Gone are the days when writing about SEO tips only meant that we would actually initiate our discourse with much dreaded Google algorithms – rolled out from time to time – only to unsettle SEO marketers, at large. By the time you were still learning the ropes of Panda and Penguin, you got hit by Penguin.
Local SEO- today – is way more evolved – quite far from the regimented framework that organic SEO had always been confined to. Today, local SEO is more about strategic planning meant to boost your prominence right when your customer needs you. So, there is a difference – clearly – while traditional SEO was clearly about just your customers finding you online – today it’s about them finding you right when they need you! Think about those micro-moments when they are on the streets looking for food, shoe stores or bag stores. Only when you are designing your SEO strategy around these micro-moments would you be able to outrank your competitors.
Focus on NAP
This is basic. You just cannot go wrong here. NAP stands for the Name Address and Phone Number of your business. Make sure there is no mistake while putting the details up on various online channels – your website, online directories, business listings, social media channels etc.
Not only will your audience be confused in that case, you will also end up being penalized when the search engines find out about the discrepancies.
Google My Business Page
GMB or Google My Business Page is crucial quite simply because of Google’s undeclared web monopoly. Make sure you are entering the following details without fail:
- Name, Address, Phone Number
- Business Hours
- Photos of your business
Make sure you are verifying your phone number, business address and responding to reviews.
Local citations like Yelp, BBB, FourSquare and Angie’s lists are just a few authoritative sites that command unrivaled trust among users. Do ensure that you are listing your business details here for better visibility.
Local citations are a favorite algorithm of Google!
Voice Search
Make sure you are prioritizing Voice Search as well. In 2019, we are staring at a future when more than 50% of online searches will actually be conducted via Voice Search. Siri, Echo and Alexa are the most recent examples. It can well be seen that people are actually getting more comfortable spelling out their searches verbally on Google rather than typing the same. You might as well be required to introduce “colloquial” tweaks to your content in order to make your content more Voice Search-friendly.
However, at the end of the day, do make sure your write-ups are not losing the organic connect with readers in your bid to make it too search-engine friendly. User experience may seriously suffer if you actually end up stuffing your content with long tail keywords or trying to be forcefully informal. Maintain a nice balance to strike the right chords.
Hope these tips will be of help for you! Keep that connect alive by allowing room for reviews on the Yelp, FourSquare, Facebook etc.
