Tutorial
Understanding the basics of Local SEO
What is it, and how should you manage it? Some evergreen best practices and tactics for local and small businesses.
by Kenny Chung
Tutorial
Understanding the basics of Local SEO
What is it, and how should you manage it? Some evergreen best practices and tactics for local and small businesses.
by Kenny Chung
Search engine optimization (also known as natural or organic search optimization) refers to practices that website owners can take in order to get their content higher up in the non-paid Google results. Engaging in “white hat” SEO practices are well within Google’s guidelines, and can be a boon to business. Once you’re in those top spots, “free” traffic will start to roll in and as a result, potential customers will gain awareness of your business.
What is local SEO?
For the goals of your business, you should focus on local SEO. Local SEO refers to optimizing for any searches that Google deems has a local intent. This includes searches that include “near me” or have zip codes/location identifiers, but can also be more abstract, like searches for a specific type of cuisine or service.
There are many facets to a successful local SEO strategy, but at a base level, the #1 thing that you need to do is to ensure that your business information is accurate. The three most important pieces of information are your business name, address, and phone number (so much so that they’re known colloquially as NAP). Make sure that your website includes all the correct information, but also take a look at other websites that reference your business. Google My Business, Yelp, Facebook, Bing Maps, and Apple Maps are the big ones to look out for.
There are several services that will, for a fee, ensure that all of your listings are accurate across multiple aggregators and online directories. However, for most small businesses, this is likely overkill.
Last, but certainly not least, content is your friend. Make sure you have photos of your business on all the main directories. User generated content (UGC) is also great – whether it’s user reviews or photos. Both quality and quantity matter here.
Bomba seafood paella at Furness Food Hut Seafood at Borough Market in London
Do I need a local SEO service?
You may have heard of local SEO vendors like Yext or Moz Local, and may have even been contacted by their salespeople. However, there’s a good chance you don’t actually need their services. Let’s start with the basics of what these services do.
Most local SEO vendors will ensure that your listings are accurate across multiple online directories. However, the lion’s share of users will only use five – Google My Business, Yelp, Facebook, Bing Maps, and Apple Maps. Many of these local SEO services will include third tier websites like Yellow Pages as well as very niche directories that may not be relevant to your audience. If you can manage your listings across the aforementioned five sites, then you should be in good shape.
These services work wonders if you have multiple locations that constantly need updating. Let’s say you’re a franchise or chain that routinely changes menu items, runs special deals, needs to update imagery wholesale, or has special holiday hours. In those cases, a local SEO vendor is pivotal.
There are two major instances where a small business might need one of these services – inaccurate listings and online reputation management.
If you find that your listings are wrong across multiple sites and you cannot fix them, then it may be time to consider a local vendor. Many of them have direct relationships with these directories and can make changes almost instantaneously, a luxury that regular users do not have. However, most of the time, you can fix these problems yourself.
Secondly, if you find that your online reviews are poor and you do not have the time (or skill or patience) to address them, then local vendors can help in that regard as well. However, it’s always good to be internet savvy and to learn how to listen and respond to your customers.
