In recent years, there have been significant shifts in the way local businesses appear in Google search results. Here are some of the latest trends in local search engine optimization that businesses should be aware of:
- Google My Business (aka Google Business Profile) has become increasingly important to local SEO. Claiming and optimizing your Google My Business listing can improve your visibility in local search results. Make sure to keep your business information, such as hours and location, up to date, and consider adding photos and asking for customer reviews to improve your listing’s credibility.
- The use of structured data, or schema markup, is on the rise. This is a way to label and organize your website’s content in a way that is easily understood by search engines. By adding schema markup to your website, you can help Google understand the context of your content and improve its chances of appearing in local search results.
- User reviews have become increasingly influential in local search rankings. Encourage your customers to leave reviews on your Google My Business listing, as well as other review sites like Yelp and Facebook. Just be sure to respond to both positive and negative reviews in a timely and professional manner.
- The rise of voice search has also impacted local search. With more people using voice assistants like Waze, Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant to search for businesses, it’s important to optimize your website for long-tail keywords that are more likely to be used in natural language queries.
- Google’s focus on user experience has led to the rise of the “Google Guarantee.” This badge is only given to businesses that meet Google’s high standards for quality and customer service. Earning the Google Guarantee badge can give your business a boost in local search results.
Finally, it’s important to keep an eye on the competition. Analyze the local search results for your industry and see what your competitors are doing to rank well. This can help you identify opportunities to improve your own local search strategy.
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What is the role of content in local SEO?
Content plays a crucial role in local SEO because it helps search engines understand the context and relevance of your website for search queries. In addition to including relevant keywords in your website’s content, it’s important to create useful, informative, and engaging content that addresses the needs and interests of your target audience. This can help establish your website as a valuable resource and can improve your chances of ranking well in local search results.
Some specific ways content can impact local SEO
As a marketing agency, we write content targeted for specific industries, personas, locations and expertise. Localizing it is important to assuring you capture interest from people in your area. Some of why create content:
- Local content: Creating content that is specific to your location, such as information about local events, landmarks, or businesses, can help establish your website as a go-to source of information for people searching for things to do or places to go in your area.
- Relevant keywords: Including relevant keywords in your content can help search engines understand what your website is about and how it might be relevant to local searches. For example, if you own a restaurant in Los Angeles, you might include the keywords “best restaurants in Los Angeles” in your content to signal to search engines that your website is relevant for that particular search query.
- Citations and backlinks: Mentioning your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) in your content, as well as linking to other reputable websites, can help improve the credibility and authority of your website in the eyes of search engines.
- User experience: Providing valuable and useful content that addresses the needs and interests of your target audience can improve the user experience of your website and increase the likelihood that people will stay on your site longer and engage with your content. This can help improve your local search rankings.
In summary, creating high-quality, relevant content is a key component of local SEO and can help improve your chances of ranking well in local search results.
As you can see, local search is a constantly evolving field, and it can be challenging for businesses to keep up with the latest trends.
If you want to improve your local search rankings but aren’t sure where to start, consider reaching out to a local SEO agency like MarketBurst for help. They have the expertise and experience to help your business succeed in the competitive world of local search. Don’t let your competitors outrank you in local search results. Contact MarketBurst today and get on the path to local search success.
