Since the global pandemic hit, local searches have become the buzzword in online and digital marketing, and SEO companies are now entirely focused on local SEO solutions.

The pandemic seemed to awaken many people to the services and products on their doorstep under their noses. Still, it was largely forgotten as people in Western countries gravitated towards shopping at malls rather than their local counterparts. 

Well, that has now changed, society wants to give back to their local shops and services like never before, so localised SEO is now a significant component for all businesses. Whether you are an e-commerce business or bricks and mortar business wanting the internet to assist with lead generation and feet through your door, local SEO solutions need to be optimised.

In this article, we will focus on some essential tips and tricks to get you noticed in your local area.

Social Auditing

The first port of call is defining a strategy before experimenting with local SEO techniques. You, by now, will already know what is working and what indeed doesn’t. Looking at your strengths and weaknesses is a good place to start, and be honest with yourself. A local SEO audit is the best place to start. 

An audit will highlight your current:

• User Experience (UX)
• Content Requirements
• Meta Details
• URL Structure
• Site Architecture
• Navigational Issues
• Plus more…

DIY Tips

• Claim your Google Business Profile immediately, so your local information is visible for area searches and shows your contact details and opening hours.
• Use Moz Local to perform a citation audit; digital presence software avoids relying on only one source.
• Citations audits will verify if your listings need optimising.

Local Business Directories – Get Listed

Most business owners will have heard this statement many times before. However, unbeknown to many, it’s not about quantity, it’s about quality when it comes to local SEO. Finding the most RELEVANT sites is the game-changer. 

Of course, the most obvious candidates would be Yelp, Bing Places, Google Local, and Facebook for Business. But it’s discovering the ones with the strongest presence in your local geographical area that counts, which can be often overlooked.

DIY Tips #2

• Don’t forget the more reviews, the more visibility. Ensure you send your customers a direct link to your Google Profile and ask them to write a review.
• Ensure you keep all your local business information up-to-date at all times.
• High-quality images of your bricks-and-mortar shop (if you have one), products, and so forth go a long way for people to visualise who you are.
• Local directories provide a solid foundation for backlinks. You need to check if they have a high domain authority and reach out to the company and their webmaster.

Blogging – Use it for Leverage

The new generation craves information like never before. The internet provides this in abundance and is making the global community savvier. 

Google’s web crawlers crave the same information also, so it can relate to what you as a business can provide their users and subsequently categorise you accordingly for the specific search terms.

Blogging is about engagement and relativity; then, you get visibility.

However, please understand blogging is an art form. Simple blogging can be time-consuming and not an addition to your online presence.

First of all, market research is required to understand your audience. You build an email list, catalogue information, then keyword research, and build your audience, then push them to refer you to others; once the train leaves the station, it gathers speed.

DIY Tips

• Look to publish your posts on the higher authority platforms.
• Monitor which posts received the most likes and comments and posted them on your social media platforms.
• Please make sure you reply to all your post comments; engagement makes the potential customer feel valued and speak to a person, not a robot; that personal touch goes a long way.
• Make sure you connect with the community. If you can make your post relevant to the local community, such as events, your business name will travel fast.

Making a Brand Social

Almost every business’s target audience will be on social media in 2022. So ensuring you leverage this is vital moving forward.

Having an active presence on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Instagram (not in any particular order) is the key to engagement. Since the significant Google updates in 2021, social media now counts as a ranking factor. 

However, the rise of YouTube is unprecedented. What started as a social sharing platform for old movies and comedy skits has become one of the world’s most prominent business learning platforms. Creating a YouTube channel gives a personal touch that other advertising platforms simply can’t deliver. 

A well put together six to eight-minute video can capture a unique audience and deliver strong lead generation.

DIY Tips

• Creating social media platforms is not the entire picture. It’s the glass half empty. They need optimising, sound imagery, videos and engaging content to go along with them.
• Frequent updates: You must keep yourself relevant and your information up-to-date. Google craves knowledge, so ensure you provide it constantly. If you post an informative post, it’s no good if you don’t follow it up or update it for six months.

Optimise your Meta Details

Most website owners have come across suggestions about unique meta descriptions and title tags. But in many cases are not sure precisely what that means.

In effect, the usage of keywords being appropriated makes the difference. So, it would help if you optimised the title tag for both the SERPs and the user. It will push you forward by making it informative for the user whilst placing your main target keyword.

DIY Tips:

• Tell your users why they should be choosing you in your meta description.
• Place your keywords carefully in the meta description.
• Make sure the descriptions are helpful and relevant to the user.
• Ensure you are following Google’s best practices.

SUMMARY

2022 has proved to be somewhat of an enigma for the internet. Never did anyone believe Google’s search rate would go from 5.5 billion in 2019 to 8.7 billion per day in 2022 and hold that contact rate. Local SEO is now a force to be reckoned with, and your business must have the proper visibility in your local area. So ensure you get registered and follow these essential tips, people are supporting their local communities again, so it’s good to have brand awareness. Good luck.