Nowadays being visible on the SERP is more important than ever. If you have a local shop restaurant, retail stores then being visible to your customers online is a must.
Here are 12 tips on how you can do that.
1. Get on a local search platform
There are many local platforms like Moz, Yext, RIO, etc. Using all these platforms makes it much easier to manage all your listings that are your name, address, phone number, and more. Because doing all these manual is very time consuming that is why I suggest getting on a local platform.
2. Use structure data
When you use structured data it helps Google to understand the content better which increases the chances of getting higher clicks, impressions, and conversions. That is why you should use structured data as it also applies in local search as well.
3. Tap into Google my business & optimize for it
You should optimize your Google my business, because if you are then you are losing on a great opportunity to get customers. It helps you get your product and services visible. So you optimize your Google my business and make sure you are filling in all the details like photos, menu items, descriptions, and service lines.
4. Update event status
If you have an event coming up make sure to update it using event schema. EventStatus is a new schema type that lets the user know the current state of their scheduled event.
Its attributes are as follows-
– EventCancelled
– EventMovedOnline
– EvenPostponed
– EventRescheduled
– EventScheduled
5. Audit your Listings
You should audit your listings to identify the following-
– Auto-updates to operating status
– Pending or suggested changes to operating hours.
– Pending or suggested changes to attributes.
– Pending or suggested changes to business details.
– Any other indicators of pending or suggested updates.
– Disabled listings.
6. Manage your reputation
You should always manage your reputation if you have positive reviews and a good customer experience then you will automatically rank higher in the Local Map Pack. People trust reviews and bad reviews are worse when the owner does not take time to reply to them. It can be bad for your business. So, always manage your reputation.
7. Use Hyper-Local content
SEO is all about providing a positive content experience across all devices and platforms to help users satisfy with the information they need. You should always focus on adding unique quality content to an individual location. This Hyper-Local content can improve visibility amongst possible customers located nearby. Hyper-Local Content includes meta-data, headings, titles, image alt text, etc.
8. Connect with customers via always-on messaging.
You should download Google my business and turn on messaging as it helps your customers to reach you. If you are not available on phone, or it’s after business hours then the customer can contact you.
9. Monitor Trends
Always closely monitor trends to understand the shifts in search interest and behavior around relevant keywords and topics for your brand and industry. Analyze keywords that are valuable for your business and see they are performing.
10. Optimize for voice search & mobile
We live in a world where users are constantly asking questions and your brand should provide those answers to your users even when they are asking a digital assistant. Your website should be well optimized and should answer the common questions which your users ask. You can also use third-party tools and Google’s People Ask feature.
11. Track rankings & build out local landing pages
Rankings can help you track the success of your local search campaign at the local and zip code level. Always make sure to make local landing pages for all your users. Pages that have good performance, quick load time, calls to action, and good design elements. This can help in ranking your brand for all locations.
12. Don’t forget links are still very important
Try to get high-quality links by researching local and general sites, blogs, etc. When you get high-quality links from a reliable source with helping content, it automatically creates trust in the user’s eyes for your brand. It is a very important factor that can improve your visibility a lot. Aim to get locally targeted listings or blogs, too.
