What could be better than the charming shop around the corner or the craftsman who can be at your door in just a few minutes? We all know the advantages that regionality offers us. This is not only true on a small scale, such as at the weekly market, but customers are increasingly looking for producers and companies in their area. So it's no wonder that many companies have recognized this trend. But how do you actually get found locally? Through word of mouth and recommendations, perhaps. Or sponsorship from local sports clubs? But isn't there an option that doesn't just include a small circle of people in the area? Local search engine optimization (SEO) is the magic word here.
WHAT IS LOCAL SEO?
Local SEO optimization enables companies to improve their visibility in regional search results. To achieve this, a few steps are necessary. First, the most important information such as address, opening hours and contact details should be included on the website. Local keywords should also not be missing. And it is also advisable to register with Google My Business (GMB) and update the data there regularly. This increases the chances of being found in local searches. To support you on your way to greater regional visibility, we have developed this small local SEO guide for you.
Why is Local SEO Important Even for B2B Businesses?
Local SEO is crucial for businesses as it enhances visibility in local searches, attracting targeted traffic from nearby potential clients who prefer local suppliers for convenience and reliability. With 4 in 5 consumers conducting searches with local intent and 76% visiting a business within a day of a "near me" search, optimizing for local SEO ensures that companies can capitalize on these behaviors.
Additionally, 88% of individuals who use a smartphone for a local search visit a related store within a week. The surge in local mobile searches with phrases like "can I buy" or "to buy," which have increased by 500% over the past two years, highlights the growing importance of being easily discoverable locally.
Local SEO is particularly vital for businesses catering to tourists or people unfamiliar with the area, who rely heavily on their mobile devices for local searches. Local SEO can also drive traffic to less visible businesses located away from main shopping streets, giving them a chance to attract spontaneous walk-in customers. Industries such as fashion stores, restaurants, cafés, and car repair shops benefit immensely from this trend.
While B2B businesses might assume that local SEO is primarily for consumer-facing companies, it is equally crucial for them for several reasons.
- Targeted Traffic: B2B clients often prefer local suppliers or service providers for convenience and reliability.
- Building Trust: Local search results often include reviews and ratings, which can help build credibility and trust with other businesses looking for reliable partners.
- Networking Opportunities: Appearing in local searches can lead to partnerships and networking opportunities with other local businesses, fostering a stronger business community and potential collaborations.
WHICH FACTORS INFLUENCE LOCAL SEO RANKINGS THE MOST?
Many factors play a crucial role in successfully implementing local SEO. Google is very secretive about this. But what we do know is that the goal is to place the website well - i.e. high up - in both the generic search index and the local search results. Some factors that influence the ranking and that every company can work on play a major role. The SEO company Moz asked SEO professionals which, in their opinion, are the most important ranking factors of local SEO. Here are their findings, rated from 1 to 10 with 1 being less important and 10 most important.
Local search operates similarly to general Google search, with many of the same SEO factors influencing rankings. However, there are distinct differences in how local search results are generated, particularly through the integration of additional ranking signals specific to local queries.
Key Aspects of Local Search
Just like normal search results, local search rankings are influenced by traditional SEO factors such as relevance, quality of content, and backlinks. Businesses must still optimize their websites with relevant keywords and maintain a strong online presence to improve their visibility].
In local search, Google incorporates additional signals that are unique to the local context. These include factors like proximity to the searcher, the business's prominence, and the completeness of the Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) listing. This means that while general SEO practices are relevant, local SEO requires a more tailored approach.
Local search results are typically divided into two categories:
- Local Pack: This includes the top three local businesses that Google deems most relevant to the search query, often displayed alongside a map. The local pack is influenced heavily by the business's Google Business Profile and local relevance.
- Local Organic Results: These results appear below the local pack and are governed by a different set of ranking factors. While they still consider traditional SEO elements, they may not be as influenced by local-specific signals as the local pack.
It is important to note that the local search results can vary significantly based on the user's location, meaning that two users searching from different locations may see entirely different results for the same query. This variability emphasizes the importance of local relevance and the need for businesses to optimize for their specific geographic area.
