Every day, people use the Internet to search for the nearest local businesses using relevant keywords. According to Google, 76% of all local mobile searches end up with a store visit.
Attracting local searchers is the best and most cost-effective way to bring in more customers to your business. With the right strategies, you can get ahead of the competition and enable your target customers to find your business by increasing your website visibility in local search results.
This is where local search engine optimization (SEO) comes in.
What Is Local SEO?
Local SEO is among the important aspects of a digital marketing strategy designed to boost search engine visibility for local businesses, primarily the ones with brick-and-mortar stores. Businesses that incorporate the best local SEO practices benefit from an increase in organic traffic from customer queries in nearly local areas.
Signals, such as locally optimized content, social profile pages, backlinks, and citations are used by search engines to provide users with the most relevant local results based on their searches.
Businesses can take advantage of local SEO to stay in front of local prospects searching for their products and/or services.
Top Local Content Strategy to Drive More Traffic to Your Website
There is a good reason why content is king—it plays a crucial factor in local SEO more than you might think. Whatever purpose or goals you have, content should be an essential part of your local SEO strategy.
- Localize your web content
Optimizing your web pages for local terms should be your first step in your local SEO content strategy. It involves thorough keyword research to identify the right search terms used by your target customers when searching for information.
Semrush, Ahrefs Keyword Explorer, Google Keyword Planner, and other keyword tools enable you to determine the best geo-specific keywords used by your target audience when searching for local services or businesses. They also provide crucial information, such as search volume and competition, to help you choose the most relevant search terms for your business.
For instance, you are a Windsor therapist offering counselling for people struggling with addiction. To optimize your web service page, you need to use the best-localized terms, in your case, “addiction counselling in Windsor.”
- Optimize your local web pages
After identifying your search terms, optimize your content using the targetted terms or keywords by implementing on-page SEO best practices on your web pages.
- Incorporate your targeted search terms in your web page URL
- Include your main target keyword in your website’s title tag
- Write a clear, informative meta description
- Create original, engaging, keyword-rich content
- Add images with optimized alt text
- Use headings throughout your web page
- Link internally to related web pages.
If possible, optimize each web page for a unique keyword to prevent other web pages from competing on the same term. However, choose the most relevant keyword that best describes the page or content.
- Add a Detailed Contact Page
Both Google and your prospects seek information about your business on your contact page. For instance, if you are a local DV systems compressor distributor, optimizing your contact page helps you reach your target customers looking for your products.
Be sure to provide accurate descriptions of your business on your optimized contact page, such as:
- Your official business name.
- Your local business address
- Operating business hours.
- Directions to your physical location.
- An embedded map of your business.
- Contact information (phone number and email address)
- A contact form for users to reach you
An optimized contact page enables your prospects to easily locate and get in touch with you.
- Write local content
Blogs are also an effective way to target local prospects who are looking for services like you offer. Focus on local trends, events, and business updates to attract more local audiences and widen your reach in your local market.
One way to boost your captivation of the attention of your target prospects is by writing local “top 10” or “best of” lists that are relevant to your industry. You can also publish tutorials or how-to guides for your location. For instance, a guide on how to find the best SEO company in Markham. This will provide people with helpful information that they can use.
- Submit guest posts to local publishers
Guest posting is another way to drive traffic and acquire links to your website. This effective content marketing works by reaching out to other local businesses or websites that welcome guest posting opportunities. While it does not always guarantee a backlink, it provides you with an opportunity to connect with their existing audience and use it to your advantage to drive even more local traffic.
- Use social media to grow your audience
With billions of social media users out there, chances are, you can find and connect with as many of your target prospects in your area through Facebook, Instagram, and other social media channels.
You can use various social media platforms to promote your blogs and web content, engage followers, and boost your local followings. You can even join local groups on different social media channels to stay in front of your target audience in your local area.
Another way to reach your local audience is through sharing location-specific content. You can check out local event pages and businesses to see their posts to get people buzzing.
- Participate in, and write about, local activities
Participating in the community is another effective way to acquire local backlinks. Get involved in local events, charity drives, or awards. Writing about the event and activities in your local community can help you earn a backlink from the organization’s website or event.
In addition to community participation, you can also sponsor local events, clubs, sports teams, and organizations to earn backlinks. Many local publications will consider your participation or sponsorship newsworthy, meaning you get to earn more links from local news sites. Search Engine Journal even claims that your real-world prominence has a significant impact on your local search ranking, as well.
Local event participation can also boost brand awareness and reputation. You can use it as a platform to enrich your blog with local content. When writing and posting a blog about the event and your experience, be sure to include photos and/or videos to maximize engagement.
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