Searching for the best pizza in town? Looking up the nearest plumber to fix a leaky faucet? Whether you’re a customer looking for a local business or a business owner trying to attract more local customers, one thing is clear: local SEO is essential for success.
As a local business owner, you want your company to appear at the top of local search results and maps. You want to be easily found by potential customers who are looking for the products and services you offer in your area. Achieving high local search rankings takes work, but the payoff of tapping into local search demand can be enormous.
This guide will explore local SEO best practices to help your local business improve its visibility and attract more foot traffic in 2024.
Optimize Your Google My Business Listing
Google My Business is your business’s local identity on Google. It allows you to manage how your business information appears on Google Search and Maps.
Complete and optimize every section of your GMB listing:
- Business name, address and phone number
- Category and services offered
- Business hours
- High-quality photos that showcase your business
- Detailed business description
The more complete and accurate your GMB profile is, the better. Make sure to keep all information up to date. Google will rely on this data to understand what your local business is all about.
Pro tip: Enable Google Posts on your GMB listing to improve engagement. Post updates, offers, events and more to show customers your business is active.
Build Reviews and Citations
Online reviews and citations on directory sites are powerful local ranking signals. The more positive reviews and directory citations you have, the better.
- Make it easy for customers to leave Google reviews for your business. The more 5-star Google reviews the better!
- Actively request reviews on platforms like Facebook and Yelp.
- List your business info on high-authority local directories, including industry-specific ones related to your business. Consistent NAP (name, address, phone number) is key.
Pro tip: Respond to all Google reviews to show customers you value their feedback.
Focus on Local Link Building
Link building is important for all SEO strategies, and local SEO is no exception. Build locally-relevant links from websites targeting your geographic area.
- Partner with neighborhood blogs or publications to earn links from roundup and best-of lists. For example, “The 5 Best Pizza Places in San Francisco.”
- Sponsor local events, fundraisers or sports teams in exchange for backlinks and brand exposure.
- Guest post on local organization and chamber of commerce websites. For example, write an article on “Tax Tips for Small Businesses” for your city’s entrepreneur network.
Pro tip: Broken link building works excellently for earning local links. Identify dead links on relevant sites and offer to replace them with a link to your business.
Optimize On-Page SEO for Locations
It’s not enough to just build links and citations. You also need to optimize your website and content for local SEO.
- Include your city and state in page titles and headings (e.g. “Best Dentist in Miami, FL”)
- Add schema markup to signal your business name, address and geo coordinates.
- Craft blog posts targeting specific service areas and neighborhoods that your business serves.
Pro tip: Feature prominently placed CTAs with your phone number and address on site pages to drive calls and foot traffic.
Advertise Locally on Google
Google Ads should be a key part of your marketing strategy. Geo-targeting your ads to only show for local searches can drive leads specifically looking for businesses in your area.
- Run Local Services ads to get your business prominently displayed in the Local Services section at the top of Google.
- Display ads can increase brand awareness and send qualified traffic to your site. Geo-target by city radius or zip code.
- Video ads help highlight what makes your business special. Target viewers by location for maximum impact.
Pro tip: Retarget website visitors with Google ads to reinforce your brand and messaging. Coordinate ads with in-store promotions to boost foot traffic.
Stand Out on Google Maps
Google Maps has replaced the yellow pages as the #1 resource people use to find local businesses. Ranking high on Maps for relevant searches is critical.
- Create a Google 360 virtual tour of your business to let people explore your location virtually.
- Use Google Posts to highlight events, offers and new menu items.
- Ensure accurate business info like hours and category are displayed.
Pro tip: Encourage customers to post photos of your business to showcase food, products or interiors.
Master Mobile Local SEO
Over half of all searches are conducted on mobile devices. That number is even higher for local “near me” searches. Make sure your site and GMB listing are optimized for mobile.
- Use a responsive design that adapts to all screen sizes. Avoid interstitials and popups.
- Load pages quickly. More than half of mobile users leave a page that takes over 3 seconds to load.
- Design easy click-to-call buttons that route calls through your GMB listing.
Pro tip: Provide accurate location and contact info that is easy to access on mobile. SMS texting can also boost engagement.
Continuously Measure and Improve
Like any marketing initiative, you need to analyze and refine your local SEO efforts over time.
- Monitor your local pack ranking for important keywords. Are you consistently in the top 3?
- Review analytics to understand how visitors interact with key site pages and CTAs.
- Regularly check GMB insights for impressions and actions data.
Pro tip: Poll customers on how they found your business to gain direct feedback on what’s working.
Dominate Local SEO in 2024
Capturing local search demand can take your small business to the next level. With this guide’s local SEO tips and best practices, your company can become the go-to provider that customers turn to when looking for services in your area. Choose top providers with proven expertise to manage your Local SEO services and execute an effective strategy tailored to your business goals.
Focus on providing an amazing customer experience – both online and offline. By showcasing the unique value you bring through content, reviews, ads and more, your local marketing will drive new customers to your door in 2024.