Local Pack example |
Local Organic Result |
KEYWORD RESEARCH FOR LOCAL SEO
Position in search results depends on many parameters, including the user's geographic location and the keywords targeted. Therefore, keyword research and monitoring should also take the corresponding location information into account. For example, if your company is based in Zurich, local keywords such as "Zurich restaurant" or "Zurich hotel" should be included in your keyword strategy. This increases your chances of being listed higher in the search results for local searches and are therefore easier to find by customers in your region.
It is also important to ensure that rankings are measured and monitored for the correct geographic location. For example, if you run a restaurant in Bern, you should make sure that your rankings are measured for Bern and not Lucerne or another city. This is the only way to ensure that your SEO efforts are reaching your target audience in your area.
How do I find relevant keywords for my business?
You shouldn't underestimate keyword research when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO). After all, you want to make sure that your website is found by the right people, right? Keyword research for local SEO in particular is all about understanding local search queries and finding the right keywords for your business. Luckily, there are several ways to find relevant keywords. Here are a few tips for you:
- Keyword tools: When you're looking for suitable keywords for your website, keyword tools are essential. These tools give you valuable information about the search volume and competition for certain keywords. This helps you better assess which keywords are relevant for you and which you should perhaps avoid. Popular keyword tools include the Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs and SEMrush. If you already have a website, you should definitely use the Google Search Console. This free tool from Google gives you important insights into the search behavior of your visitors and shows you which keywords on your website are already ranking. This way you can work specifically on improving your ranking.
- Competitors: In addition to optimizing your own website, you should also keep an eye on the competition. A thorough competitor analysis can help you discover relevant keywords for your business. You can use keyword tools such as Ahrefs or Semrush to examine your competitors' websites. You should pay particular attention to the keywords used, but also to the meta tags, titles and descriptions. This will give you valuable insights into your competitors' strategies and allow you to adapt your own keyword strategy accordingly.
- Relevance, competition and search volume: When choosing keywords, it is important to keep an eye on relevance, search volume and competition. Use keyword tools to see which keywords are most relevant to your business, how often they are searched and the level of competition
ONPAGE OPTIMIZATION FOR LOCAL SEO
What is OnPage SEO optimization ? Put simply, OnPage means: frontend changes that are visible to every user. And it describes all the measures that you can carry out on your site to increase your site's search engine ranking.
OnPage optimization is therefore your lever if you want to be displayed as high as possible in the search engine results. This affects all content and design measures and extends from the ongoing content creation and optimization on your website to the user experience and conversion. It sounds complex at first - but it's worth it. And not just for you, but also for your customers. OnPage optimization plays a major role, especially in LOCAL SEO.
Because you don't just want to generate a lot of search queries, you also want to satisfy them. Here's a small example: you're strolling through a city and discover a small shop that's advertising music from all over the world in an eye-catching advertisement. You enter the shop, but only see pop music. You leave the shop annoyed. The same can happen to visitors to your site if they cannot find what they are looking for. This is despite the fact that your website may have good structure and content. It is therefore important that all elements of your website build on one another in a comprehensible way to ensure a successful user experience.
You see - through successful optimization measures, you can not only achieve better rankings in Google, but also improve the findability of your website via certain search terms and thus attract more visitors to your site. And this can ultimately lead to more sales.
Why is on-page optimization so important?
- On-page optimization can improve the ranking of your website in search engine results.
- Optimization can lead to more clicks on organic search results and thus more traffic to the website.
- Improved website performance can have a variety of effects, including higher newsletter subscriptions, better conversion rates, increased social media followers, increased product awareness, and ultimately increased sales.
Structured data for local SEO
There's an old saying: order is half the battle. This also applies to local SEO. That's why structured data is an important component of on-page optimization. By adding schema markups, search engines can better understand your website and highlight relevant information about your company in the search results. For local companies, adding schema data such as Local Business Schema, Contact Schema and Organization Schema is particularly important. These help search engines to better understand your contact details and your company and present them optimally.
NAP consistency (name, address, telephone number)
For a better understanding: The abbreviation NAP stands for "Name" (name of the company), "Address" and "Phone Number". NAP data is also known as NAPs or central company data and can be found in many places on the Internet, for example on the company website, in social media presences (such as Facebook and Instagram), in the Google My Business entry or in industry directories. Navigation systems also access this data.
It is especially useful for small and medium-sized companies with regional customers to use Local SEO or NAP entries in online directories to optimize the visibility of their company website in local search results and to further support the visibility of the GMB entry.
