic using local SEO strategies. Find out how local SEO is ranked on Google Maps and Yelp as well as the impact that Yelp has on local SEO.
How does Google personalize results?
Google personalizes results based on location, even if we’re in the same city Google’s going to personalize them slightly depending on the geo-location one is exactly in. If a business is trying to capture an audience and it is in a highly dense population city where a lot of people are searching for services or products, it makes sense to get them in Google Maps and have a way to get free traffic. This is a great way to run ads but getting in for free just by having a listing on Google Maps is going to be the best long-term strategy.
Is a physical location necessary?
One could just be a service-based business operating in Los Angeles but helping people all over the world, proving that there is no need for a physical location. Once a website is optimized, a listing can be created on Google Maps or Yelp. With this an address can be hidden, so no one sees the physical location of a company.
How do reviews affect a business?
It helps to showcase reviews that people have written about a business. This serves as a portfolio and builds trust in users coming to its website or browsing around the internet. It is a form of proof of the business’s credibility.
What kind of traffic optimizes local SEO?
One ultimately gets free traffic from listings. If it’s targeted traffic it is gonna result in more leads, phone calls, emails, form submissions, and purchases directly from a business’ website. Ultimately, we’re looking to get targeted traffic for a business that’s going to convert and become leads or clients. This way local SEO is optimized and has a presence in a physical location or in a radius of where one is located.
How to create multiple locations in different places?
One could have and create more locations in different places and build a presence. This is done by building physical locations, ranking, and getting those on websites like Google Maps, Apple Maps, Bing Maps, yellowpages.com, and Mapquest. The most popular are Google Maps and Yelp. Google Maps is always going to be the best because every industry is different depending on the type of niche while Yelp focuses on restaurants.
How to verify a listing?
Having a presence on Google Maps is going to help drive more awareness. The way to get on Google Maps is to sign up for an account on Google My Business, which is a free website. Once signed up to Google my Business, an account can be created, where information such as the address, website, hours, or operations of a company is added. What will happen next is they’re going to mail the company a postcard to make sure an address is included. Once the postcard has been received, the listing is verified, and the address is hidden.
Why hide a physical location?
Google will show a city-state but they’re not going to show a physical address because Google wants to make sure that no one has a physical location there. In this case, a location can still be hidden, or a residential address could be used without the need for a PO box. If a company used it, Google would see it as a red flag and defend the company’s account because too many people have done that in the past and Google wants it to have a location. This means if one has a physical location without operating there or having people coming to it, the location can be hidden and made into a service-based business while still getting listed on Google Maps through Google my Business.
How does Google My Business work?
When using Google My Business, it’s going to ask for a description of the business, which should consist of words and keywords. Optimizing a website means optimizing for Google by putting keywords in different areas that Google’s looking at. This is the same for Google Maps, which searches in different areas to put keywords and lets them know what a business is, such as what cities it services or what products or services it offers.
What kind of details should Google be provided with?
The more details Google is provided with, the clearer the keywords that are related to a brand can be added, which let it become more relevant to Google searches. This lets Google know the keywords that a business wants to target, so it makes sense to fill out details, such as its address, website, and images.
How to properly upload images to Google?
Images are essential, which is why it is necessary to name them with keywords before they are uploaded. Google then reads the file names of the images, so it helps to name them using descriptive keywords. People want to look at images that are appealing to the eye, so it is necessary to add ones that clearly present a company’s products.
How do multiple listings build trust?
One needs to win Google‘s trust by having multiple listings. A normal business would have listings all over the web. The more places one is listed on, the more trust Google’s going to have that a company is credible because it doesn’t want to rank just anybody and accidentally send someone to the wrong person or a scammer, which unfortunately happens often.
How are multiple listings built?
Building listings must be a consistent process. This means when creating an account on Google, Yelp, and Facebook, one needs to have the same hours of operation on each platform or else Google will get confused and won’t know what hours are accurate or if a company has a different address or phone number. If an address, phone number, or hours are changed, they must be changed across the web, and it should be made sure that everything is consistent.
Are rankings important on Google Maps?
Ranking on Google Maps does not depend on reviews, what they do is build trust from people when they visit it. A five-star review shows clients are fully satisfied with a product or service, which will raise the likelihood of a company being chosen among competitors in the same industry as it. Even more important than reviews is getting listed in other third-party directories. Getting reviews should not be the goal because that won’t get a company ranking as most people think.
How to double-check the accuracy of information?
To make sure that all information details are the same across the web is for a person to search for a business phone number in Google. The person sees what shows up and makes sure that the information is consistent. This is done by checking that the name, address, and phone number of a business are accurately displayed. To double-check, one can search for a phone number and address as well as the company‘s name and see what pops up.
How important is competition for SEO?
Important for SEO is to spy on competition because if competitors are ranking on the first page of Google Maps, they’re doing something right and their strategy should be mimicked. An easy way to do so is to Google search for their business phone number and see all websites that list them. Then a listing should be created on the same websites. If a competitor has a better business bureau or is on the chamber of commerce, it makes sense to sign up a company for either or both. If they’re on yellowpages.com, then an account for the company should be created on it.
What are some ways to rise to the level of competitors?
Creating listings is the best way to grow to the level of competitors or rise even higher than them. It’s also the easiest way to find other directories. Another thing one can do is search in Google for local SEO chambers, local SEO meetings, or searching Google for events related to a business.
How to build citations?
There are a lot of different ways to build citations using Google Maps. As a start, it makes sense to look at the competition, see exactly what they’re doing, and copy their strategy. One can also write a press release. Anytime a press release is written one is always going to put a business name, address, and phone number which helps to rank it locally. Websites like PRWeb can be used to write a press release. If PRWeb is paid a few hundred dollars, it‘ll distribute it to hundreds of websites.
What strategies are used on Yelp and Trip Advisor?
The strategies used for Yelp and Trip Advisor are similar to those for Google Maps. They work well in terms of generating traffic and leads as well as gaining overall visibility. One doesn‘t need to have a physical location to be able to get listings done. What a lot of people don’t know is one can create a listing and then hide their address, while still getting ranked on Yelp and Google Maps. The company can still rank locally and not have people knocking on its door when services are offered digitally and not at a physical location.
How to create an account for Yelp?
To create an account for Yelp, one can sign up on business.yelp.com and make sure to thoroughly fill out the about me, about the business, and the history sections. In addition, it is important to categorize images before uploading them and make sure business information is consistent, visible, and transparent on Google Maps, Yelp, and the business’ website. This way it will be easy for people to reach out to the business.
What features does Yelp have?
There is no need to run ads on Yelp. Yelp gets a percentage of the money that a client spends. It is a free way to get real estate, extra badges, and notifications where clients or potential leads know that when they go to a business’ website and spend a certain amount, they’ll get an actual deal back from Yelp. This means one is getting free advertisements on the platform. Another feature to be aware of on Yelp is how fast one responds to messages, which is shown at the top of the business’ profile. The faster one responds, the higher the ranking of the business is on the platform.
