A Guide To Local SEO

Why is local SEO so important? It’s all about visibility. People need to know that you are there and that you are close. So, showing up in their search results is crucial. 

Ranking well, ideally, on the first page of Google is key. For local SEO, it’s about optimising for your area with a powerful blend of targeted keywords, an optimised Google Business Profile, and a strong presence in local listings. We’ll make sure your business ranks well, helping you show up when potential customers search for 'services near me.'

Local SEO takes a strategic mix of on-page details, content, and consistent engagement with your community. And we’re here to make sure your business competes, by helping build up brand awareness.

What Is Local SEO?

Local SEO is the practice of improving your business’s local search engine results, so it ranks well on Google (maps included) and other search engines. To rank well on Google, a business should employ certain methods to drive website traffic:

• Using relevant local keywords in content
• Optimising a business’s Google Business profile
• Building up brand awareness

Local Keywords to Rank

Local SEO makes a difference, 76% of consumers who search for ‘near me’ on their phones visit a business within a day.

One main way of ranking well is by using local keywords, which are specific words or phrases that are location-specific. For example, ‘Thai restaurant in Southend on Sea’ would be a local keyword phrase. Thai restaurant, however, is a general keyword phrase because it does not mention the location of the restaurant.

At Revive, we conduct local keyword research to identify the specific keywords that will rank well in local search results. The result of this is increasing your business’s visibility as Google and other search engines prioritise content that is relevant and specific to the user (and the searches.)

So, the goal of keyword research is targeted traffic from searchers nearby.

And with our keyword research, we will select the right keywords for your business to use across online platforms, like blog posts, business listings, and category pages.

This will make your content more likely to appear in search results when people in your area look for related products, services, or information.

And when your website employs targeted traffic, you are reaching people who are more likely to convert as they are already looking for businesses nearby (so you could say that local keyword searching is lower risk than general keyword searching). You also get to ‘compete’ with bigger businesses who dominate searches for general keywords, which allows local businesses to rank higher nearby.

Plus, the benefit of local keywords is that they are less competitive than global, broad keywords. So, in turn, investing in local SEO is more cost-effective as businesses are able to make more of an impact in local searches than general keywords. As a result, local keywords typically offer a higher return on investment (ROI).

And once your business is ranking high up on search engines, it gains visibility in the local community, building trust and recognition over time. This increased presence encourages reviews and steadily builds your credibility.

So, we know that you are the expert, you are the specialist in your field, but you may struggle to find the time to do everything including marketing your business in a technical way.

Allow yourself to be the CEO, whilst we do the SEO.

Optimising Your Google Business Profile

Google Business Profile (also known as Google My Business) is a free listing service by Google. Businesses can create a profile so that it appears in search results and Google Maps and optimising your Google Business Profile is a necessary step to ensuring your business appears in local search and Google Maps results.

Optimising your profile ensures your business shows up in local search results, making it easier for potential customers to find, learn about, and see if they are interested in your business just from the SERP (search engine results pages.)

By investing in and optimising a Google Business Profile, you provide accurate, relevant information that helps attract the right customers and enhances your local visibility.

At Revive, we use Google My Business to automatically update your information as needed, so searchers are provided with accurate information about your business, as out-of-date information is off-putting and bad for business. We will ensure that your business appears in local search results by spending the time to optimise your Google Business Profile.

But what does an optimised Google Business Profile look like?

An optimised Google Business Profile includes complete, up-to-date details such as the description of the business/company, a website button linking through, the right category, opening hours, reviews, product descriptions, menus, photos, map, phone number, address, and answers to common questions.

So, if you optimise your Google Business Profile, it can appear more attractive to your prospects, who may choose your business over your competitors.

And if your Google Business Profile is attractive it can improve engagement which could lead to engagements. Another way to engage is answering questions (under Google Business Profile’s questions and answers) before they are even asked to avoid zero-click searches, especially since many consumers won’t even click through your website and will judge if they will convert solely based on your Google Business Profile.

So, If you want to boost engagement and improve your local ranking, which will help convert more customers, you need to prioritise your Google Business Profile. This is especially important if you want to be reachable, allowing consumers to call you, click on your website, read reviews, email you, or book an appointment.

As without your Google Business Profile, your business will not have much of an online presence, which is crucial to win potential customers over and build relationships.

And once you build relationships with your customers you can ask for reviews and even build up organic reviews. We will run your Google Business Profile, updating and improving the profile as needed. We will optimise your Google Business Profile from the branding, keeping everything consistent with other business directories and your website. This includes listing NAP (name, address, phone number) details to be consistent everywhere.

