Local SEO is the process of getting your business or website to rank high in results for local searches. As the name implies it applies to searches such as; that when people search for something nearby, like “carpenters in Lagos”. We will share below some local SEO tips businesses use.
A high progressive level of competition is being experienced on the internet and high non-local organic search engine ranking are getting harder to achieve.
However, for many businesses, especially small businesses that target their local markets, the most relevant forms of traffic come from local search.
LOCAL SEO TIPS SMALL BUSINESSES DO?
1. GET LISTED IN DIRECTORIES
Getting listed in a free local directory such as Google My Business, Bing Local, Vconnect is one of the first things a small business should do. It is one of the first SEO tips towards getting traffic.
Many users go to through locations first when they are trying to find a local business. This is a huge opportunity a lot of small businesses are missing out on. You can engage the services of an SEO expert helping businesses leverage this.
2. USE KEYWORD TO TARGET LOCAL AREAS
This is one of the Local SEO tips that can go a long way in boosting business when you target the local market, especially since the high ranks in the local area is less competitive.
For example, tailors using keyword phrases such as “male tailors” will have to compete with virtually every other English speaking male tailor in the world, while businesses that are targeting “Abuja male tailors” will only have to compete with male tailors in Abuja who happen to own a website and are actively trying optimize their websites for search. Adding a local phone number and location modifiers that describe your keywords and pages better, tend to have a higher conversion rate as well.
3. CREATE MULTIPLE DOMAIN NAMES?
A business may want to create multiple domain names when they are offering services in more than one country for each country or state that they operate in. This is because Google looks at the top-level domain to determine whether a particular URL is relevant to the search results of a particular country. For example, jumping website domains on jumia.com.ng which is for the location Nigeria and jumia.com.gh which is for the location Ghana, also British council has website domains britishcouncil.org.ng which is for the location Nigeria and britishcouncil.org.gh. These SEO tips help in their search results because the domain name is relevant to the location.
Even though some businesses try to spam with multi-location websites for keywords, having domains names for each country is a necessary strategy for local and international businesses. However, we recommend treading carefully, and consolidation with a helpful and logical navigation architecture is a better choice.
4. FOCUS ON OTHER SEARCH ENGINES
Google has high traffic of visitors searching for results on their platform, hence a lot of businesses focus their efforts on optimizing their website for high rankings in search results on google. This makes the competition high which could be a limitation for local business due to possible lack of resources. When aiming for local targeted markets, focusing efforts on other local search engines, such as Bing (Local) Maps, can also be helpful and is recommended.
We, however, see that Google Local SEO tends to have the fastest and potentially the best return, and we recommend starting there.
5. CLAIM YOUR BUSINESS
Name, address, and phone of business can often be listed and related information by those other than the business itself.
Regardless of where your company’s name, address, and phone are entered, they need to be entered in a uniform manner. Google and other search engines know your business only by the exact information. Leaving it inconsistent will only result in your business’s website sliding down the search rankings.
When a business discovers that it is already listed, it should try to claim the business listing and update the records appropriately.
6.REMAIN CLEAR ON YOUR TARGET
Some businesses are focused on the international market, while some are focused on the local market, but be specific to your target location.
This needs SEO efforts as it can be difficult to obtain traffic and obtaining traffic from the specific area might undermine the company’s efforts to receive traffic from other locations, including internationally.
Businesses must emphasize that they offer services for those in other parts of the country as well.
Related Post: Benefits of Local SEO
7. ACTIVELY BE ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Being as active as possible on social media can help you build quite a strong relationship with your clients. Social media activities do not only directly improve your local SEO, but it also helps you indirectly increase your local SEO as well.
For instance, when a blog post is shared on your business website on Facebook or Twitter, you have a better chance of people reading it. The more people read your blog post the more attention it gets from search engines positioning you for more exposure.
8. LINK LOCALLY
Linking your business website locally with other businesses will help in your business local search engine ranking. Backlinks from other companies in your area is a process which can take some time, but it absolutely worth it in the long run. Backlinks are links a website gets from other websites. For example, if www.wdc.ng is found as a link in other websites which can redirect visitors to the www.wdc.ng, it becomes a backlink from the website where it is found. This is an aspect of search engine optimization that could lead to SEO success. Backlinks can be generated by guest blogging on other websites, interviews, offering to give testimonials on other websites, and press releases.
As a small business owner, it is possible for you to master these skills and grow your business yourself. Wild Fusion Digital Centre offers digital marketing training in Lagos for small business owners like you.
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