What is Local SEO FAQ?

Local SEO FAQ

Did you just started learning local search engine optimization and looking for some basic and technical details? Here are the top 10 local SEO FAQ (frequently asked questions) for beginners to start optimizing local business website.

What is Local SEO?

The most popular local SEO FAQ is what local search engine optimization is. Local SEO is referred to actions taken online and offline to help people in your community easily find and choose the businesses you market than. It’s simpler to think of local SEO as a form of customer service. In the real world, you take every action to make your business visible, accessible, and attractive. For example, you rent or buy a property at an address near your customers, buy phone numbers, arrange and display your inventory of goods and services, hang bold signs, look for ads and Train staff to serve customers. to answer their questions. their inquiries and resolve their complaints. You do all of this to connect with customers.

Local SEO has the same goal of connecting. It creates a digital mirror image of what you do offline and enriches it with online-only opportunities when you become an Internet publisher and promoter of contact details, offers , your company’s reputation, expertise and customer service. When done right, your local SEO efforts will convince search engines like Google that your business is worthy of showing up in their results when people search for what you offer where you are. provide it.

How Is Local SEO Different From Regular SEO?

Google and other search engines localize search engine results to create a better experience for end users. For example, if you’re in Washington DC and search for “plumber”, Google will show you a list of local plumbers according to your IP address (where you searched). It would make no sense for Google to show plumbers in San Diego in its search engine results, which is why Google implemented localized search results. General SEO uses the same principles as but it is not specific to a geographical area. Companies will find it easier to rank locally because of the local search algorithms. But through the use of high quality content and a user-friendly website, your reach should grow out of your immediate area into the broader search engine results.

How Does Local SEO Work?

If you’ve now determined that local SEO is the right lane for you to swim in, you’ll want to know the specifics of how to actually do the work. Now is your chance to learn how local businesses do SEO and what local SEO includes. If you want to learn more widely how search engine optimization work, you can view our blog on .

How Local Search Engines Work?

Google is a search engine. It’s an “answer machine” that exists to discover, understand, and organize information on the Internet so that it can present that information in response to people’s searches. Google gets information about local businesses from a variety of sources including:

  • The Google My Business listings you create for your business
  • Your company’s website
  • Other websites, directories, and platforms that list, mention or link to your company
  • Information the public submits to Google about your company, such as reviews, ratings, photos, suggested edits of your Google My Business listings, and other forms of feedback
  • Unconfirmed relationships with other local data providers and business indexes

A Google My Business listing is something you can actively submit to Google, but Google also searches on the Internet for information about your business (this is called discovery). , then stores and organizes the information found (this is called indexing), and finally, provides a classified display of that information to people searching for it.

What Is Google My Business And What Does That Do For Me?

A Google My Business account is a free business listing provided by Google. You don’t hear the word “free” too much, do you? Your local business listing appears in the right column in Google Search when people search for your business. Your business listing can also appear in Google Map view, front and center in search results. Once you claim your business listing, you can update your listing with photos, hours of operation, website URL, phone number, and more. This is one of the first steps when talking about local SEO.

How to Optimize Google My Business Listing?

Google My Business should be a priority for any locally dependent business as it comes with a comprehensive feature set. buffet feature. It’s like having a second free website. Just see what you can do with your Google My Business listing:

  • Claim multiple business listings
  • Upload photos and videos up
  • Host a virtual tour of your facility
  • Edit your business description for customers
  • Post on a microblog
  • Engage with visitors by answer queries
  • Showcase your best ratings and reviews
  • Publish opening hours
  • Include special alerts, such as changes due to COVID-19
  • Add a “booking button” that allows customers to book an appointment with you on-site
  • Include your business phone number

This is like a “business website” business in a box” more. There are even more features to explore in GMB. We have detailed instructions on how to set up Google My Business. GMB often automatically detects business addresses and holds a location that the business owner can claim. Don’t delay because you want to claim your business listing.

How Can GMB Boost My Rankings?

In addition to responding quickly to search queries, a One of GMB’s goals is to contribute to local SEO rankings. Once you fill out the basic information and link your business to your location, you can start reaping the benefits. From there, there are many other features to tweak and others that Google continually adds.

What is the Most Important Local Search Ranking Factor?

You might be surprised However, when you learn that it has almost nothing to do with your business website. The most important ranking factor in local search is Google My Business (GMB). The service is an extension of Google Maps, the two work together to locate businesses on a map or serve them in search queries for location-dependent searches.

When someone is not on Google Maps but is searching for a business category, even without “nearby”, Google search results will still list nearby businesses with mini-map entries. Clicking on this search result will take you to Google Maps and the GMB listing. GMB also enables remote listings. So if you’re planning a trip and want to find a business near the place you plan to visit, the results will appear there.

What is a Location Page?

A location page is simply a page you add to your website to detail your business in a specific location. You can add another location page as you grow your business, as well as a third or fourth page, depending on how many you need.

Do I Need a Separate Location Page For Each Location?

Sorry, but yes, you need that. Simply listing your locations in a directory on a page is also ineffective. This is because if you have a “our places” page that lists multiple locations, Google won’t know what to rank that search for. This is simply how the Internet is designed and how Google works. Google doesn’t rank certain parts of the page; it classifies each page into its own entity. That being said, you will rarely need 50 pages at once for your franchise channel. Start with your most important placement, fully optimize it, then move on to the next.

Depending on the state of your business, you can get Single-page listings for multiple locations. For example, if there are no competitors for an eye care chain in a rural area, you can make do with a simple location page for your county, with separate cities listed on one page unique.

Are Business Listings and Directories Worth My Time?

Directory listings, often called citations, can help you improve your local SEO rankings. So yes, they’re definitely worth your time! For one thing, any place on the web you can mention your business is one more place where customers can find you, so you could argue even listing with some Joe Blow’s tiny website helps somewhat. On the other hand, even a free listing takes some time, and it’s not always worthwhile to chase down every directory out there.

Instead, you should focus your time on the listings most relevant to your industry. If you’re a medical provider, you might want to create listings in directories related to medical industry. Or if you’re a law firm, you will have to look for directories for lawyers. You can also list your business in some other general directories that are so popular and Google often values these citations higher.

Conclusion

As you can see, local SEO FAQ is a bit different from standard SEO. To achieve local SEO success, you need to show Google where you are located, prove that you are part of the community, and build local backlinks. To do this, make sure you add well-optimized location pages to your website and invest time in your Google My Business listing. This effort is worth it! You’ll appear at the top of search engine results when people search for businesses like yours that are “near” to them.

We’ve noticed some companies still didn’t claimed listing on Google My Business or other directories. Setting up a local SEO can help you stay a step or two ahead of your competitors.