Smartphones and virtual assistants in cars make it simpler than ever to find businesses on the go. If you’re not paying attention to your local search engine optimization, you could be invisible to the people looking for you on the fly.
Updating your Google Business Profile is one of the best ways to improve your local search optimization and get customers in the door.
Localized Website Optimization
To get the most out of your Google Business Profile, you need to make sure your website is optimized for users. Design your web content to appeal to local searchers and entice casual scrollers.
Mobile-Friendly Website Design
The first step in local SEO is to make sure your website is mobile-friendly. Most local searches take place on smartphones when people are searching for businesses nearby.
Website builders, including Wix, WordPress, and Squarespace have features that let you check your layout for mobile devices. If you’re not sure how your site looks, pull it up on your phone. Make sure it loads quickly and is easy to navigate.
Consider Search Intent
Think about how locals would find you online and optimize your content for search intent. For example, if you operate a clothing boutique in Austin, people might find you by looking for “women’s clothes near me” or “where to buy a date night outfit in Austin.”
Create content for these searches with related posts. As a boutique owner, you might create a blog post about the best date locations in Austin and post outfit ideas for each venue. You could kick it up a notch by creating shoppable Instagram posts to accompany your blog.
Add Schema Markups to Improve Search Results
When you’re creating content such as articles, product descriptions, or reviews, adding a schema markup can make a big difference in your search engine visibility.
The schema markup adds data to your search results beyond your tags and meta descriptions. It allows Google to display reviews, breadcrumbs, and other data to improve your listing. Consult your website builder to pick the right structured data type and add it to your page.
You can also add location-based meta tags to your website so it pops up in Google Maps, Safari, Yelp, and other GPS devices. You can specify your address or add a generic meta tag that lists your city and state.
NAP Citations
NAP stands for name, address, and phone number, and every business needs theirs online.
In the pre-internet days, local business owners were given a mailer to verify their address which allowed them to get listed in the Yellow Pages. We may have said goodbye to physical directories, but that makes getting your details right in online directories even more important.
Google Business Profile allows you to put all your important contact information in one place, so it’s especially important that your NAP citations are correct there. But people will also search for you on Facebook, Yelp, Yellowpages.com, and business-specific directories such as Open Table for restaurants or Booksy for beauty services. If your name, address, and phone number are inconsistent across directories, it can negatively impact how you appear to the Google algorithm.
Look through each directory and make sure your name, address, phone number, website, and hours are correct and consistent. If you find an incorrect listing, contact the directory host or create an account and fix it yourself.
Local Link Building
When multiple websites link back to your business, the Google algorithm sees you as more authoritative and trustworthy. You can get more backlinks by building relationships with other local businesses. Choose a complementary business and approach them about posting guest blogs or teaming up to host events.
For example, if you operate a pizza restaurant in Austin, you could partner with a local brewery to host an Austin FC watch party. Each of you can promote the event and post links to each other’s websites both on the event page and on social media.
These events are great for encouraging user-generated content. Think up a unique hashtag for your event and have people use it on social media. Urge them to tag you too. Sponsoring local events is another proven strategy to build backlinks. Many sponsorships offer listings on the organization’s website. If you are sponsoring an event, offer to write a guest post leading up to the event and include links to your website.
Let Motoza Optimize Your Business for Local Searches
If optimizing your business for local Google searches seems tedious, leave it to Motoza. We have helped hundreds of companies since 2011, and we understand the ins and outs of the ever-changing Google algorithm. We can help you optimize your Google Business Profile and develop a local search strategy that propels you through searches.
Schedule a consultation today.
