Less than 50% of searches on Google are for local service searches. This means there is no excessive competition in the local searches. Small business owners may take advantage of the local SEO and grow their businesses without significant competition.  

Local SEO helps make the company geographically visible to potential audiences. One needs more local SEO services to increase the local business. Regional SEO can also assist the website owners in improving their website rankings in the search results and local packs on Google.

With the high website traffic and online visibility to the local customers, small business owners can leverage outranking their local competitors. Website owners aspiring for quality leads can opt for a few local SEO tips for small businesses.

1. Perform Local Audit

The primary goal of a local small business is to increase organic rankings. Think With Google says, ‘near me’ searches have risen to 150%. Small scale business individuals need to rank their websites on the local searches to have traffic, clicks, and eventually higher conversion.

In digital marketing, performing a local audit is necessary to understand how the website functions. Performing local audits for a small business owner includes competitor keyword analysis, inbound link analysis, and more.

As a small business owner, managing time can be challenging. So, hiring a professional from an agency providing local SEO for small businesses can solve the problem.

2. Figure Out Interest of Local Audience 

One of the essential local SEO tips for small businesses is to gauge the necessity of the audience. Based on the interest and intention of the target prospects, relevant keywords can be used with the proper context. 

Creating rich local content and updating store timings to educate the people about the store are important things to keep in mind. The successful SEO for a local search is to find out what people are looking for and professionally provide those services on time.

An ideal professional can help incorporate keywords that match the local buyers’ intentions and goals. 

3. High-Quality Content

Writing quality-rich content is an effective local SEO strategy that one can follow. Individuals need to provide good quality content that adds value to the local prospects and educates them of the products and services. 

Here are a few types of content that can be helpful in local SEO optimization. These are:

  • City-Specific Landing Pages 

City-specific landing pages can be beneficial if a small business owner wants to augment the scope of the business for multiple locations. These location pages include city-specific keywords to make the content relevant to the target city.

  • Region-Focused Landing Pages

Besides having a city-specific location page, one can also optimize their local content for specific regions or states. But before creating region-focused landing pages, one needs to check and examine the buyer personas to understand the audience better.

  • Frequently Asked Questions

Another way to optimize local page content is by writing FAQ pages. Nowadays, the majority of the customers are using voice search to find local business updates. Ranking on voice search can also be helpful to reach those potential audiences and make conversions.

4. Page Title and Meta Description Optimization

For every local web page, contents, meta title, and meta description play a significant role in determining links clickability. Online users click those links that are relevant to their needs. One of the search engine optimization secrets is a catchy page title with clickable keywords.

In addition, one needs to keep in mind that the meta title must not exceed 12 words. Though there are no hard and fast SEO rules for local page optimization, framing a lengthy title hides behind ellipses. If the title is clear, there is a chance that the readers may not click it. 

Along with the title optimization, one needs to maintain an ideal length for the meta description for each content. The meta description must include the primary keyword to make it more relevant to the searches. Also, the report should be within 160 characters maximum with spaces.

5. Content Optimization

One of the many SEO tips for smaller businesses is content optimization for local searches. Proper optimization for the local target audiences can boost the traffic without spending extra from the wallet. This will increase the conversion rate and help the web owners build brand value for a longer time.

Professionals may guide the individuals with the local SEO tips for smaller businesses for successful content optimization. These professionals know how to research the optimal local keywords, and for that, they use an advanced keyword planner. Using these keyword planners can help gauge the search difficulties of the relevant keywords. Based on that report, one can plan accordingly.

6. Image Optimization

Images and any other multimedia objects impact the page’s local ranking. There are several ways to optimize images for local content. These are:

  • Focusing on the image quality, size, and relevance. 
  • Including relevant Alt-text for each image.
  • Using anchor text 
  • Adding Geo Tagging using a Geosetter

Apart from the techniques mentioned above, one needs to ensure that the images are copyright-free to avoid any hazards in the future. Adding relevant photos can help small business owners showcase their products and services to the target audience. This will help the audience to make up their mind on purchasing them.

