The Essentials: Local SEO
Posted
on Apr 14, 2020
What is Local SEO?
Local Search Engine Optimization (Local SEO) is the process of strategically optimizing your business’ website for visibility in localized searches.
How do you improve Local SEO?
There are actually quite a few ways to improve your Local SEO, some of which you can do yourself in about 15 minutes.
- Claiming your Google My Business listing
- Listing and Citation Management
- Company Reviews and Ratings
- Generating quality backlinks
What is Google My Business?
Google My Business (GMB) is an interface provided by Google that helps you control the information displayed on your business’ Knowledge Panel, Google Maps listing, and the local-pack (the three business listings displayed after a local search).
What is Listing and Citation Management?
A “Listing” is any list where your business is mentioned online, such as Yelp. A “Citation” is when that listing includes your company’s NAPW (Name, Address, Phone number, Website).
Check your citations here.
Why are Company Reviews and Ratings important?
Positive reviews aren’t just good for business, they’re also good for SEO. Many search engines take reviews into consideration when processing Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs) and can include review snippets under “Reviews from the web” on your business’ Knowledge Panel. Yelp, Facebook, and Google-My-Business reviews are commonly included, though smaller review sites may also be included, such as The Knot for a jewelry store or Cars.com for a car dealership.
What is a Quality Backlink?
A “backlink” is a link from one website to another that is commonly used by search engines as a ranking signal. Websites with many quality backlinks are considered credible. If a credible website links to your business, a search engine is more likely to rank your page higher on its results page. Examples of quality links would include a local blogger recommending your business or an advertising agency including your company in a case study.
Why use RD Thomas for Local SEO?
Managing a business’ Local SEO can become a considerable task. A business with 10 locations could need to manage as many as 1,500 total listings a month. Our citation management service can edit, organize, manage and deliver your business’ essential information to hundreds of online business directories and mapping services like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri. We want to help you make sure that your business is pushing out consistent, timely and accurate information to improve your local search visibility.