{"id":25121,"date":"2022-09-01T11:29:10","date_gmt":"2022-09-01T11:29:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/viralbulls.com\/?p=25121"},"modified":"2022-09-01T11:29:10","modified_gmt":"2022-09-01T11:29:10","slug":"local-seo-for-small-businesses-8-top-ways-to-gain-visibility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/viralbulls.com\/blogs\/local-seo-for-small-businesses-8-top-ways-to-gain-visibility\/","title":{"rendered":"Local SEO For Small Businesses: 8 Top Ways To Gain Visibility"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Local SEO<\/strong> : 8 TOP Ways to Gain Visibility<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Discover proven local SEO practices and tactics to help your small business get found by motivated local customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Online search is more often than not the starting point in a local consumer\u2019s quest for products and services nearby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, 78%<\/a> use the Internet to find information about local businesses in their area more than once a week \u2013 and 21% are searching locally every day<\/em>, according to BrightLocal\u2019s most recent local consumer survey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You must be visible in local organic and Map Pack search results if you want to get found. Then you have a chance to convert those searchers to in-store traffic, booked appointments, or some other type of paying customer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this column, you\u2019ll find 7 of the most impactful ways you can build local visibility using SEO<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Table of Content:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

1.<\/strong>Check For Technical Errors That Could Impact Indexing<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.<\/strong>Create Exceptional Content<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.<\/strong>Incorporate Local Link Building Into Your SEO Strategy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.<\/strong>Get Your Google Business Profile In Order<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5.<\/strong>Ensure Local Listings Are Accurate<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6.<\/strong>Monitor & Respond To Local Reviews<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7.<\/strong>Use Relevant Local Schema<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8.<\/strong>Bringing It All Together<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Check For Technical Errors That Could Impact Indexing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is baseline SEO. You can\u2019t get found if search engines can\u2019t index your site. First, learn the basics about\u00a0how search engines crawl and index your website. This foundational knowledge will help guide your SEO efforts going forward. You may very well decide that technical SEO issues such as indexation are too complex for you to manage on top of running your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If that\u2019s the case, at least you\u2019ll understand what you\u2019re hiring an SEO agency or consultant to do for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Create Exceptional Content<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Content is the vehicle by which all messaging, offers, and calls to action will be delivered to your audience. But your small business isn\u2019t just competing against other businesses like yours in the search results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re also up against media publications, informational websites, big brands, local review sites, and all kinds of other sources that create content relevant to your products and services. The bar is high, and that means your content must be exceptional to stand out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before you jump in with both feet and start cranking out blog posts, take the time to\u00a0create a local content strategy\u00a0that aligns with your business goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make sure you incorporate\u00a0different types of local content, and optimize each piece for search using\u00a0these proven on-page local SEO best practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Incorporate Local Link Building Into Your SEO Strategy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Links are the currency of the web. They\u2019re an important trust signal to search engines like Google and suggest that others endorse your content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John McAlpin explains, \u201cLocal links are done with the intention to show that others with relevance to the local area trust or endorse your business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His piece \u2018What Is A Local Link & How To Find More Local Link Opportunities\u2018, part of our\u00a0Local SEO Guide, is a great starting point for your local link building strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From there, I highly recommend you read\u00a0this column from Kevin Rowe, in which he shares 50 types of links and what you need to do to attract each one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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4. Get Your Google Business Profile In Order<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

No local search strategy is complete without a well-optimized Google Business Profile (GBP).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Google draws local business information from a wide variety of sites, directories, and networks around the web, it does look to its own profiles as a single source of truth about any local business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Previously known as the Google My Business program, these profiles have grown richer and more interactive in recent years. And with these updates, they\u2019ve become more useful for local searchers, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, GBPs not only provide key business information such as your location and contact information but also enable you to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • Help searchers understand the experience they\u2019ll have at your business with a variety of high-quality photos and videos.<\/li>
  • Showcase offers, events, and more with\u00a0Google Posts.<\/li>
  • Interact with customers via\u00a0Messaging, Q&A, and responding to reviews.<\/li>
  • Proactively share differentiating features, health and safety information, payment methods, and more with\u00a0Attributes.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Sherry Bonelli offers a great guide to GBP optimization\u00a0here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    5. Ensure Local Listings Are Accurate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Google values searcher experience above all else. Inaccurate, outdated information that negatively impacts searcher experience is, therefore, a liability and can hinder your local visibility in a big way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Wherever a searcher encounters your business listing online \u2013 whether on social, in a local directory, in Yellow Pages, on review sites such as Yelp or Trip Advisor \u2013 the information they find there should enable them to seamlessly convert. Having the wrong phone number, address, hours of operation, or other key business information listed can result in a searcher showing up at a closed store, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Or being sent by their GPS system to your former location. Seeing various versions of key business data around the web makes it difficult for search engines to know what\u2019s true. Given that Google wants to give each searcher the best possible answer to their query, you do not want the algorithm questioning whether your business information is trustworthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Tracking listings manually is time-consuming and incredibly difficult, as data aggregators and directories may be scanning for business information and updating their listings. This is how misinformation or outdated listings proliferate, and the wrong address, URL, or hours can spread far and wide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    6. Monitor & Respond To Local Reviews<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Reviews are a highly impactful part of the local search experience and in 2021,\u00a077%\u00a0of local consumers said they always or regularly read reviews when searching for local businesses. Google\u2019s local ranking algorithms are less a mystery than their organic counterparts. Google openly tells us there are\u00a0three main local ranking factors: Relevance, Distance, and Prominence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Reviews are part of the Prominence factor, and Google states:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cGoogle review count and review score factor into local search ranking. More reviews and positive ratings can improve your business\u2019 local ranking.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    7. Use Relevant Local Schema<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    While\u00a0not a ranking factor, schema markup is a type of structured data that makes the web crawlers\u2019 job easier and helps the search engine better understand the content of your page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Anything you can do to help Google more effectively match your page to a relevant query is a win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Schema markup can help trigger rich results that highlight additional information such as breadcrumbs, reviews, FAQs, and sitelinks on search results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Applying schema properly, then testing and validating your markup, is essential as errors can disqualify you from obtaining those rich results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Bringing It All Together<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Taking on local SEO as a small business can seem daunting. You may not have a dedicated marketing department, and it\u2019s not uncommon for business owners to feel overwhelmed by the administrative and marketing tasks that come with being an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I hope this guide gives you enough information and resources to determine what you can tackle in-house and what you may need to outsource. Using an agency or consultant to augment your in-house skills is just fine \u2013 but it\u2019s essential that you have a healthy understanding of what you\u2019re asking these professionals to do for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Remember, local SEO is not a one-time, \u2018set it and forget it\u2019 activity to check off the list. It\u2019s an integral part of your marketing, and often intersects with customer service, as well. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Discover proven local SEO practices and tactics to help your small business get found by motivated local customers. Online search is more often than not the starting point in a local consumer\u2019s quest for products and services nearby. In fact, 78% use the Internet to find information about local businesses in their area more than once a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25388,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[106,107],"class_list":["post-25121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-local-seo","tag-local-seo-for-small-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/viralbulls.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25121"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/viralbulls.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/viralbulls.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralbulls.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralbulls.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25121"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/viralbulls.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25121\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralbulls.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/viralbulls.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralbulls.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralbulls.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}