Many companies have a physical location in a certain city or region. There are shops, restaurants and offices where (potential) customers actually have to go, for example in real life. But painters and plumbers also have a specific working area. In case of the seo small business you can find the best choices now.
Hence it is mainly self-employed people and SMEs who focus on a target group from the same region where the company is located.
- Logical that you also want to be found online by people from that region.
- And that is exactly what you can achieve with local SEO.
- Local SEO is basically nothing else than your regular search engine optimization.
- But then focus on optimizing your online presence for searches from a certain region.
And why is that important?
- Because Google is not stupid.
- She also knows that when someone from Arnhem searches for a plumber, they don’t have to show results from Amsterdam plumbers.
- And so it mainly shows search results from Arnhem, or at least Gelders, plumbers.
Local SEO
- The same goes for stores, restaurants and you name it.
- Give it a try. Just about half of all searches have such a local intention ( source ) and according to Google itself, those searches in 50% of the cases lead to an actual visit to a store and in 28% of the cases to a purchase.
- Huge numbers.
So it is all the more important that your local SEO is in order. And you do that with the following, easily applicable tips:
Provide a good basis
Local SEO is also just search engine optimization and therefore it also benefits from a good foundation. That means that your website must be in order and that you must have optimized all On-page SEO elements.
A fast loading time, with a mobile-friendly version and filled with unique meta titles – descriptions in which you naturally subtly incorporate the place or region in which you want to be found.
- The basics, people.
- Get them right.
Create and optimize your Google My Business
The Google My Business page is super important for local SEO. It’s free and it works wonders for your online visibility. You come with it in Google Maps and that map is again displayed in the local search results.
That’s why I told you in an earlier blog how you can request and verify a Google My Business in a few steps. So perform those steps. When you have all succeeded (or have you ever created a Google My Business), you still have to optimize it. Not difficult, but important. Choose the most relevant category.
The more relevant, the better
Make a complete description of your company, upload the logo of your company or a photo of your business premises so that people can recognize it, update your opening times and add photos of your services or products. Complete your page and make sure your contact information is correct.