Local SEO is incredibly powerful for small businesses. Even in a highly competitive industry, a small business owner can utilise local SEO to experience relative success in their local area. If you could do with engaging your local community and picking up more ‘ready to spend' customers in your area, read on and we'll share some handy SEO tricks!
What is local SEO?
Local SEO refers to the process of improving your search engine visibility as a local business, with a focus on your brick & mortar location.
When optimised well, your business should appear in the ‘Map Pack' in a Google SERP. This is very useful given that 46% of all Google searches today are requesting local information.
For example, if you were to type: ‘SEO services New York City'; ‘Pizza place near me'; or 'Best boutique hotel in NYC'; you'll likely be presented with a list of GMB (Google My Business) profiles featuring images, reviews, and a map pointing to their physical premises.
When executed well, local SEO can help transform your small business by significantly increasing the amount of local traffic you receive from qualified prospects who are actively looking for the products and / or services you offer.
Local SEO tips to help you get ahead in NYC
Now that we have a better understanding of what local SEO is and how it can benefit you, here are some tips to help you get ahead in NYC.
- Claim and optimise your GMB profile: the first and arguably most important step is to claim your Google My Business profile and start optimising it. There are many fields to fill out so take your time and do so with as much detail as is necessary (including your focus keywords).
- Be active on social media and post on your GMB profile: engage your local community with regular geo-focused posts that will be relevant to your target audience.
- Make sure NAP details are consistent across all platforms: your name, address, phone number, and all other relevant NAP details should be exactly the same across all platforms.
- Optimise your website for local SEO: your website should be well-optimised with the following essentials:
- Optimised URL,
- Title tags,
- Meta description,
- Content,
- Internal linking structure,
- Unique service area pages,
- Mobile responsive,
- Develop a backlink profile.
- Produce local content for your blog: write high-value local-centric content that is relevant to your industry and your audience. Include landmarks and other popular features that your local community will be familiar with.
- Take part in your local community: engaging with your community on social media and your GMB profile is not enough. Host events, raise money for charity, and take every opportunity you can to be active in your community. This is the key to attracting mentions, backlinks, and shares – which all send positive signals to Google.
Conclusion: Get busy!
You'll find that some of your competitors haven't even claimed their GMB profile. Many of them will have, but even then they might not be utilising it to its full potential.
This is where you come in!
Get busy and do everything your competitors are not prepared to do. If you can commit to the above tips and take advantage of every opportunity to bolster your local SEO, you'll experience some excellent rankings in no time!
It doesn't happen overnight, but if you make a commitment to quality, high-value content you'll be recognised (and rewarded) for it.