To achieve this, it is important to ensure uniform NAP consistency. This means that your company's contact details are always displayed uniformly on the Internet and on smartphones. This increases search engines' trust in your address(es) and signals that your company is genuine and active. In addition, your website improves your position in the search results. The key company details must first be determined, including name, address and telephone number.
It is recommended that you create a NAP data template. This ensures that all entries are always the same. In addition, some online directories also allow you to provide additional information such as email address, opening hours, a short company description and directions. This allows users to get a quick picture of your company. You see: With just a few simple steps, you can create a uniform presentation and probably also significantly improve your positioning.
OFFPAGE OPTIMIZATION FOR LOCAL SEO
If you want to reach your local audience and improve your website ranking, you should focus on off-page optimization. One important aspect is link building, which includes local links, local infographics, and sponsorship links. Local links come from other websites pointing to your local business page, such as local directories or industry associations. Off-page optimization is essential to ranking in search results. Building the authority of your website will help it rank better than others with higher authority. This is especially important if you are competing with competitive search terms. Although links are the most important off-page signals Google uses to rank a website, there are other off-page SEO techniques and tactics you should also use. A strategy that focuses solely on link building is unlikely to produce the results you want.
Two other strategies outside of your website can help increase authority: social media marketing and guest posting on other websites. Although social media doesn't provide direct backlinks (they're marked "no follow"), it can still help increase your brand awareness and thus indirectly increase authority.
By using social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn you have the opportunity to share and promote your content. This can give you greater reach and visibility and potentially earn backlinks from other websites.
Another way to build your website's authority is to guest post on websites that are active in your niche. This will help you demonstrate your expertise and authority and gain quality backlinks. It is important to note that off-page SEO plays a significant role in the success of your website. By using a wide range of off-page techniques, you can increase your website's authority, build quality backlinks and drive more traffic to your website. So it is worth getting serious about off-page optimization to build a successful online presence.
Use industry directories and local directories
Business and local directories are an important factor in off-page optimization for local businesses. They can help your website to be found more easily in local search results and help you attract more customers. It is important that you identify key local directories and ensure that your business details are consistent. Regularly checking NAP data on different directories and registries can help identify and correct any discrepancies or errors.
Google My Business (GMB) Optimization
First of all: what is Google My Business? GMB is a kind of digital business directory, whose entries Google, for example, uses for different areas of its search results. Anyone who has a company and a Google account can use this free service, edit and optimize their entry so that it can be displayed in the Local Pack, for example.
Entries are possible for all types of companies, from shops to hotels and restaurants to law firms or craft businesses. If you want to present your company in the best possible way on Google, then it is advisable to fill out the Google My Business profile completely. First of all, of course, category, company description and of course the industry in which your company is located. This also includes information about business hours, photos, descriptions and reviews.
By interacting with customers, e.g. by responding to reviews, publishing posts and adding offers and events, you can strengthen your customers' trust and move your website further up in the search results. Don't forget to fill in all the fields in the GMB listing and you should definitely adhere to the guidelines.
Little fun fact: With a free entry, even companies without their own website theoretically have the chance to achieve a high ranking within the organic web search.
LOCAL REVIEWS AND HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF THEM
Local reviews are like recommendations from friends. Someone has bought product XY and is raving about it to their friends. The reaction from friends? That's right - most will at least take a look at the product. That's exactly how local reviews work. Therefore, if you want to position your business as successfully as possible in local searches, you need to do much more than just optimize your website. A good online reputation and positive reviews play a crucial role if you want to win the favor of customers. Here are some useful tips on how to manage your online reputation and get positive reviews.
Why are reviews important for local SEO?
Would you hire a company that your neighbor has negative reviews about? Probably not. The same applies to online searches. If you are looking for a local business, it is very likely that you will first look for reviews online. They are an important factor in the decision-making process and help customers to gain trust in your business. Companies with many positive reviews often have a higher chance of ranking better in local search results. However, the principle "bad publicity is still publicity" does not apply here. This means that there should not just be reviews, they should also have at least four stars, because 82% of Internet users categorically exclude companies with three stars and less.
THE IMPORTANCE OF ONLINE OPINIONS AND COMMENTS:
To illustrate the importance of reviews for your business, we present you some statistical data, including from a Brightlocal study on consumer reviews in 2022:
- An overwhelming majority of 93% of customers say that online reviews influence their decisions when purchasing products or services.
