Local SEO Services

Google My Business is one of the essential parts of improving your local SEO efforts. It’s no secret that Google biases results towards companies with profiles because they want to provide helpful and accurate information whenever people look for business information.

GMB profiles also provide an incredible amount of visibility on Google result pages. Many people look at business result pages when they appear in Google because they’re large, often include photos, and help people decide if the company is worth contacting.

A well-made GMB page also supports other local SEO efforts because Google recognizes that all steps are being taken to improve the ranking of a specific business and will reward them accordingly.

Optimizing the page is a little trickier, though. In this case, optimizing means following Google’s guidelines exactly and filling out as many sections as possible.

More information is always better in this case, and you should include phone numbers, health and safety measures, photos, and other notable business attributes like being veteran-owned.

Location pages are mainly helpful for businesses with multiple locations. This can be companies that are part of a chain or any business that happens to have multiple offices all under centralized control. The business structure is less important than the fact that there are several buildings customers may visit.

Location pages cater to specific areas. They work for local SEO because search engines strongly prefer location-specific information over generic businesses that could focus on online activities over local clients.

Location pages should include long-tail keywords with the location name and mentions of neighborhoods, landmarks, city names, and anything else that could be relevant. Location-specific addresses and phone numbers are critical to include on each page.

One area that businesses often trip up is making carbon-copy pages for each location, only modifying the name and address as necessary. Google rarely likes it when companies do that, so it’s better to make location pages that describe that area’s unique qualities or characteristics.

Mobile devices now consistently account for more than 50% of all web traffic. This is even higher for local SEO, where people may use voice search systems to make inquiries and find stores when they’re already in a vehicle and driving around.

Search engines can tell the difference between desktop and mobile searches, and responsive, mobile-friendly sites will get the majority of traffic. Anything that looks too small or hard to read on a mobile device will only bounce users away from the site, assuming you could attract any to start with.

The good news is that most business website development software now includes mobile responsiveness as a core feature. If you already have a mobile-friendly site, double-check its characteristics to make sure it works as intended. You can study how to improve local SEO for hours, but if your software isn’t working, neither will your other website strategies.

If you don’t have a mobile website, the best time to get one is always as soon as possible. Look for website hosting services or creation systems that meet your needs as a company and, if necessary, hire an expert to make the website for you.

Most local businesses don’t need complex websites, so costs are on the low end. Things will get more expensive if you want to integrate an eCommerce store or advanced features, but these should still pay themselves off over time.

Search engines love reviews. It’s hard to overstate how much they value these, especially for local businesses, because they do one of the few things that search engines can’t: They provide in-depth user feedback for companies that often conduct most transactions offline.

A few dozen reviews can be all it takes to elevate a local business out of the crowd and into a place of prominence in search engine results. Better placement alone makes this great for local SEO, but there’s also another obvious benefit: customers trust reviews.

​According to Qualtrics, over 90% of consumers say that online reviews have influenced their buying decisions. This isn’t limited to specific products, either. It also applies to actual companies. Most people won’t even consider going to a business with a score below 3.3/5.

Numbers matter. A company with two 5-star reviews may have a “higher” score than a company with 400 reviews and a 4.8 average, but people will trust the second company more regardless. Trust happens because, past a certain point, reviews show the actual results of a company’s efforts.

There are many ways to get reviews, but it’s vital to avoid faking them. Search engines can generally tell if reviews are purchased instead of genuine, leading to massive damage to your company’s ranking.

Try to reply to reviews on websites that allow this. Replies will show other people reading them that you’re highly responsive and offer personalized responses and feedback when there’s an issue.

Local keywords are another great way to improve your local SEO performance. If you run a burger joint, you probably won’t rank nationally for any keyword you can think of. However, you can rank locally.

The trick to getting the best results here is determining what local means for your customers. This can be as small as a neighborhood or as big as an entire county. Many companies optimize at the neighborhood, city, and county levels for better results, and that makes sense.

In short, how far are customers willing to travel to reach your business? Most people won’t travel through two or three cities to reach a pharmacy unless they have to, but they might go that far for specialty automotive care or an unusually high-quality restaurant.

You can collect information on customer origins through surveys or even casual conversations when they come in. Track as much of this as you can to create a map of where people are coming from. Then, focus your local keywords on these areas to improve your presence.

Social media is another excellent way to expand your footprint and do better in search results. Search engines monitor social media performance, so if they see your company mentioned frequently, they will conclude that you’re active and relevant.

Most people don’t interact much with local businesses that only advertise and try to sell things. For the best results, find out what your customers are interested in and provide timely, helpful, and relevant information.

Social media posts may include engaging content, such as behind-the-scenes photos of daily operations, showcases of particularly interesting or unusual work you did, or links to blog posts and guides.

Don’t forget to adjust your strategies based on the social media you’re using. For example, Facebook’s users trend older these days, so it’s not a good place to post if your customers are mostly younger. Similarly, Instagram is highly visual, and you’ll need a great photographer if you want to get the best results there.

Try to post at least once each day you’re open. If schedules are uncertain, you can use software to schedule posts and updates ahead of time. From there, you just need to have people make a few posts at once and queue them up.

When deciding how to improve local SEO, local forums are one area that many companies overlook. Opportunities vary by area, but forums can include groups on social media, separate websites, or even apps sharing information with search engines.

Like social media, the main idea is to post regularly and offer relevant and timely advice in discussions. Don’t go too hard on sales when you’re in local forums. Instead, consider the topic of each discussion. Then, determine how you can contribute to it in a way that portrays your business as a leader and a trustworthy source of information.

For example, if you run an auto repair shop, you can join discussions where people are confused about specific errors. If you explain what problems could be and how easy they are to fix, that could convince buyers to come into your shop.

Some businesses don’t have this kind of direct support to offer conversations. Don’t avoid forums entirely, but don’t jump into conversations just to be there. Instead, look for ways you can contribute by drawing on personal knowledge and experiences. You can even collaborate with other businesses in your industry. While some companies are highly competitive, others can benefit from a rising tide that lifts all businesses in certain categories. Being friendly and intelligent on local forums can establish trust with customers who read the conversations later.

In other words, most people don’t like seeing companies that are hostile or aggressive. The goal isn’t to win a conversation or even convince any specific person to become a customer. Joining local forums is more about establishing and maintaining a brand, so people think of you when they want what you sell.