Your Google Business Profile is one of areas where you can promote your business, allowing you to share announcements, events, and regular posts which all will appear in the updates section in your Google Business Profile.

Maintaining an effective Google Business Profile can require constant maintenance, especially for ecommerce websites that frequently update their prices. Optimising your profile is a continuous process aimed at enhancing your online presence and improving the customer experience. After all, consistent engagement is key. Regularly updating your business profile can significantly boost your local search visibility and help you generate more leads.

Building Up Brand Awareness Using Local SEO

Local SEO builds brand awareness, as it targets local consumers who have specific needs that are waiting to be met. The location-specific keywords will make your business stick out to consumers, who could eventually convert to become part of your loyal customer base. The desired result is that you build up brand awareness within local communities and you appeal to the ‘ideal customer’ who will return to you.

Local SEO is a great way of building brand awareness and reputation.  One way it does this is by taking advantage of micro-moments. Google defines micromoments as the moments when consumers want to know, want to do, want to go, and want to buy something. The consumers will be drawn to brands that meet their needs and so this reinforces how important it is to get the attention of the searcher by providing useful information. Local SEO allows your business to show up in search results so consumers notice and so they may choose you when they are ready to make a decision, but this requires consistently showing up in search results, so you are remembered and seen as the authority.

But it is not just about being the authority, businesses have to represent that they are reliable and can meet their consumers’ needs. This can be achieved through various means, such as with backlinks, garnering positive reviews, and creating high-quality content.

Quality content will pay off and will help you rank in the top spots in local search results, which for the consumer translates as trustworthy. You want to remain authentic to build a positive reputation, and so it is worth investing in local SEO strategies that deliver (here’s where we come in.) And if you want to remain on top of the searcher’s mind, you’ll want to focus on at least two main things:

1 - Excellent Customer Service

Excellent customer service creates a memorable experience with your brand, inspiring consumers to spread the word. Achieving this requires addressing customer pain points which are grievances or frustrations a customer has with a product or service. At Revive, we analyse user behaviour on specific pages using our SEO toolkit and implement the necessary changes to improve the overall user experience.

2 - Local Community Engagement

To build a strong local presence, engage meaningfully with your community. This can be done in a variety of ways: hosting community or networking events, establishing partnerships with local businesses, sponsoring local groups, and using traditional marketing tactics like leaflets, and posters to build up a presence within your community.

As you build up recognition within your community, start to create localised content and promotions so you can target local consumers. Content like blog posts, social media updates, and videos that highlight stories, testimonials, and your genuine connection to the area.

This is where Revive comes in, with our Content Strategy, we will improve each page of the existing content of your website or start anew, so you are in the position of promoting your content (but we can do that for you.)

Note: this is not an exhaustive list.

How Do We Optimise Websites For Local SEO?

We will work to level up your local presence so much so that you could become the word around town. 

And we will build local landing pages so you can land your clients, the consumers falling into your lap.

While local keywords may have a lower search volume due to its specificity, its higher transactional intent compared to generic keywords can lead to a higher conversion rate.

There’s more…

We will make sure to optimise the your website's technical performance to help search engines crawl, index, and rank effectively. So, we will make sure that your website is user and mobile-friendly, and that the site speed isn’t slow, so your Google traffic is not affected (we all get annoyed at slow-loading sites.)

Technical SEO is so important for your website to do well as Google will reward content that is easier to navigate by allowing them to rank in the top search spots. For that, Google needs to understand each page of your content so searchers can find it.

And a well-structured website is favoured with Local SEO, structure is king, as well-structured local content can compete with general content from bigger corporations, companies and chains.

Our content strategy is designed to attract and retain consumers by delivering high-quality, relevant content. This involves thorough keyword research with a balanced mix of high-volume, long-tail, and transactional keywords, targeting a variety of search intents:  informational, navigational, or commercial. Plus, through identifying and addressing pain points many of which can be solved through technical SEO processes, which could lead to improving your rankings.

But as always ‘Content is King’. We always prioritise highly original, in-depth content which allows people to interact and learn about the world around them, especially their local community. Likewise, with local SEO, we connect local businesses with nearby consumers who are searching for location-specific phrases 

We will take these steps to ensure the content created resonates with the right audience and drives meaningful engagement.

Final thoughts...

Local SEO strategies if used correctly have the power to build up brand awareness in local communities. By using location-specific keywords and understanding consumers' micro-moments, you can capture their attention with relevant, high-quality content, improve your company's reputation, and keep your brand top-of-mind.

If you need help with how to gather the attention of local consumers and build up your brand awareness and reputation in local communities, give us a call- we are here to help.