The importance of Localised SEO targeting

There is still a belief that SEO is a bit of a black art. Is the ability to rank purely down good luck? So, we thought it was time to really put this myth to bed.

The simple fact here is that the idea of SEO being in large part down to luck couldn’t be further from the truth, and that actually there’s plenty you could do to influence your local online visibility. Here are some of our initial suggestions:

Google My Business (GMB) is your friend!

This is a free tool, so use it for everything it’s worth.

A well optimised GMB profile allows you to not only quickly show your business name, address and profile, but is another platform that allows you to  to shout about what it is you do and how well you do it.

Google My Business has come a long way from just claiming your profile. Good optimisation is essential and it is considered a key-ranking factor in localised search.

Making sure you’re in one of the top 3 positions in the map pack means that your business is effectively listed twice on the same search results: once on the map and once on the organic listing. This doubles the chances for a prospecting client to interact with your business.

Our advice would be to keep your profile up to date by replying to every review (positive or negative), reposting your recent blog updates, uploading company imagery and posting regular video content.

“For one of our key clients GMB attributed towards 9,353 of the total searches.

Over 12% (Nearly 1,200) of customers actually discovered them through GMB when searching for a category, product, or service offered by them.”

• Fiona, head of SEO

Location Specific Targeted Keywords

Ranking for a generic keyword is great but ranking for that same keywords in specific locations has even greater weight behind it. First and foremost, there is less competition for that keyword and although search volume will also be less, those searching will have greater intent.

So how do we achieve this? 

• Find ways to naturally optimise the page content for these locations. 
• Create a map or location page. 
• Include case studies and testimonials from clients that live in the targeted area.  
• Create unique location specific content on the blog page or an about us page.
• Use imagery from those locations, including the area name in the filename & alt tags.
• Make sure your page contains your NAP information and links out to your GMB listing.
• Implement schema markups for Local Business on those location pages that includes your NAP information.
• Consider adding location specific keywords to your meta data.

Example:

Localised Citation Links.

A citation is an online mention of your brand. This could be on a local directory, app, website or social platform. Some of the key components to include are; name, address, postcode, business description and hours of operation. It’s important to ensure details are accurate and consistent across all citations. If managed correctly citations can have a really positive impact on localised ranking.

If you’d like to get in touch and speak to our expert SEO team on how we can help your business today, please feel free to do so here.