Friday 30 May 2014

Why Local SEO and How to Optimize for It?


Local SEO has become unavoidable if you desire your business to be found in search engine results when visitors are actively searching for the items/benefits that your business offers/provides. Because more individuals than at any time in the past are presently hunting down local businesses utilizing standard and mobile devices, local SEO has become vital for any business that provide services to a particular geographic region.

 
Why Local SEO?
Local SEO has become essential in the course of the last few years, especially given the ascent of cell phone utilization and better integration while all over the place. Google wants to make sure to provide the best experience to the searchers who are looking for local results. This objective has made them put measures set up against the businesses tampering the system without having any actual local presence.
If I search for ‘Web Design in Rawalpindi’ on my desktop, Google would provide me nearest possible results with illustration of map.


Google discloses that almost 95% of the mobile users search local information on their phones for the purpose of visiting or calling the business. Local based results are likely to prevail more and more because search engines definitely want to facilitate their users with the most relevant information.
 
How to optimize for Local Search?
If you have retail presence in your area, you can gain visibility by following some straightforward steps while avoiding certain pitfalls at the same time.

On-page Local SEO


  • Include the business address on the page and likewise the location inside the page content and in the page's title tag.
  • Include the brand name, the keyword being focused on and your business location in page’s title tag. You should likewise contemplate this with the meta description of the page.
  •  If you have one location, you could additionally incorporate it inside your footer as an extra reference.
  • Insert a map on your 'contact us' page or local pages as it further illustrates the exact location of business making easy for customers/clients to reach you.



Google Places for Business
It is most easiest way to appear in search results and maps
  •  Claim your Google Places for Business page by providing consolidated business profile including address and contact details and opening hours
  • Provide proper category for your business to covey Google a superior understanding of the subject of your business.
This will be the most straightforward path for your business to appear in inquiry and maps.



Google+ Local Page
This page is meant for increasing social interaction. Google Places page needs to be connected with Google+ local page. The more data you can give on this this page, the better it is. That incorporates adding a lot of pictures, videos to your page so individuals can see what your business looks like and precisely what it offers. It can also have comments and reviews about your business. Google+ page can be more effective if it is created according to these guidelines;
  • Include brand name, targeted keyword and location in page title
  • Choose most relevant and specific business category
  • Use schema markup to provide more detail through adding rich media that will enable searchers to make a more informed choice
  • Keep your NAP (Name, Address & Phone number) consistent and up to date over the internet.
  • Urge clients to leave reviews, one of the most important local SEO ranking factors.



Pitfalls to avoid
After getting your local business SEO on the right track, you may derail your progress by committing any mistake that may result in loss of your reputation gained through Local SEO tactics.

  • Avoid creating any fake reviews because Google is smart enough to catch any sort of unnatural patterns
  • Protect your reputation. If you get negative reviews never respond in anger rather show positive attitude by not getting personal over any sort of criticism. 
  • Avoid creating duplicate business listings.

Working on these guidelines and remembering the things that you ought to maintain a strategic distance from, you'll have the capacity to create a local SEO presence in Google's results that will help produce telephone calls and visits from exceptionally targeted potential customers.

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