Search engine optimization (SEO) refers to the rules or metrics used by search engines for ranking purposes. In the digital world, achieving high search rankings means everything. When thousands of other websites like yours are within your niche, it’s normal to aim to make it to the top page results.

If you don’t, your target market may not even be aware of your existence. The competitor’s pages will continue to prosper more than yours would. According to Netlocal, many strategies within the realm of SEO can help widen your customer reach, particularly local SEO.

This refers to someone searching for services, businesses, products, or other information, usually with the accompanying key phrase ‘near me.’ Local SEO is more constrained to a specific geographical location than a general Google search.

So, what are some of the best local SEO practices? This article lists a few for you.

1. Work With The Experts

Whether you’re a novice or not, you can’t go wrong with working with SEO agencies. They’re experts in the field, so you can trust them to offer sound advice. They’re not just there to help you set your sales goals, but they can also help out when there are obstacles that may not be easily visible.

To get an idea, here’s how working with experts can help you:

  • Reduce the cost attributed to wrong local SEO strategies by ensuring once and for all that your team is consistently well-trained; 
  • Learn the ins and outs of what it takes to establish good customer service and support; 
  • Develop and use all the right marketing tools to attract more customers.

2. Add Locations To All Your Posts

Digital marketing is never complete without using social media channels. To make them more effective, however, you should ensure that you’re making the most out of what each social media post can do. For instance, don’t skip the locations.

While it’s not a good idea to geotag locations for individual posts, if it’s for your business or promotional purposes, those locations are important. It creates buzz around your business’s location, for instance, when it gets tagged frequently.

As to your website, be sure your location details are also clear. It should include even small matters like the building name, room number, street number, city, and location, if applicable.

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3. Create A Google My Business Account

Your Google My Business account is your business profile on Facebook. If you don’t have one yet, you’re missing out on the many benefits it can bring. Having a Google account is one of the failproof ways to have more visibility on search engines and to rank higher on Google Maps.

Once you’ve signed up for one, ensure all the information you provide is accurate. Post videos and photos too of your business. Consider Google My Business as your digital phonebook, whereby potential customers will have directions, store opening hours, contact details, and other pertinent information about your business within a few clicks.

4. Ensure NAP Consistency 

The acronym NAP stands for name, address, and phone number when talking about SEO. When you’ve changed any of those three, be sure that the change is consistently reflected across your online channels. The information you provide should be the same.

Otherwise, any conflicting information may only confuse your potential customers. You’re making it harder for first-time customers to contact your business when they don’t even know what phone number is the right one.

5. Embed A Location Map On Your Website

There’s one more way to optimize your ‘Contact Us’ section on your website even more than simply housing your contact information. This is through having a live map on your page. 

That map will come in handy in increasing your customer reach, especially when travelers or non-locals are visiting your location and searching for establishments to support. For example, you’re a restaurant business and a tourist searches ‘restaurants near me for dinner.

Your name pops up. But remember they’re unfamiliar with local streets. It can be that one last push for those would-be customers to choose your business when you make it even easier to find you through the live map you’ve posted.

Conclusion

When implemented correctly, local SEO can be a key player that brings in new leads, customer reach, and more traffic. When the tips above are gathered as one, it creates the impression that local SEO points to all digital marketing strategies applied to bring in the result of ranking well in local search engines.

Given how digital marketers consistently aim to use nothing but the best local SEO strategies, it’s safe to consider it effective. Don’t rush this—study your potential techniques first. Try out any of those above, and see whether they apply successfully to you in your pursuit of widening customer reach.