Did you know that 97% of shoppers look for a local business online? Or that 88% of mobile searches for local businesses result in a store visit or a phone call within 24 hours?
These data demonstrate that local SEO services Houston works wonders for your business, and having a local SEO specialist on your team can drive more people to your door.
What is Local SEO?
Understanding what local SEO is is the first step in working with it. Local SEO is a marketing tactic that involves optimizing search engine results for local queries. However, we'd like to point out that local SEO is one of the most effective digital marketing techniques for generating leads.
The purpose of local SEO is to increase your brand's visibility outside your storefront and make your company more accessible to potential clients in your neighborhood. It reaches your target market in and around the physical location of your organization. The best part is that it is completely free.
Why Start Local SEO?
People want to do business near their houses. Over the last year, searches containing the terms "near me" have climbed by twofold. It is more convenient to visit a store or work with a firm within five miles than to drive further away. More significantly, if you have multiple locations, you want to ensure that clients find the one that is closest to them for the finest service.
You can use local SEO to push your competitors away so that potential clients locate your business first. When you're at the top of the page, you're more likely to receive phone calls, in-person visits, form submissions, and, ultimately, more clients!
Local SEO is critical not only for product-based companies but also for service-based enterprises. Customers will let search engines fill in the blanks when they don't know what they're looking for. Google and other search engines personalize people's results depending on a variety of characteristics such as keywords, local citations, reviews, and more.
Did we mention that the vast majority of mobile device users have their location settings enabled? This is why you should optimize your business for locality and inform them that you are a viable option.
Where Do You Start?
Google's ranking factors change frequently, which can be time-consuming. They can, however, help enhance your local visibility and digital footprint with the assistance of a local SEO consultant. An expert can also advertise what your company has to offer.
To get started, it’s essential to make sure that your locations are set up correctly on your website and off-site.
These can include:
- Apple and Google Maps
- Having specific location pages on your website (Separate from the contact page)
- Google My Business (now known as Google Business Profile)
- Bing Places
- Yelp
- etc…
You’ll want to ensure that all the information sections are filled out, are accurate, and include a link to the main website. This will make it easier for Google to identify specific locations and optimize them in various ways.
What are the Types of Local SEO Strategies?
There are many types of local SEO services Houston techniques that your business can use aside from the initial ones mentioned above.
1. Local References
It's crucial to remember that local citations are your closest friends who can readily help you spread the message. GMB, Yelp, and Bing Places are examples of popular platforms. Even mid-tier ones, such as Manta and EZLocal, can boost your SEO ranking. They may not always be on the top page, but they can still be valuable.
2. Keywords to Target
You can incorporate relevant geographical keywords in your website or blog content to help increase your local ranking. They might be big cities such as "Houston" or more specialized neighborhoods such as "River Oaks."
3. Reviews and Reputation Management
We've all heard that reviews can make or destroy a company. A 4-star rating or higher is great, but it does not always come easily. The most significant factor is how you reply to any feedback, positive or negative. Finally, individuals are more concerned with how a company treats its customers. Keep in mind that Google reads these as well as people!
4. Mega Data Aggregators
Data aggregators are websites or programs that collect and show location data to a large number of individuals. These aggregators will send information to other websites, which may or may not include your company's local listing. Furthermore, if a website already has your local listing, the aggregator may assist keep things accurate by syncing the data. Foursquare is a popular example of local SEO.
5. Link Building and Backlinks
The more authoritative websites promote your location listings, the more value search engines place on your local citations.
How Do You Measure the Results?
The benefit of local SEO is that it is simple to track and measure. There are numerous reporting tools accessible to view statistics. When dealing with a local SEO expert, you may tell them what insights you want to see. You may find out which zip codes people are searching from, who is directly searching for your company's name, if they are seeking for certain items or services, and much more!
Are you ready to knock your competitors to the bottom of the search engine results page? Consider working with digital marketing agency Houston instead of studying and improving all of your local SEO techniques. They will save you time while bringing more customers to your door!
