Local Search is a really important part of Google’s overall strategy. On average, 28% of all Google searches end in a purchase, according to 99Firms.
It’s not only that it helps you get the services you need, but also that it provides information to users and businesses they might not find anywhere else.
To help you take advantage of all this, in this guide, we’ll explore why Google’s Local Search matters, how to set up a My Business page, and other tips for optimizing your site for local searches.
Why Does Google Local Search Matter?
Local search is a huge part of the online world, and your business needs to be on the map.
Why?
Well, if you want to attract new customers and keep them coming back for more, then the local search can help you do that.
Here are some examples of businesses that have benefited from local search:
- Starbucks – The coffee giant has been able to capitalize on its popularity by making it easy for people in their area to find their stores via Google Maps. This allows them to see what locations are closest before deciding where they want something delivered or picked up from within walking distance (or even driving).
- Whole Foods Market – This grocery store chain has also taken advantage of Google Maps’ ability to locate specific locations within certain neighborhoods—and then advertise those areas as well! By showing off all sorts of amenities such as restaurants and shops along with grocery items like eggs or milk at appropriate prices relative to the location (which might be just down the block), they can attract customers who live nearby but wouldn’t otherwise consider shopping there.
By using Google Maps to advertise and promote these locations, Whole Foods Market can effectively lure in people who wouldn’t normally purchase—but may have been considering buying eggs or milk at a reasonable price instead of paying more money elsewhere.
Setting Up Google Business
Google Business is a free and easy way to manage your business, manage your customers and provide them with the information they need.
It’s also the only way you can set up a listing on Google Maps for local seo services company so that people can find you – even if they don’t know where you are!
To get started:
- Sign into your account at Google Business.
- If there are any existing listings in your area (or if you want another person or company to be listed instead of yourself), then enter their details into the “Create new listing” box under “Manage my business account.”
Use Local Structured Data
Local structured data is a set of data that Google uses to help determine the location of your business, including address, phone number, and other information about your business.
It’s important because it gives you more information about where people are searching for you in their search results—and, therefore, where they’re most likely to click on your link.
Local structured data works best when used with structured markup languages like Schema markup and Microdata markup.
These two methods allow you to add extra information to existing web pages so they can be read by search engines like Google and Bing, who use these tools as part of their ranking algorithms (how they decide which sites rank higher in search results).
Optimize Your Website For Local Search
If you want to rank well, the first step is to optimize your website for local search.
Here, we’ll go into the nuances of the things to keep in mind while optimizing your website.
Use keywords in the body of your content, as well as in meta tags, the URL, the title tag, and image alt tags.
- Keywords: The more relevant and specific you can make these keywords, the better chance you have at ranking higher than other sites with similar content but without them included.
- Title Tag: This should be short and sweet but contain keywords that are relevant to your content.
- Meta Tags: These are added to every page on your site which allows Google to understand what each page is about based on its description within HTML code (the language used by web browsers). You must include information such as who created it and why they did so.
- URL: The URL is important because it helps Google understand what the page is about. If you have the same URL for multiple pages on your site, then Google will assume that they’re all related (which can be a good thing).
Tips From The Experts
1. Submit an XML Sitemap to Google Webmaster Tools
Sitemaps are a great way to tell Google that you have content on your site, and they can also help with indexing.
The more information you provide in the sitemap, the better it will rank in search results.
For example: If one of your pages contains an image of a cat, that’s going to show up as “cat” in the image tag when someone searches for “cats.”
But if you have an XML Sitemap with this image in it, Google will know that there are images of cats on your site. Then when someone searches for “cats,” Google knows to find those images as well.
2. Use Your Address Or Zip Code In Page Titles
Google will display your address in the title tag.
Use it to boost your page’s rankings, and don’t worry about whether or not you’re using a local keyword. It’s more important to use a keyword that makes sense for what people are searching for than it is to be exact with the location of where they’re looking online.
For example, if someone is searching for “best local SEO services in New
For example, if someone is searching for “best local SEO services in New York City,” then “New York City” would be an ideal choice for the search terms because that’s where most people want SEO services.
However, if someone is looking up places where they can buy organic fruit smoothies near their home or office (or anywhere else), then “organic fruit smoothies near me” might be more appropriate since there aren’t any specific locations listed within those words.
3. Create Citations On Popular Sites
Another way to increase the authority of your website is by creating citations on popular sites.
Citing a site will show Google that you have a connection with it, which increases the likelihood that your page will rank higher in local search results.
There are three ways you can create citations:
- Link back from another website.
- Submit an article or blog post about your business to social media platforms such as Facebook or LinkedIn (you can also submit it directly from this page) and/or other relevant websites.
- Create a listing on Google My Business. This can be done through the website or by downloading an app for your smartphone. Once you’ve created your page, you can add all sorts of information about your company, including address details, contact information, directions from nearby locations, hours of operation, and more.
4. Ensure You Are Listed On Major Social Networks
Social media is a great way to reach customers. If you want to get more traffic and leads, then be sure that your business is listed on social media.
Social networks can help with SEO as well because they are ranked in search results based on their relevance and popularity with users.
This means that if people see your brand listed on Facebook or Twitter, they’ll give it more attention than others in their newsfeeds—and this makes sense because who wouldn’t want great content from businesses?
It’s important to note that social media can’t do all of the work for you. You still need to create content people want to see and share. Even if you’re not on any social media networks, it’s not too late to start building a following online.
5. Get A Properly Validated Schema Markup For Your Business Locations
Schema markup is a collection of data that can be used by search engines to display your business information in a user-friendly manner.
It’s important because it gives you more control over how Google displays the information and makes it easier for people to find what they’re looking for.
Here are some reasons why schema markup is so important:
- It helps users understand what information they see, which increases clickthrough rates (CTRs). For example, if users see ” basketball sports” instead of just “sports,” they might click on that result instead of something else that doesn’t interest them at all! That’s why businesses need to have proper schema markup on their locations pages.
- Schema markup makes it easier for Googlebot robots (the ones who crawl all over webpages) to understand what your website is trying to sell through its content—and then show those products/services accordingly when someone searches on Google Maps/Google Search Engine.
Conclusion
Local Search is great, but it’s not all about the algorithm. There are plenty of things you can do to improve your ranking and make sure that people find your business when they search for it on Google.
In this post, we covered some of the basics of setting up a Google Business page and submitting structured data. You should also make sure that your website is properly indexed by Google Webmaster Tools (as well as other search engines) so that when people type in related queries, they can find you easily.
