Imagine the following scenario. You\u2019ve just arrived in a new town for your summer vacation. You\u2019ve settled into your hotel and are wondering where you can go for a quick workout.<\/p>\n
If you answered \u201cGoogle,\u201d you\u2019re not alone. A staggering\u00a078% of consumers<\/a>\u00a0use the internet more than once a week to find information about local services, like a nearby gym or fitness studio. Even more impressively,\u00a093% of consumers<\/a> used search engines to find local goods and services in 2020. In addition<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>83% of consumers use Google Search to discover local businesses, while 90% of them will make a purchas<\/span>e withi<\/span>n one week of thei<\/span>r <\/span>initi<\/span>al<\/span> search.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n With such large audiences at their fingertips,\u00a0digital marketing\u00a0teams must focus on enhancing their search engine optimization (SEO) for local purposes. By tailoring your SEO strategies to boost brand visibility in communities where you own physical stores or offices, you\u2019ll drive more leads and conversions.<\/p>\n As more businesses\u00a0master local SEO, the need to keep up with the latest tips and strategies intensifies. However, with\u00a056% of organizations<\/a>\u00a0yet to claim a Google Business Profile\u2014a vital tool for any local SEO strategy\u2014many marketing professionals still have plenty to learn.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re feeling a little out of your depth regarding local SEO, don\u2019t fret. We\u2019ve created a comprehensive\u00a0local SEO guide\u00a0to help you learn the basics and reach relevant audiences. The following best practices are simple, effective, and designed to supercharge your\u00a0search engine ranking.<\/p>\n A Google Business Profile<\/a> (formerly known as a\u00a0Google My Business\u00a0page) represents the bedrock of any decent local SEO strategy. Did you know, for example, that a mammoth\u00a042% of local searches<\/a>\u00a0involve engagement with the Google Map Pack? Or that\u00a0more than half<\/a>\u00a0of Google Business Profile interactions lead to website visits?<\/p>\n Listing your business on Google will ensure your business turns up on local searches using terms such as \u201cservices near me\u201d and make your business location visible to people using\u00a0Google Maps. Many people base their purchase decisions on factors such as transport routes and accessibility, so adding your business to Google Maps is likely to significantly boost conversions.<\/p>\n Creating a Google Business Profile will also boost trust in your business and equip users with the information they need to make the most of your offerings. Key facts to list include:<\/p>\n Your Google Business Profile will also come with a social proof section, including your star rating and client reviews. While you may be tempted to enhance your star rating with fake reviews, Google has created\u00a0algorithms<\/a>\u00a0to detect such activity. You should avoid including special offers or overly sales-oriented language in your business description, as this could be flagged as spam.<\/p>\n To set up a Google\u00a0Business Profile, follow these easy steps:<\/p>\n If your business takes reservations, it\u2019s a great idea to utilize Reserve with Google<\/a>. This handy integration allows clients to book salon appointments, fitness classes, gym sessions, and more through Google Maps or Google Search. It\u2019s also sure to boost\u00a0localized SEO\u00a0by granting your business first-page visibility for nearby customers requiring relevant services. Over time, you\u2019ll reach a wider audience, increase leads, and boost your reputation.<\/p>\n It\u2019s easy for busy entrepreneurs and marketers to brush off client reviews as mere drops in the digital ocean. However,\u00a0attracting social proof<\/a>\u00a0of your high-quality services could significantly improve your reputation. Even better, it\u2019s a form of free advertising!<\/p>\n According to recent\u00a0stats<\/a>, 77% of consumers always or regularly browse online reviews when researching local businesses (up from 60% in 2020). What\u2019s more, almost 90% of consumers put as much faith in online reviews as they do in personal recommendations from friends and family members.<\/p>\n If you need more convincing about the importance of gathering positive reviews on Yelp, Google, and Facebook, remember they’ll enhance your\u00a0local SEO\u00a0credentials. Setting up business profiles on these platforms and social media sites will invite people to leave reviews for your company and generate a buzz around your brand. The more reviews you receive and the more review sites on which you appear, the higher Google will place your business in local\u00a0search results.