- Among the 18- to 34-year-old age group, a remarkable 91% trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
- A full 97% of consumers use online reviews to learn about local products or services.
- An impressive 94% of consumers say they would avoid a company because of a negative online review.
- Once B2B buyers read a trustworthy review, they are 92% more likely to make a purchase.
- Customers are willing to spend around 31% more money with a company that has received outstanding reviews.
- It is interesting to note that 89% of people pay attention to how a company responds to reviews and they take this into account when making their decision.
How can I get positive reviews?
It's always great when our work is appreciated by others. A positive review leaves us happy and motivated. After all, who doesn't want repeat customers? But how can we transfer this satisfaction to the Internet? One option is to remind customers of the opportunity to leave a review after a purchase. Delayed reminders by email or SMS can be very helpful here, provided the customers have agreed to this (GDPR). It is important that the process is easy and quick for customers to access. This way, they can give you feedback quickly and easily. Of course, you can also point out review opportunities offline, e.g. if you run a store with a lot of foot traffic. But be careful: Fake reviews or purchased comments should be avoided in order not to give an untrustworthy impression. By the way: If you want, you can also add a link to a review platform on your website to encourage people to leave a review.
The relevance of positive online reviews for local businesses
- The average user reads 10 reviews before trust in a company is established
- 91% of customers say that positive online reviews make them more likely to buy something
- What is done after reading positive reviews: 32% visit the company's website, 28% look for more reviews, 16% visit the company, 12% look for other stores, 11% contact the company
- What makes reviews credible? 58% timeliness, 57% average overall rating, 50% number of reviews Source: Local Consumer Review Survey @ brightlocal.com, 2019
How do I deal with negative reviews?
Negative reviews - a tiresome topic, but negative reviews can quickly mean problems for your company, especially if you don't deal with them appropriately. Because it is always possible that, despite all your efforts, customers will give a bad review. Perhaps the customers think you took too long to provide a certain service, or were dissatisfied with other minor things.
Nevertheless, respond to both positive and negative reviews and try to solve the problem as best as you can. Thank your customers for the time they took to leave a review. If you respond to negative information and are willing to work on problems, you signal that you take your services seriously. And under no circumstances should you allow yourself to be provoked. Especially these days, the tone often quickly becomes very harsh.
Stay calm, composed and objective - this way you show your sovereignty and may still be able to score points with other users.
MEASURING SUCCESS AND REPORTING FOR LOCAL SEO
Measurement and reporting are crucial to measuring and optimizing the success of local SEO campaigns. There are various factors that play a role in measuring the success of local SEO campaigns. In this section, we will look at some important aspects of measurement and reporting for local SEO.
Google Analytics is an important tool for measuring the success of local SEO. Through Google Analytics, companies can measure various metrics such as traffic, dwell time and conversion rate. In addition, companies can also measure the performance of specific pages and campaigns to evaluate the success of their local SEO campaigns.
Local keyword rankings are another important factor in measuring the success of local SEO campaigns. Position in local keyword search results can have a significant impact on website traffic and visibility. Companies should therefore regularly monitor and optimize their local keyword rankings to maximize the success of their local SEO campaigns.
Reviews also play an important role in measuring the success of local SEO campaigns. Positive reviews can build trust and credibility of the business and lead to more traffic and conversions. Therefore, businesses should monitor their reviews and make sure they respond to feedback and encourage positive reviews.
Finally, the number of clicks on the Google My Business profile is another important factor in measuring the success of local SEO campaigns. The GMB profile is often the first thing potential customers see when they search for a local business. A high number of clicks on the GMB profile can indicate high visibility and relevance of the company in local search.
To summarise...
Local SEO is an indispensable tool for businesses aiming to thrive in today’s digital landscape. Whether you’re a B2C or B2B company, optimizing your online presence for local searches can significantly boost your visibility, attract targeted traffic, and foster trust with potential clients.
The data underscores the importance of local intent, with consumers increasingly relying on their mobile devices to find nearby services and products.
By implementing effective local SEO strategies, you can ensure your business stands out in local search results, driving more foot traffic, inquiries, and conversions. Embrace the power of local SEO to connect with your community and turn local searchers into loyal customers.
