Local search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your online presence so your business appears prominently in local search results. This allows you to drive more local website traffic, phone calls, foot traffic, and sales.

With over half of all searches having local intent, local SEO is critical for businesses with a physical location or that serve a particular geographic area. By showing up prominently for searches like “pizza New York” or “plumber Austin,” local companies can connect with customers exactly when they’re looking for them.

Conduct Local Keyword Research

The first step to local SEO is identifying the specific keywords and phrases customers in your area use to find businesses like yours. You want to understand the language your potential customers use so you can optimize for those terms.

A great way to uncover valuable local keywords is by researching what your competitors target. Use keyword research tools like Semrush to analyze their top ranking keywords. Look for low competition terms that indicate local intent like “dry cleaner seattle” or “dog grooming tampa.”

Google’s autocomplete feature also provides terrific insight into local long-tail keyword opportunities. As you type a keyword related to your business, Google will display suggested searches based on location. Pay attention to these as they reveal what people in your city commonly search for.

The Keyword Planner tool lets you filter keywords by geographic location to see search volume. This helps ensure you target locally popular keywords worth optimizing for to drive traffic.

Optimize Google Business Profile

Setting up and optimizing a Google Business Profile should be one of the first local SEO tasks. This free listing displays your business info like location, hours, photos, and reviews in Google Maps and search.

Complete your profile with keywords, service categories, attributes like “handicap accessible,” and photos of your storefront, offerings, and interior. Encouraging customer reviews boosts prominence and validation in search results.

A optimized Business Profile helps you rank in the prime local pack space at the top of search results where consumers look first for local options. Maintaining your listing should be an ongoing priority.

Get Local Citations

Citations are mentions of your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) on directory listings and review sites. Having consistent NAP citations signals to Google your business information is correct.

Tools like Semrush Listing Management let you distribute your NAP to reputable citation sources like Yelp and Apple Maps. Getting citations on well-known local directories also helps build visibility and trust.

Keep citations perfectly consistent and watch out for duplicate listings. Monitoring tools help catch and fix errors before they undermine trust signals and local SEO efforts.

Refine On-Page Optimization

Your website pages themselves should also be optimized for local intent and keywords. Include your city and locally targeted keywords in page titles and meta descriptions.

Having a “Locations” page with your address and NAP details is also recommended. Link between this page and your locally-optimized service pages internally to establish relevance.

On-page optimization establishes topical authority and local relevance to earn high organic rankings. Pair this with a strong Business Profile to cover both organic and local pack opportunities.

Build Local Links

Link building remains one of the best tactics for ranking higher locally. Reach out to relevant local businesses to request exchanging links. Getting links from neighborhood news sites and directories also provides locality signals.

Sponsoring events, teams, and organizations in your community can lead to impactful links on their websites. Pursue any opportunities to build locally-relevant links to your site and reinforce your area authority.

Monitor and Track Results

Consistently track your local SEO results, like keyword rankings and Business Profile traffic. Monitoring tools allow you to catch issues early and see the impact of ongoing optimization efforts.

By staying on top of your local presence, correcting problems, and continuously optimizing, your local visibility and traffic will steadily improve. Local SEO requires diligence, but drives significant rewards.

Optimizing for local SEO allows businesses to connect with nearby customers ready to make a purchase. Follow this guide’s steps, from conducting keyword research to monitoring results, to start driving more local traffic and sales through search engine visibility.

FAQs

What are some top local SEO tools?

Some of the best local SEO tools are Semrush, Moz Local, BrightLocal, and Google Search Console. These provide tracking, listings management, citation building, and insights into local visibility.

How can I track my local keyword rankings?

Use rank tracking tools like Semrush to monitor your keyword positions in local pack and organic results down to a zip code level. This allows precise tracking of local SEO performance.

What is the best way to get links for local SEO?

Reaching out to local businesses, sponsors, newspapers, and directories for link opportunities tends to work well. Having a link worthy website and providing value to the sites you request links from also helps.

How often should I optimize my Google Business Profile?

Aim to fully optimize your Google Business Profile first, then audit and enhance it at least quarterly. Add new photos, encourage reviews, update products/services, and fix inconsistencies regularly.

What are some examples of local citations?

Common local citations include directory listings (Yellow Pages, CitySearch), review sites (Yelp), social networks (Facebook), and maps (Apple Maps, Bing Places). Getting NAP mentions on these helps local SEO.