If you’re running a local business and looking to get more customers, not just better search rankings, then this is for you. We’re diving into four powerful local SEO strategies that have proven effective for all sorts of businesses, from dentists and plumbers to lawyers and surgeons. These are practical tips you can start using today to get noticed more on Google and Google Maps, and yes, to get more people calling you.
Key Takeaways
- Structured Data (Schema Markup): Make your listings pop with stars, images, and FAQs. You don’t need to be a coder to implement this.
- Build Citations (Local Backlinks): Learn how to find and replicate your competitors’ citation strategies, keep your business information consistent, and even outsource the work.
- Improve Local Relevance with Custom Google Maps: Embed personalized Google Maps on your site to help Google understand your service areas better and boost your map rankings.
- Conduct a Full Local SEO Audit: For serious growth, follow a detailed 25-step course covering audits, Google Business Profile optimization, link building, and content strategy.
Tip 1: Add Structured Data (Schema)
Many people think adding structured data, or schema markup, is complicated and requires coding knowledge. That’s not the case. It’s a small piece of code you add to your website that gives you extra features in search results. Think star ratings, images, or even FAQs directly in your search listing.
Why is this good? Because these extra bits make your listing stand out. Even if you’re ranked third or fourth, these unique elements grab attention and lead to more clicks. You can find various schema types, like local business schema, aggregate rating schema, and event schema, on sites like schema.org. For local businesses, adding the local business schema with an image and aggregate rating schema is a great start. There are plenty of resources, including videos, that walk you through generating and adding this code to your site step-by-step, making it quite straightforward.
Tip 2: Build Citations (Local Backlinks)
Citations are essentially business listings on directories like Yelp, Yellow Pages, and Foursquare. The goal is to list your business on as many of these reputable sites as possible.
Here’s why it matters:
- Builds Authority: Getting a link from a trusted site like Yelp adds authority to your website in Google’s eyes.
- Provides Context: These listings include your business name, address, phone number (NAP), website, hours, and reviews, giving Google a clear picture of your business.
- Hyper-Local Relevance: Unlike general backlinks, citations are highly relevant to your local area and niche, helping Google understand what you do and where you operate.
How to Build Citations:
- Spy on Competitors: Use tools to see where your competitors are listed and replicate those citations.
- Maintain NAP Consistency: Ensure your Name, Address, and Phone Number are identical across all listings and your website. Avoid abbreviations unless they are used consistently everywhere.
- Prioritize Relevance: Focus on directories specific to your industry or location. The more relevant, the better.
- Build Hyper-Local Backlinks: Beyond standard directories, seek out local community websites or blogs for additional relevant links.
If manually building citations seems like too much work, services exist that can handle this for you, often by analyzing your competitors’ citation profiles and building them out. Tools like Local Rank can also help visualize your local rankings and identify areas where building more citations can improve your visibility.
Tip 3: Improve Local Relevance with Custom Google Maps
Beyond standard citations, you can further boost your local relevance by embedding custom Google Maps on your website. While a basic map embed in your footer is good, creating a custom map using Google My Maps offers more control and context.
With Google My Maps, you can:
- Pinpoint Your Location: Clearly mark your business location.
- Add Detailed Descriptions: Include keyword-rich descriptions for your business and service areas.
- Show Driving Directions: Map out routes from your business to key points in your service area.
- Create Multiple Pins and Layers: Highlight different aspects of your service or areas you cover.
Embedding these custom maps, especially in your website’s footer, provides Google with extra signals about your service areas and how customers can reach you. This is a step many businesses miss, but it can significantly improve your local SEO. Additionally, creating dedicated location pages that are hyper-optimized for each specific area you serve, including local details, images, and even custom map embeds, is highly effective.
Tip 4: Go Deeper with a Full Local SEO Audit
While the previous tips can certainly move the needle, for those serious about dominating local search, a more in-depth approach is recommended. This involves following a comprehensive 25-step process, often covered in a detailed local SEO course.
Such a course typically covers:
- In-depth Audits: Analyzing your current local SEO performance.
- Google Business Profile Optimization: Maximizing your Google Business listing.
- Link Building Strategies: Beyond citations, building relevant backlinks.
- Content Strategy: Creating content that targets local keywords.
Investing time in a thorough audit and optimization process is key, as local SEO is competitive. Tools like Local Rank can be helpful here, offering a visual way to track your progress across different keywords and locations, and identifying opportunities for improvement through citation building or targeted content creation. Remember, you can’t improve what you don’t measure, so tracking your performance is vital.