If a business is looking to capture dominance in its regional geography, local SEO is their go-to strategy. As competition grows, landing on the top of local searches necessitates advanced methods beyond just optimization. The local search algorithms of Google sorts businesses on three main factors: relevance, distance, and prominence.
This guide covers local SEO tips and best practices that will make any business shine in the eyes of its users among strong local competitors.
1.1 Claim Your Google Business Profile (GBP)
✔Ensure your Google profile is claimed and verified
✔ Remember to include; business name; address; phone; website; category
✔ Great orthodontic practices regularly update their business hours, including holiday hours.
1.2 Optimizing Business Description & Business Categories
✔ Include words relevant to your business in natural language.
✔ Choose the most relevant categories that apply to your business
✔ Use secondary’s to broaden search results.
1.3 Google Reviews
✔ All reviews, good and bad, deserve a timely response.
✔ Ask happy customers to write them long reviews.
✔ Avoid overstuffing keywords, but use them naturally in responses to improve local search visibility.
2.1 Discovering Location-Specific Keywords with a Punch
✔ Identify high-volume local keywords using tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs and Ubersuggest.
✔ Use geo-specific terms known as “best [service] in [city]” or “[service] near me.
✔ Investigate competitor keywords to find room for wins locally.
2.2 Local SEO On-Page Optimization
✔ Use local keywords in title tags, meta descriptions, and headers.
✔ Add Google Maps to your contact page.
✔ Make search visibility better with structured data markup (Local Business schema).
2.3 Make Local-Focused Content
✔ Write blog posts about local events, industry news and customer success stories.
✔ Create location pages (city/region specific service pages)
✔ Image optimization with geotagged metadata.
3.1 NAP Details that are Consistent across Directories
✔ NAP consistency across listings
✔ Go ahead and list your business on top directories such as Yelp, Bing Places, Yellow Pages, etc.
✔ Audit and manage citations with Moz Local or Bright Local.
3.2 Earning Local Backlinks
✔ Join forces with local businesses for link-building opportunities.
✔ Be written up in local news articles and business roundups.
✔ Find opportunities for backlinks by sponsoring local events or working with influencers.
4.1 Optimize Local Profiles for SEO.
✔ Keep your business details correct and consistent with your WP site.
✔Include respective location based hashtags/keywords in social media posts.
✔ Build community through follower-driven content.
4.2 Incentivize User-Generated Content
✔ Hold contests that inspire customers to post photos and reviews.
✔ Repost user content to add credibility to the brand and social proof.
✔ Always reply to your audience in the comments and messages.
5.1 Improve Website Speed and Mobile Usability
✔ Improve site performance with Google Page Speed Insights.
✔ Make the design mobile-friendly — use responsive layouts.
✔ Set up AMP pages for fast-loading mobile experiences.
5.2 Use Schema Markup To Enhance Local SEO
✔ Specify details of business with Local Business schema for search engines
✔ Add review schema to show star ratings in search results.
✔ Leverage the FAQ Schema for improved search snippets visibility.
6.1 Track Important Local SEO Metrics
✔ Keep track of ranking for target local keyword.
✔ Track engagement for Google Business Profile Insights. Monitor website traffic from local searches with Google Analytics.
6.2 Adjust Strategy Based on the Performance
✔ Find low-performing pages and improve them.
✔ Experiment with multiple URLs and local keywords and content.
✔ Regularly update business information and local listings.
Depending on competition, optimization efforts and local search trends, results can take 3-6 months or more.
Optimize your Google Business Profile, get best quality reviews and create local back links.
Yes, regular citations across directories build local relevance and improve rankings.
But engaging actively on social does help drive local traffic and visibility of your brand.
Utilize local keywords, optimize your business Google profile and make sure your website is mobile friendly.
If you are a small company based in a competitive market, Local SEO is important for you. With proper Google Business Profile optimization, usage of local keywords, citations, and site performance, you will generate visibility and generate more customers. By doing it regularly, you can remain competitive and appear at the top of search queries within your area.
