If you are looking to rank well in your local area, you should be prepared to invest some time and money in your local SEO efforts. Here are a few tips to help you get started.
Local citations
If you are in search of a way to boost your SEO, you need to know about local citations. They play a crucial role in boosting your ranking. This is because they help you reach out to your target audience.
Local citations are the mentions of your business on other websites. Usually, these references include basic business information, such as the address, contact numbers, and the business name. But they can also contain other information, such as images.
The most important thing to remember is to ensure that the data is correct. Providing incorrect or incomplete data can make it difficult for customers to find your business. So, you need to verify the accuracy of the information before you submit it to a citation site.
Adding a toll-free number to your citation listing is another way to increase your chances of getting a higher local ranking. Most directories allow you to set up a main phone number.
Schema markup
When it comes to local SEO, schema markup is one of the best ways to get noticed in the local search results. In fact, a study by Searchmetrics revealed that sites that implement the technology ranked four positions higher than those that did not.
Schema markup is a set of structured data that allows businesses to speak directly to search engine crawlers. It gives them the ability to highlight events, testimonials, and other important information. This will improve click through rates and increase the chances of a landing page being selected for rich snippets.
The key is to make sure the content is structured correctly. There are many filters available to help you. For example, a business can use schema to mark up their opening hours. Structured data doesn’t have to be complicated or difficult to read for human visitors.
Mobile accessibility
Aside from making a website look good, web accessibility also plays a big role in search engine optimization. It makes sense, since people search the web on mobile devices. They tend to search for local businesses. When you combine this with voice search, which is expected to grow over the next decade, the possibilities are endless.
There are various methods for optimizing your content to be voice search friendly, but you need to be careful not to compromise user experience. By following the appropriate techniques, you can ensure your site is both accessible and visible.
The WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is a good place to start, although you can’t go wrong with the free automated website analysis tools offered by the Bureau of Internet Accessibility. Another useful resource is the Yoast SEO plugin, which has a reading level analysis tool for free.
FAQ pages
A frequently asked question page is one of the best ways to attract targeted traffic to your website. The purpose of a FAQ page is to provide high-level answers to the most common questions that customers have about your products and services. You can also use these pages to fill in gaps in your content.
While a frequently asked question page is great for SEO, you need to have a clear understanding of what questions your audience is asking. By incorporating keywords into your question, you will increase your chances of ranking in relevant queries.
The most important component of a FAQ is its answers. These answers should be concise, factual, and detailed. They can be sourced from existing resources, or rephrased from a customer’s query. If you aren’t sure which answer to go with, ask your customers for their help.
Reviews
If you’re a local business, reviews can make a huge difference in your SERP rankings. Google values customer sentiment, which is why they reward businesses with robust reviews.
Reviews can also have a large impact on smartphone searches. One study found that consumers were willing to spend more money for a higher rated business. Likewise, they were less likely to visit a business after reading a negative review.
It’s crucial that you keep track of your reviews. You can do this by using a reputation management platform. Some sites even allow you to embed testimonial widgets or respond to bad reviews.
When you respond to reviews, you show that your business cares about its customers. Ideally, you would try to resolve the complaint. However, if the issue isn’t resolved, you should offer solutions.