Almost half of all Google searches are local, and those searches often lead to a call or visit to the business. That’s a big opportunity for any business that serves a defined geographical area.
Local SEO Denver optimizes your online presence to attract highly targeted traffic from search users in your area. In addition, it builds familiarity and trust with potential customers by humanizing your brand through positive reviews and local content.
Local SEO is a crucial component of any digital marketing strategy, because it allows your business to appear in the local pack—the top three results on Google Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). In order to optimize for Local SEO, you must perform proper keyword research.
Keywords are the building blocks of any online content, including webpages, blog articles, and social media posts. For local SEO, keywords must be relevant to your geographical target audience and reflect the services or products that you offer. Keywords are also the foundation of local search algorithms, which are used to determine whether a user is searching for products or services in their area.
Conducting local keyword research is a vital part of any SEO campaign, but it’s especially important for local businesses. This is because local searches have specific intent—users want to find businesses that provide the products or services they are looking for in their community. This makes local searches more relevant and useful than generic searches, which are less likely to lead to a conversion.
Performing local keyword research can be difficult, but there are several tools available that can make it easier. Using these tools, you can create a list of keywords that are relevant to your business and its location. Then, you can use this list to optimize your website and increase your chances of ranking in the local pack.
In addition to performing keyword research, you should also analyze your competitors’ websites to see how they rank for local keywords. You can do this by using a free tool such as SEMrush or Ahrefs. Once you have a list of local keywords, examine each one to ensure that it has local intent. You can do this by examining the search results for that term to see if there are any local-specific identifiers, such as city names or neighborhoods.
Performing local keyword research for multiple locations is similar to conducting it for a single location, but it requires more time and effort because you must analyze each of your competitors’ locations. However, if you are able to do this effectively, it can lead to more web traffic, foot traffic, and sales for your business.
On-Page Optimization
Local SEO is different from traditional search engine optimization because it takes a broader view of user intent into account. The goal of on-page optimization in local SEO is to optimize individual website pages for their targeted keywords, so that they rank higher on Google’s results page—and drive traffic and leads.
To get started, you’ll need to identify the terms people search for when looking for businesses like yours. This is done using a keyword research tool, such as Semrush’s free Keyword Magic Tool, which shows you the search terms that are most relevant to your business.
Once you’ve gathered a list of potential keywords, use them to optimize your website content. This can include incorporating the keywords into your website title, headings, and text. It also means adding them to your GMB listing and service pages, ensuring that they’re correctly tagged with the correct categories, and mentioning them in your website’s metadata.
One of the most important things to do in on-page optimization for local SEO is ensuring that your NAP (name, address, and phone number) information is consistent across all of your online listings. This includes your business’s website, social media profiles, and review sites. It’s also a good idea to drum up positive reviews on reputable sites, such as Yelp, Thumbtack, and Angie’s List.
Another great on-page optimization tactic for local SEO is to incorporate user generated content (UGC) into your marketing strategy. This can be in the form of customer testimonials and reviews, influencer-sponsored posts, guest articles, and more. This helps to amplify your credibility and builds trust with customers who are in the process of researching which businesses to choose.
Finally, you’ll want to monitor your progress with the Position Tracking tool in GSC. This can show you how your rankings are changing over time and where you stand in the local pack for your target keywords. It can help you fine-tune your tactics and stay on top of your game!
Local Citations
Local citations are mentions of your business’ name, address, and phone number (NAP) on websites that are locally relevant to your target market. They are one of the most important ranking factors for local SEO. They help search engines verify that your business is legitimate and is located where it claims to be. Local citations are also an essential part of establishing trust with potential customers. The more accurate and consistent your local citations, the higher you’ll rank in search results.
Building up your citations can be time-consuming and laborious, but it’s an essential part of any local marketing strategy. Leaving this element of your online visibility up to chance can lead to missed opportunities and lost revenue. Plus, your competitors are probably already taking care of this aspect of their online presence — the sooner you start building up your citations, the more competitive advantage you’ll gain.
There are two main types of local citations: structured and unstructured. Structured citations are mentions of your NAP in a business listing directory, such as Yelp, Yellow Pages, or Google My Business. Unstructured citations, on the other hand, are mentions of your NAP on sites that don’t specifically categorize businesses in a directory. This includes news/magazine sites, wikis, and social media pages. Unstructured citations tend to have less value than structured citations, but they are still important for local SEO.
You can build up your local citations by manually searching for relevant directories to submit your business information to. However, it’s much easier to use a citation management tool. There are many available on the market, and some are free while others require a subscription. They can help you identify the most relevant sites to get your business listed on, as well as monitor and update your listings as needed.
Another option is to work with a freelancer who specializes in Local SEO. They can help you build up your citations and implement other Local SEO tactics. Just make sure to choose a reputable freelancer who has experience working with clients in your industry.
Another way to boost your local citations is by encouraging your customers to leave reviews and ratings on review sites. Positive customer feedback can improve your visibility in search engine results, so it’s worth the effort!
Link Building
Link building is essential for local SEO, and you need to find creative ways to build new links that will boost your online presence. You can use many of the same strategies that you would for general link building, including reaching out to influencers, guest posting on blogs, and getting links in local resource listings. The key is to focus on quality over quantity.
Unlike other types of links, local links should come from websites and sources that are relevant to your geographic region. This means targeting regional newspapers, local business directories, and other community-focused sites. It also means avoiding low-quality links and using tools to remove broken links from your site.
Membership in a local business organization, such as a chamber of commerce or a small body promoting a business corridor, can help your local link-building efforts. These organizations often have prominent websites that you can get links from, and they may also host events where you can meet other local businesses and potential customers.
Another great way to get local links is to participate in community projects and activities. For example, if your law firm opens a local scholarship or hosts an event to support a charity, you should publish press releases with your local newspaper to let everyone know about it. This will not only provide a valuable backlink, but it will also show Google that you are an active member of your local community.
According to Moz, citation consistency and the number of reputable citations are important factors for boosting your visibility in local search results and snack pack results. This means making sure your name, address and phone number are consistent across all of the citations you have, including your GMB page, Bing Maps, Facebook and Yelp. It is also a good idea to have your NAP information included on authoritative citation websites, such as licensing bureaus, trade associations and the Chamber of Commerce.
