Think back to the last time you searched online for potential restaurants. Chances are this online engine provided a list of nearby establishments based on reviews, proximity, and SEO ranking. For businesses, having a strong SEO presence increases their online visibility and website traffic, which in-turn strengthens reviews and engagement. Optimizing location-specific searches promotes a sense of community by allowing nearby customers to find your small, local business over larger, corporate competitors. Therefore, investing in local SEO is both beneficial and essential for standing out in today’s competitive market. In this article, we’ll explore the evolution of local SEO in recent years through NAP consistency, strategies for enhancing user experience (UX) to boost engagement, and tips for creating valuable content tailored to your local audience.
Local SEO: How It Has Evolved in Recent Years
Over the past 2 decades, local SEO has evolved from keyword matching to ranking systems. When it was first introduced in the early 2000s, it mainly focused on providing correct addresses and contact info. In 2015, Google’s Internal Search Data showed a 136% year-over-year growth in the “Near Me” mobile searches. This technological shift called for small businesses to leverage ‘Local SEO’ to adapt. Nearly 20 years later, it’s become a complex network of combined pieces that categorize which options are the best for you with ‘high local intent search queries’ (i.e. “near me,” “in a specific location,” or “open now”) allowing customers to find the place, service, or product they’re looking for within specific geographical locations.
NAP: Consistency is Key
The first and most important pillar of a successful local SEO strategy is NAP consistency. NAP stands for name, address, & phone number. By making sure this information is correct across all online platforms, including the Google Business Profile, the search engine will be able to verify and rank highly according to location-centric search terms (with or without location qualifiers). If any of these details are wrong, the inconsistency could confuse both Google and users, resulting in a ranking loss and consumer inability to access your business.
Use these four steps to optimize your NAP for Local SEO:
1. Verify accuracy across platforms
Your business name, address, and contact number should match exactly across all online platforms, including: your website, Google My Business profile, social media handles (i.e. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok), and other local directories.
2. Monitor and update regularly
Make sure that your NAP remains consistent by updating it regularly with any location or phone number changes that arise.
3. Use structured data markup
Since all major search engines (i.e. Google, Bing, or Yahoo!) rely on structured data to understand what a website is about, consider implementing it on your site to make it easier for browsers to fetch and index NAP details.
4. Leverage local citations
According to Google’s 2015 Consumer Barometer Survey, 82% of smartphone users rely on this ‘Search’ feature to find local businesses. This statistic is a prime example of how leveraging local citations can boost a businesses’ credibility, visibility, and rankings. Considering search engines love to serve reliable and trustworthy entries on SERPs (both organic and map), it’s also beneficial to list on local directories and citation sites to enhance your businesses’ online presence.
UX: Enhance User Experience for Higher Engagement
In this day and age, your website is a representation of your business. More often than not, it’s your company’s first impression. If it’s engaging and informative, you’re more likely to convert this viewer into a buyer. If it’s lacking, people may be encouraged to look elsewhere. Therefore, impactful user experience (UX) transforms your website into a sales magnet. Since search engines prioritize user-centric signals in their ranking algorithms, various user experience approaches determine how your site will rank on SERPs for location-specific queries. With compelling UX practices, you can make your site engaging, reduce bounce rates, and improve conversions.
Follow these four steps to optimize UX for Local SEO:
1. Mobile optimization
Based on a report published by Statista, there are over 6.4 billion people who use the internet through their mobile devices. Therefore, having a website that’s optimized for mobile devices with responsive design and easy navigation is essential to be seen by a majority of the population.
2. Improve page load speed
Over time, our patience for a website’s page load speed has dwindled. A ‘Think with Google’ study found that a 2-second rise in load time can increase the bounce rate of a web page by 32%. If this is your issue, you can utilize tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights to address the problems slowing down your website and boost your site’s local ranking in no time!
3. Focus on site architecture and flow
Craft a clear, logical structure for easy site navigation, a positive user experience, and a strong local ranking. Pro tip: keep important pages on your site accessible with minimal clicks.
4. Content placement
When in doubt, always prioritize the most important information in an accessible manner. Clear and concise content that’s immediately visible to users allows them to find what they’re looking for with minimal effort.
Valuable Content: Provide Value to Your Local Audience
It’s important to note that the content you include on your website does influence its rank on SERPs for location-specific search queries. By publishing well-researched and valuable content that resonates with your local audience, you can improve your business’s organic and map-pack ranking, community authority, and overall trustworthiness.
Here are four steps to creating well-crafted content for your local targeted audience:
1. Address local pain points
Start by identifying the specific challenges that customers in your geographical area encounter. Then, craft content that addresses such issues and benefits the local community. Keep in mind that your content should align with your business’s core expertise.
2. Focus on E-E-A-T
The content you create must adhere to certain standards in order to be rated highly by Google. In order to evaluate the credibility and quality of content on websites, it utilizes the E-E-A-T framework. This guideline stands for experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness – meaning the author’s first-hand life experience, their skill or knowledge on the topic, their establishment, respect, and reliability as a resource, along with their reliability, honesty, and accuracy. This is particularly important for businesses that deal with health, finance, and legal issues, with content that can impact someone’s life, also referred to as YMYL: “Your Money, Your Life”.
3. Create local case studies and testimonials
One of the best ways you can increase your dependability and local ranking is by hosting testimonials from local customers. Not only will positive reviews help build trust amongst the community, it will also improve foot traffic into your shop.
4. Incorporate local keywords
Last but not least, incorporate local keywords where you can. Ultimately, you’ll want to target high-traffic and low-competition keywords that are specific to the geographic area where your business operates. If you need assistance with selecting keywords, you can use Google Keyword Planner or similar tools for research.
Conclusion
In sum, it’s essential to understand that name, address, and phone number (NAP) consistency, effective user experience (UX), combined with researched, valuable content can boost your business’s online visibility through organic rankings and map-pack results. If you’re having difficulty implementing these strategies yourself, don’t hesitate to contact our professionals directly!
