Optimization for the local audience allows you to successfully compete with the giant brands in the local area. What do you need to do?
What is local SEO?
This is a search engine optimization strategy that helps to achieve high positions in search results for geo-dependent queries — where the city, region or just the user’s location is specified. On average, half of all that people search in search engines is local requests. For example, in Google, their share is 46% of the total number of all requests.
Local SEO includes not only requests indicating the region or certain location, but also wording containing “next to me”, “nearest”, etc. When users turn to Google with such information, local companies go to the top results. Therefore, the struggle for regional issuance has become a priority for local businesses.
Integration with Google My Business
Registering an organization in a business listing on Google is where any local SEO starts.
Registration allows the system to control the display of company information in Google services — mainly on maps and in search results. An organization card in GMB is the thing that you definitely need to have if your business is offline and tied to a specific region. Integration with the listing is also available for e-commerce, but for this, the company must have a physical office.
The top of search results (especially for commercial requests) are densely occupied by contextual advertising, but Google has provided a mechanism by which companies can be effectively displayed in local search — this is a pack with GMB results. It bypasses organic delivery and generates traffic well on relevant requests. The GMB pack displays basic information about the organization. From here, the user can immediately go to the site.
Google ranking factors. Optimization schemes
The presence of a verified card does not guarantee a default inclusion in the GMB results pack. As in global search, ranking factors work here. First of all, it is a relevance — how much the card corresponds to the essence of the user request. The ranking priority is given to organizations with high internal ratings and positive reviews. The location plays an important role — Google takes into account the user’s location and offers a selection of closer organizations.
From the point of view of optimization when working with Google My Business, it is appropriate to focus on the following aspects:
- Use in descriptions of low-frequency keys in the direct entry. Periodic updating of information.
- Work with reviews. The account owner must motivate the audience to write reviews and be sure to respond to negative feedback. It’s better to forget about writing fake reviews.
- A high organization rating is another important ranking factor in GMB packs. As in the case of reviews, it is better not to think about cheating here.
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