Before heading for a course, know about the basics of Local SEO

You are all set to head for a digital marketing course, but there is this constant feeling that eats you up - You barely know anything about digital marketing. To put this to halt, you have to do one thing, just read ample blogs and get all the necessary knowledge, so that you have all the confidence when you have the first class. 

Today, you will gain knowledge about local SEO. 

A website gives you the opportunity to target the online world but getting noticed in your local area is important. And, this is why, local SEO, is one thing that helps you to rank higher in your area.

The COVID-19 situation taught us many things; it taught that the businesses and brands should focus on reaching out to more local people rather than directly going global. Also, people are trying to reach out to you more often online rather than offline. 

Being Google is where it begins!

And, in this blog, I will get you well-acquainted with local SEO. 

Beginning with, ‘What is local SEO?’!

Local SEO includes a series of actions and strategies that are particularly developed to improve the brand’s visibility on Google and other search engines. So, when people close to the brand’s physical location do a search, including a specific location, the brand is visible to them. 

The local SEO tactics also help the businesses come on top in Maps or search results when someone enters a concerned query. For instance, if you are a cafe owner and you have done local SEO tactically, then your cafe will be shown in the results of a query like ‘Cafe near me’, ‘Best cafe in Udaipur’. 

This is beneficial for the brand as people, whether local or from a different city, when visiting your town, your brand will be discoverable. Not only this, local SEO helps the brand improve its sales.

Here are some of the terms that you need to understand -

01. Local search:

A local search occurs when a person searches with a query on Google with local intent. For instance, ‘Salon near me’, ‘best salon in Udaipur’.  This is how a local search looks like -

And, this is how the local finder looks like -

Now you might be wondering how Google knows the location and how it shows the relevant result?

Google uses GPS to know your location and to provide you with the relevant results. For such a local search query, search engines understand what the user wants is business suggestions or lists based on location, and that is precisely what they offer up in the local search engine results pages. This is the prime reason why local SEO is important. 

02. Local SERPs:

SERP or SERPs, i.e., search engine results pages. And, these results are displayed when the user performs a search with local purpose. 

Why is local SEO important?

• Optimizing for local search is super-important, and this is actually a plus point for brick-and-mortar businesses/brands serving specific locations (city, town, region, or state). 
• When implemented well, local SEO allows people to find you with a local search. And, this is good for your business to reach out to people quickly and easily. 

LOCAL SEO CHECKLIST - TIPS TO REMEMBER FOR BETTER RANKING!

Now, I will take you through the key things you can do to make your website rank high in that particular location. These will help you gain more visibility!

01. Register on GMB (Google My Business):

Creating a Google My Business profile takes a few minutes but will yearn you a spot amid the similar business/brand. And, also it is one of the easiest ways to ensure your visibility in local search results. 

Make sure that you enter all the details asked on Google My Business profile. Fill out the business category, services, products, and opening hours. The more information you provide, the more likely you will be seen in the local results. 

Once the entire verification process is done, Google displays when users in your area enter a related search for your type of business. 

Note - If you run a brand or business with multiple branches, make sure you register those in Google My Business. 

02. Make your keyword game strong:

It is super important to make sure the descriptions of products on your website have something that your target audience is searching. For instance, you can focus on simpler keywords that your audience might search, like ‘cars’ instead of ‘4wheeler’. 

Use keyword research tools like Semrush or Ahrefs, these will help you find out the keywords that you must focus on with their search volume by their side. 

03. Different location listed in key parts of your site:

Suppose you have a business or brand that is located at different locations. In that case, you must make sure that your home page and other pages contain information about your services or products in those particular locations. And, also reference your location in the following 5 places -

• Title tag
• Headings
• Body copy
• Meta description
• Footer

Also, you can add the location in the URL. for instance, I am a furniture shop online and my company has an experience store at multiple places, then I can create URLs like - www.myfurnituresite.com/udaipur-furniture, www.myfurnituresite.com/jaipur-furniture, www.myfurnituresite.com/jodhpur-furniture. 

Make sure the website content is different on each webpage, as Google doesn’t take it into consideration. 

04. Submit site on local directories:

Submitting your websites on local directories can help you boost your brand’s position in local search results. First, Google records the directory entries, and if the directory is a legit source, it will show your brand amid the top results. 

So, if you are struggling with brand visibility, you must try this tip. 

Not only this, with adding your brand in the local directory, you may get a backlink out of it. This will enhance the overall performance in search results. 

Make sure that you submit your website to good directories! Else, a bad directory can have an adverse effect on your ranking. 

05. Backlinks with location anchor:

Backlinks are the links from other sites to your website. These are vital for the wider visibility of your website in search results. Backlinks are considered good by Google, and they, in turn, help you position higher in the results. 

Backlinks are also important for local SEO. 

You should always entertain those who give you a backlink to include your business’s location in the backlink. In turn, this backlink with location will emphasise on location and make the search engine notice it. 

This was all about the Local SEO! The tips mentioned above will definitely help beginners make a difference to their website’s performance. If you are eager to learn the following concepts or the entire digital marketing, then we at the Orionators School of Learning – Asia’s fastest-growing digital marketing institute give a full-fledged course to make you a professional. We dig deep into the 36 different modules of digital marketing that also includes graphic designing. Join us and know the basics, tips, and tricks to all the modules, including social media marketing, search engine optimization, affiliate marketing, and website design and development!

Hey, don’t forget to look at our 4 in 1 course! Learn skills and get ahead of the race. 

They are just for INR 25,000/- and thoroughly curated for you!

It includes - Content writing, graphic designing, website development, and digital marketing. You can take up a demo class and enrol in the programme.