Local SEO (search engine optimization) refers to optimizing digital content for search engines like Google in order to enhance brick-and-mortar store visibility in specific geographic areas. It’s an integral component of omnichannel retail that can boost in-store sales as well as brand recognition.
Develop a local SEO strategy is essential to expanding your business, yet can seem intimidating if you’re starting from scratch. In this article we’ll break down what local SEO is, why it is necessary, and how you can start taking steps toward developing one.
To truly comprehend local SEO, it’s essential to have an understanding of Google. While their organic algorithm controls most search results, when it comes to local searches there are additional factors which determine if a business will appear in the map pack at the top of a search results page. Prominence refers to how well one stands out among their competitors while relevancy refers to how trustworthy and accurate information or content provided is; proximity refers to how close an establishment is from where people search.
Relevance is of utmost importance when it comes to local SEO. Your website content must be relevant to a search query or keyword, with added keywords acting as one way of increasing its relevancy – but be wary not to overuse them; that can have the opposite effect and damage your SEO efforts. Listing your name, address and phone number on Google can also increase relevance; creating local landing pages featuring pertinent local content can further bolster it as can securing backlinks from other websites as well as getting mentioned by local press can all help your local SEO efforts as well.
Local SEO can be the key to expanding your brick-and-mortar store’s online presence and helping more customers locate you. By taking these simple steps, you can build an effective local SEO plan that will drive more traffic to both of your websites or store locations; just remember to be patient as local search optimization takes time for results to appear.
