Having a website means an opportunity to reach people anywhere in the world. However, often, what a user wants is to obtain information from a nearby geographic region, especially when performing these searches by cell phone. This is where local SEO techniques come into play. It’s no mystery to anyone that without thinking about SEO it ‘s highly unlikely that a website will reach the top of the results list on search engines like Google.
SEO is a set of techniques used to, as the name implies, optimize a website according to the parameters used by Google to decide the order of results.
With each new update of these parameters, further optimizations are possible. All of this so that the person who uses this search engine has an increasingly gratifying experience when using it, so that they can always use it again. That’s how, a few years ago, Google realized that when people look for certain types of businesses, the results that are in a nearby area make more sense. That’s why, in the local search, the proximity factor is taken into account. In other words, Google will show the results list considering where the searcher is. Local SEO was becoming important as access from mobile devices increased. If you have a business that offers services or products in a fixed location (even if operating in delivery!), can not fail to prepare your website to reach the audience that is close to you. You will read in this article:
- What is Local SEO
- What are the benefits of betting on Local SEO
- What do you need to do to appear in local searches
What is Local SEO?
To know what Local SEO is and how it works, you first need to talk about SEO. Search Engine Optimization, or just SEO, is the term that digital marketers use to talk about some techniques that are used on a website. The purpose of an SEO optimization is to make a website fit the criteria that Google considers important. Having a website optimized for SEO is the safest way to gain positions in the Google rankings. That is, to appear among the first results when a search for a keyword referring to your business is made. In Local SEO, what changes is the localization factor, which starts to be considered. The results that will appear to those who carry out a search will be those that are around you, geographically. It is not even necessary for the person who is researching to include terms like “near me” or the name of the city where he is located. Google is already able to show results in the vicinity based on the IP location (when the search is done by a computer) or the cell phone’s GPS. Do the test! Open Google now and type “pizza”. Don’t be amazed to see pizzerias near you appearing in both paid and organic results. If you do the same search from elsewhere, even on the same device, the results shown will be different. The formula for getting your site featured in the local search results is basically to let Google know that your business offers a service in a particular place, and show it your relevance in that area. We’ll talk about this later. Before, let’s understand what kind of advantage a site optimized for Local SEO can bring.
Benefits of Local SEO
You don’t need to have an e-commerce website to benefit from Local SEO work. On the contrary, this result format is perfect for businesses that have a fixed service location, such as restaurants and beauty salons, for example. While Google shows places where you can go in search results, you have the chance to attract to your business those who were looking for what you offer. Check out some more benefits of strengthening your website for Local SEO:
- Increases the visibility of your business, leaving your company name among competitors and in the consumer’s mind;
- You have the chance to start selling online, giving information to the customer through the website even before he arrives at your establishment;
- Your brand gains authority among the public and Google itself.
Local SEO: how to appear among local search results
There are two ways to appear as an option among the results of a search that meets local SEO requirements.
Location Pack
There are 3 results that appear right at the top of the search, in a prominent place. To have a chance to appear in the Local Pack, you need to register your company on Google My Business . The organic results are then listed. It is to appear in this list that Local SEO techniques are applied. Know 3 Ways to Optimize for Local SEO:
On-page SEO vs. NAP
Having an organized website, following Google’s best practices, is still extremely important when the goal is to rank in Local SEO. In addition to taking care that your site has a good loading speed, friendly URLs, is secure and mobile friendly, you also need to enter the NAP data (name, address, phone or name, address and phone). This way you can make sure that Google will always associate your business with where it is located.
Link Building
One of the ways Google captures the relationship of one site with another is through links. This is a way to show the algorithms that your company is relevant. When we talk specifically about Local SEO, getting backlinks from other companies in the region, from local news sites or even from blogs that explore this location in their posts can be valid. NAP data is also indispensable whenever there is a citation!
Local content
Keeping your website up to date is critical for Google to realize its relevance. A good option might be to have a blog where you talk about both your company’s niche and the area where it is located.
Conclusion
It’s not just e-commerces that can benefit from SEO. Any company that wanted to attract more customers can use digital marketing for that. Local SEO is one more option to achieve this goal.