7. Slug Optimization

Slug or URL optimization can help the business easily enhance and reach the target people. To generate a slug, one can follow the best practices that SEO professionals use. These are:

  • The URLs must include relevant keywords for local searches. 
  • Slugs need to be simple and match the page’s primary purpose.
  • Usages of hyphens between keywords. 
  • Use of separate slugs for different location pages.
  • Always avoid slug generators. 
  • Write reader-friendly slugs for each content.

Proper understanding is necessary for slug optimization as a slug can ruin the total effort. So, SEO personnel is required to do the needful. 

8. Internal Link Building

Website owners may find this strategy helpful as local SEO tips for small businesses. An internal link building structure can keep the visitors on the website for a long time. Proper internal link building is extremely important for a website’s SEO. If a local page has adequate internal links, it will help the website witness less bounce rate. 

To create internal links, one needs to develop several contents for the website. Small business owners may hire professionals to build suitable internal link-building strategies.

While making internal links, one must remember that the links should be relevant and natural to read. Furthermore, the links must-have features such as supporting page navigation, distributing page authority equally, etc.

9. Google My Business Optimization 

Any small business individual intending to increase business reach digitally must have an account with Google My Business. Registering on GMB is free and doesn’t need much time. But one needs to optimize the account for a better result. Here are some ways to optimize GMB and increase more local search visibility.

  • Create a GMB profile and fill every section of the GMB account.
  • Provide NAP which means name, address, and phone number.
  • Add a map of the store.
  • Upload photos and videos. 
  • Respond to the reviews. 

Website individuals can ask for genuine reviews from their previous clients and communicate with the local community. Along with the NAP, providing website address, store timing, and contact person help the readers reach and take the service. 

10. Schema Markup of Website

Schema markup is microdata that can optimize the rich snippet that ranks on search results. Schema or structured data can help highlight vital information for local prospects.

For the local searches, store timing, contact number, safety, contact person’s name are necessary for they help to build trust among readers. Schema can also help a website rank on the top 3 Google local listings.    

11. Increase Mobile-Friendliness 

According to a report from Statista, 6.4 billion people are using smartphones in 2021, which is likely to rise to 7.5 billion in 2026. This means there is ample opportunity to reach a vast majority of audiences. Small business owners need to augment their website’s mobile-friendliness to obtain the desired goal.

Here are a few ways professionals use to make websites mobile-friendly:

  • Choosing a mobile-responsive theme or template.
  • Avoid text-blocking ads or pop-ups.
  • Optimize the website speed.
  • Using large fonts for easy reading.
  • Provide images of good quality but lightweight.

According to a report, the percentile of people revisiting the mobile-friendly website is 74%. Local businesspersons need to optimize their websites using mobile-responsive designs. This is how they can retain their customer base in the long run.

These days almost half of all Google searches are local inquiries. People use Google to perform typical daily queries and find nearby service stores. This growing interest in using search engines can be a boon for small business owners. Following the above tips for local SEO, one can see the growth in the website traffic and generate sales. 

These aforesaid local SEO tips for smaller businesses are some of the tips that one can apply for a website’s ranking. However, there are other efficient tips that professionals use. One may consult an SEO professional to implement the latest information and techniques for assistance.

 

This is a guest post written by Bodhisattwa

Bodhisattwa is an ardent digital marketing enthusiast, blogger, and freelancer. He is passionate about traveling and managing the nuances of business. As an MBA graduate he collated his two distinct passions to found Dot Digital Box – A rapidly emerging digital marketing company making its mark in the world of business.

If you want to submit guest posts to Inuidea, check out the guest post guidelines for Inuidea. 

Reference links:

Local search statistics – Think with Google

https://www.vendasta.com/blog/perform-local-seo-audit-for-clients/

https://www.poweredbysearch.com/blog/8-essential-tips-optimizing-images-local-seo/

https://www.searchenginejournal.com/local-seo/local-content-examples/#close

https://www.oberlo.in/blog/mobile-usage-statistics

https://www.webfx.com/seo/learn/mobile-seo/

https://www.webfx.com/blog/marketing/user-experience-matters-marketing/

https://blucactus.blue/seo-stats/