Local SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is one of the most dominant digital marketing tools for business owners wanting to sell to the local consumers and as the coronavirus pandemic has increased internet usage and online searches exponentially, SEO is more relevant than ever. If your website/business is not showing up in the top position of local search results, then you are definitely missing out.
Experts predict that most businesses will have to rely on local SEO to achieve their business goals. This is not surprising since 81% of consumers search online before making a decision and 72% of consumers use local search before visiting a local store in their area. Optimizing for your local target market is an easy task and you can contact digital marketing companies like Maxeemize which are experts at implementing and delivering SEO for businesses.
If you want to boost your local web traffic, there are a number of strategies to keep in mind. In this blog post, we will help you understand some of the practical steps involved in improving your business’s local SEO.
1. Perform keyword research and create an effective onsite optimization
According to Search Engine Watch, 91.5% of users will never browse beyond the first page of SERPs. Implementing SEO for businesses is not an easy job, particularly in achieving first-page search ranking for specific keywords. Your site will not get enough traffic if it is not visible on the first page of the online search results. The simple trick here is to perform thorough keyword research and use long-tail or less competitive keywords. Some of the tools that you may use include Google Keyword Planner, KWFinder, and Moz.
2. Have a responsive website
Google highly recommends responsive web design. Responsive web design is an approach to web design that makes web pages render well on a variety of devices and screen sizes. We now live in a mobile-first era and working our way toward a mobile-first index. Responsive design is no longer an innovation. Instead, it is a standard component of any SEO plan, regardless of your industry. The majority of users coming to your site are likely to be using a mobile device and mobile device users consume more digital minutes than desktop users: having a mobile-friendly website becomes a critical part of having an online presence.
3. Improve your “site speed”
Your website’s performance is a critical on-page SEO factor. Improve the loading time of your site and make it clutter-free and mobile-friendly. Remember this: you may lose 25% of your visitors if your website’s loading time is more than 4 seconds. If you don’t know how to implement these search engine optimization strategies, ask the help of companies that offer comprehensive SEO for businesses.
4. Regularly post and promote unique, interesting, high-quality content
Google and other search engines love websites with high-quality content. You can also enjoy top rankings in SERPs by creating valuable, engaging, and shareable content. It will also help in lowering your site’s bounce rate since visitors will stay longer on your site. When creating content, always consider Google’s quality guidelines.
5. Actively work on increasing your backlinks
Another task that must be included in your SEO checklist for 2020 is building your backlinks. Backlinks (also known as “inbound links”, “incoming links”) are links from one website to pages on another website. A Moz study revealed that backlinks are still an important ranking factor and Google still sees quality backlinks as a sign of authority. However, you have to be very careful about the quality of backlinks. Never engage in backlinking schemes, purchasing links, or black hat strategies.
6. Create SEO-friendly meta descriptions
The meta description or meta tag (a snippet of up to about 155 characters) is an HTML attribute that provides a short summary description of a web page content. Search engines such as Google or Bing typically display the meta description in search results, which can influence click-through rates. Creating a readable, compelling meta description using important keywords can improve the click-through rate for your webpage.
7. Submit Your Sitemaps
Major search engines such as Google and Bing use sitemaps to grab the hierarchy and structure of your site. You have to create an XML sitemap file to ensure better crawling of your pages. Don’t forget to submit it to Google Search Console.
At Maxeemize, we ensure that your Local SEO investments are maximized for the best ROI. We have the expertise, knowledge, experience, as well as creativity, to deliver unique online marketing solutions that produce better rankings for your website! Contact Maxeemize for a free Local SEO consultation.
Call us at (949) 431-0431 for more information or click on our Contact Us page to learn more about our digital marketing solutions.
