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With Pigeon algorithm update, it has become more important to emphasize on local search engine optimization if you want to target local audience. Think of your search pattern when it comes to find a local service like doctor, Courier Company, gym and the significance of local SEO would be clear to you. Most of the search engine users tend to look for local services including “near me” with the search queries. Besides, from 2009 Google has been showing local search results for generic queries that mean you don’t need to add geographic terms or location in the search queries and businesses that are nearby you will be automatically shown.

There is no scope of denying that the internet has become intertwined with our daily life and search engines have transfigured the way we used to learn, shop, communicate and interact. In place of asking for references or using the Yellow Pages, almost in every event we turn towards the search engine to find a service or product or to get a review about it. Certainly, these are reasons that have made local search marketing indispensable to internet marketing campaign. If your website is not shown for relevant searches in your area, then it’s time to put effort in boosting the online visibility of your business. The following discussion is an effort to make you understand the basic steps to optimize your website for local search results.

On-page Optimization

• Competitor Analysis

Start your journey by comprehensive analysis of your competitors’ websites and digital marketing efforts.

Website Audit

• Keyword Research & Selection

Location specific keyword research would help you to narrow down the list of relevant keywords that need to be targeted.

• Title Tag Optimization

Title tags provide a great opportunity to attract the potential customers. If you don’t want Google to pick any random line from the web page content it’s pragmatic to write down attractive title tags that are highly relevant to the content, it’s all about creating a concise, accurate and compelling summary of the message you want to convey through the content.

• Meta Description Optimization

Meta description gives you further scope to entice the prospects through short yet appealing description of your business, what you offer and the factors that keep you ahead of your competitors. While restructuring the Meta description don’t overlook the H1 tag, optimize the header tags of all pages and insert the main targeted keywords.

• Submit KML Files in Location Sitemap

KML files bring forth a chance to articulate your business’s geographic information in such a way that is better understood by Google Earth and Google Maps. Attaching Key Hole Markup Language file is another proven strategy to verify your business location and listing. The KML files are used to pinpoint locations and include image overlays; make sure each information is accurate. Nothing can be worse if the Google users being driven all the way to the map listing just to find the added information is incorrect.

Google Geo Sitemaps, another extension of the Sitemap Protocol enables business to publish geospatial content to Google to make it searchable in Google Maps and Google Earth. This enables you to inform the Googlebot about the Geo content instead of waiting for Google to find it amongst the crowd of content.

List your website in Google Places that can make your website appear in localized search phrases, based on the search query this may further contribute to improve your place on the Google Local Business Listing. Make sure your business details, including name, contact details and address are same across the web starting from review sites, social platforms to local directories.

• Add Your Site in Google Webmaster Tool

Using Google Webmaster Tools program, check the health of your website and find out its glitches from the perspective of search engine, crawl errors, current website status, duplicate Meta tags or other technical issues. The websites that are active in Webmaster Tools has a better chance of being fully indexed and ranking well.

• Google Review Acquisition

Nothing can convey trust more than Google reviews, thus it’s imperative for local business to acquire reviews for establishing a credible image. The top places of organic listing are taken by local business with great reviews, Google My Business listings has proven to be so dominant that most of the users won’t look beyond it. However, the reviews posted on other review sites are equally important, before you start to create review acquisition, it’s important to decide the review platforms that would work best for your business.

Your on page elements optimization process must also include checking of canonical issues, and correct it through 301 permanent redirection, use static SEO friendly URLs in place of relative URLs and remove broken links. Add ALT tags to all the images to make search engine spider understand the theme of the image and enhance the accessibility of your website.

Link Building

• Local Citations

Citations are nothing but references of your business present on the internet, it validates the contact information of your business and with citations in more credible online business directories, Google Map your business will most likely rank higher on the search engine.

• Company Profile Creation

Corporate business profiles offer a quick view into the company enabling people to get an idea of the company’s services or products, its unique strengths, track record. Thus optimize your company profile in corporate websites, external documents, staff recruitment portals, press releases and other official profile pages on professional and social media networks.

• Write & Post Unique, Engaging Content

Create and promote info graphics, content and gain competitive advantage by guest posting on quality websites, and with the help of ink baiting, photo sharing and video marketing. You must put forward insightful contents relevant to your business and industry. The key of developing engaging content is to learn what your target audience is looking for and, your content must help them understand the service you offer. Your content marketing effort must not exclude creating and submitting PowerPoint Presentation, PDF document, Micro Blog and RSS Feed creation and publishment.

• Write and Submit Press Release Article

A good press release posted on a popular site can spread your reputation far and wide, boost your website’s visibility on the search engine and as press release provide a great scope of highlighting the accomplishments as well as the list of advancements made by you. Thus don’t avoid this powerful tool for attracting more customers.

• Guest Posting

Try to create quality backlinks that may improve your ranking on the search engine specifically when the content linking to the site is relevant to the business and located on authoritative and trusted websites. Most of the websites would allow you to leave company URLs at the end of the blog and these links have the potential to drive referral traffic and improve the organic search rankings and search visibility of your brand.

• Submit Your Business Details on Local Business Directory

Enlisting your site on the Google My Business and other authoritative local business directories, niche directories with unique and concise description of your business is the indispensable step to improve your visibility on Local SEO. Make sure you have chosen the right categories, embedded lots of imagery, key information on opening time. For businesses based on multiple locations consistency must be maintained unswervingly. The Name, Address, Phone Number and other details must be same on your website, GMB and other sources.

• Comment on Popular Blogs

Blog commenting is one of the simplest yet highly effective way to acquire backlinks to a website. The blog must be published on an authoritative and active blog sites that is popular amongst that has a good reputation in the arena and possess good rank on the search engine result page.

• Participate and Initiate in Forum discussion

The forums are great platforms to communicate your message to other people related to your industry or prospective clients who are active participants of those forums. A large number of community forums are there on the internet including discussion groups, message boards, bulletin boards on which you can create your profile, include the website URL that you wish to promote and start posting topics for general discussion regularly.

• Post Classified Ads

The classified ad is a great source to generate leads for the website and also boost the click-through rates and receiving relevant backlinks. The content of the ad must be well-written, including important message that you want to articulate to the targeted audience.

Social Media Optimization

The entire effort may fall short to bring the desired result if you condone the importance of social media in persuading the local audience. Build a well-defined social media marketing roadmap aligning with the targeted audience, business goals. Create business pages on social platforms preferred by your target audiences; regularly update the contents to retain the attention of the prospective customers. In order to increase likes and shares of the contents promote the business page, join and proactively interact with the related groups.

Conclusion

Without consistent effort, Local SEO is a hard nut to crack; you may leave overwhelmed by the intricate processes. To ease your trouble, choose an SEO company who is willing to find your true brand story that can be conveyed to the customers. Their SEO skills must go beyond site optimization and has equal adeptness in improving the chance of ranking success by using links.