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re struggling to attract reviews, why not send an email encouraging customers to leave reviews in exchange for discounts or free trials? While these rewards may carry small costs in the short term, they\u2019ll quickly pay for themselves as your\u00a0local SEO ranking factor\u00a0improves.<\/p>\n While\u00a0business listing\u00a0sites and\u00a0social media\u00a0activity play a vital role in\u00a0local SEO, you must also focus on tailoring your website for local audiences. Did you know that local searches are responsible for\u00a0over 22%<\/a>\u00a0of website traffic? With this in mind, here are some of the most important factors to consider for improving on-page local SEO:<\/p>\n As mentioned above, keyword research is a vital aspect of any\u00a0local SEO\u00a0strategy. To enhance your local\u00a0ranking factor, try to think about the kinds of words and phrases people might type into Google to find your business. If you\u2019re struggling to come up with effective keywords, there are tons of free tools available to generate suggestions, such as\u00a0SEMRush<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0AnswerThePublic<\/a>.<\/p>\n Citations refer to any mentions of your company’s name, address, and phone number (NAP) on other websites. As well as encouraging leads to get in touch, citations will please Google\u2019s algorithms and boost your\u00a0search engine ranking.<\/p>\n However, you\u2019ll need your NAP to appear consistent across all sites, including your Google Business Profile, company website, review sites, and other online directories. If search engines can\u2019t find consistent contact information for your business, they may discard it from their rankings altogether. To avoid this fate, remember to delete any outdated or duplicated online business listings. If you\u2019re unsure where your business appears, tools such as\u00a0Whitespark<\/a>\u00a0can help you find citations and ensure they\u2019re accurate.<\/p>\n As with standard SEO, local strategies require you to obtain relevant local hyperlinks that lead back to your site. To gather high-quality links, it\u2019s worth reaching out to other organizations in your area to see how you could partner up. For example, you could enter a competition, offer special discounts, or engage in local events to get your business featured on their website.<\/p>\n You must also integrate some internal links within your local content, as these will improve your site\u2019s navigation and, by extension, your local SEO. For best results, make sure your anchor text is relevant to the page you\u2019re linking to and, if possible, includes keywords.<\/p>\n Congratulations! You\u2019ve learned most of the basics of\u00a0local SEO. Before you get started, however, we\u2019ve included a few more\u00a0local SEO tips\u00a0to maximize your chances of success:<\/p>\n As you see,\u00a0local SEO\u00a0is quickly becoming a compulsory part of every\u00a0digital marketing\u00a0strategy. With more people than ever turning to Google to find nearby goods and services, failure to engage in local SEO could leave you at a significant competitive disadvantage.<\/p>\n So, how can local SEO newbies get it right the first time? By investing in WellnessLiving\u2019s unbeatable marketing tools, you can smash your local SEO goals and help your business become a big name in the local community. Our Reserve with Google integration<\/a> will help you generate a high-quality Google Business Profile, while Presence\u2122\u2014our full-service website agency<\/a>\u2014and SEO audit tools<\/a> will ensure your landing pages attract the traffic they deserve.<\/p>\n1. Optimize your Google Business Profile<\/h2>\n
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How to set up a Google Business Profile<\/h3>\n
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Reserve with Google<\/h3>\n
2. Attract and promote client reviews<\/h2>\n
3. Optimize your site for local SEO<\/h2>\n
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4. Develop a strategy for\u00a0local keyword\u00a0research<\/h2>\n
5. Generate visible and consistent citations<\/h2>\n
6. Boost local\u00a0link building<\/h2>\n
A few more tips to\u00a0master local SEO<\/h2>\n
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Looking to up your\u00a0local SEO\u00a0game? WellnessLiving is here to help!<\/strong><\/h2>\n