Local SEO is a digital marketing strategy that aims to boost your website’s rankings in local organic search results. The higher up your website ranks in search results, the most visible your business will be to users. As such the more users become aware of your business, the better the chances are that they’ll become your customers.
If you’re working out a plan to improve your small business’s online presence, then local SEO ranking factors are an important consideration.
Keep reading to discover five of the top local SEO ranking factors in 2022.
1 Google Business Profile
Google Business, formally known as Google My Business, is a free tool that Google offers that allows users to connect with local businesses through Google Maps.
Users are 2.7 times more likely to consider a Google Business Profile to be more reputable if it’s up-to-date. Many businesses don’t realize that Google and other users can make changes to their Business Profile such as uploading photos and reviews, changing your address and hours, and more. So, it’s key that you regularly check that your Google Business Profile to make sure that incorrect information hasn’t snaked its way into your profile.
2 On-Page Signals
Search engines look at on-page signals such as keywords to determine where they should rank your business in local search results. Other important on-page signals include your website’s page speed and mobile-friendliness.
3 Online Reviews
Many customers will take your online reviews into consideration before making a final decision to buy your product. Thus, positive reviews give users the impression that your business is dependable.
Negative reviews do the opposite, so it’s key that you limit negative reviews as much as possible. But, because it’s impossible to avoid all negative reviews, it’s key that you respond to any negative reviews you may get to mitigate its effects.
4 Local Content
Search engines serve to provide users with valuable content from relevant websites. As such, local SEO, and by extension, local content can hugely improve your business’s local search rankings. Publishing local content is key to local SEO, as users like small businesses that relate to relevant, community-based topics.
When incorporating keywords into your content, it’s crucial that you avoid keyword-stuffing and use them as naturally as possible. If the keywords seem unnatural, they could disrupt visitors’ reading experience.
5 Local Citations
Local citations are the modern equivalent of the Yellow Pages. They are key to getting viable local backlinks and reliable information via the web about your business’s blueprint.
To learn more about local SEO citations, visit https://www.thehoth.com/learn/local/seo/local-citations/. You can learn how to do local citations yourself, or you can hire an SEO agency to handle the task for you.
Use These Local SEO Ranking Factors to Your Advantage
You can use these local SEO ranking factors to boost the online presence of your small business.
But, you don’t have to handle local SEO on your own. Rather, you can hire an SEO agency to handle your small business’s local SEO for you.
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