What are the top ways for your local business to thrive on Google? We turned to the guys at Local SEO Guide and their 2016 Local SEO Ranking Factors for inspiration.
While there are a number of important factors to consider, Andrew Shotland and his team ask:
Local SEO is a fickle beast. Not only do you have to worry about traditional SEO around a businesses website, but you also have to worry about traditional local signals like Google My Business, citations and reviews. This creates a real challenge: How do you prioritize not just your Local SEO operations but your investment in Local SEO?
What does this mean from an everyday perspective? Consider these five core conclusions from their study:
- Reviews matter!
Good reviews help greatly. Using Google reviews and sources like Yelp and others will count towards higher listings. Be sure to ask your clients to review your business, monitor review sites to ensure the conversation stays positive, and respond in the right place at the right time. - Make your listing attractive
Google My Business profile views are also a major factor for local SEO. Claim your listing with Google, make sure your business information is up to date and remember to include keywords, geomodifiers and images to make your listing attractive. - Think about your on-site SEO
Organic ranking and positive SEO practices on that front still matter if you want to rank locally as well. Think of the content that you add to your website and ensure that you keep things fresh. The content you post to your website or blog can go a long way towards helping you stay relevant for local search results with Google. - Build relationships to build backlinks
Quality citations and quality backlinks matter greatly too. Be noticed, get referenced and look to build relationships with people who can provide high quality referrals back to your website. - Think of your searcher
Local SEO should take into account user intent and the various factors that qualify their decision.
Are there any tips on what to avoid? There’s one important thought unveiled in the Local SEO Guide’s Study: stop wasting time on geo text. There is simply no statistically significant correlation that shows how stuffing city and state names in titles improves search performance in relation to Google My Business. While it’s been assumed for a long time, this practice can now safely be put to rest.
Need help setting up your Google My Business account? Let us know and we’ll be happy to get you up and running with Google, Bing, Yahoo, review sites and key mapping technologies so your business is found quickly and easily online.