Local SEO means local optimization of the site as per the book. Or, if you have a commercial business, you must also have a functional website, which will bring you potential customers!
This online presence will guarantee you a profitable activity on the country's market: both in the virtual environment and why not - offline.
Today, being present in the digital environment can make you popular in a short time and with moderate expenses.
A special place here is, of course, occupied by the SEO optimization of the site.
In the given article we will cover the following topics related to local SEO:
- Site extension
- Languages on the site
- Good hosting
- Google map
- Web Directories
- Google My Business
- Good local links
- Contact information
- Voice Searches.
Why is it important to do local SEO?
Because SEO helps you appear in organic search results and get customers who are interested in what you have to offer.
Plus, SEO is a long-term investment that often pays for itself thousands of times over!
Google searches for different keywords will show the most relevant results (in which your website would be great and - why not - even in the first place!) so that search engines recommend websites to customers who are searching online. It gives them a vote of confidence. Or, users believe in Google's opinion so much that only 7% of those who search end up clicking on the 2nd page of search results!
Remember! With professional SEO Optimization - search engines will organically show you on the first page of results.
One of the issues that local businesses have to deal with in website promotion and SEO optimization is the local approach to optimization.
In this article we recommend, from experience, applying SEO tactics that work to position you first in the search listings with the help of local SEO.
What does local search engine optimization mean?
If a user performs a Google search, they are located by GPS (if the search is performed from a mobile device) or by IP (if the search engine is accessed via a computer) in a specific country.
Search engines know where the device you are searching is located and will recommend the most trusted local sites.
The 7 steps to optimize your local website
To gain this trust and be recommended by Google - you need to take into account some of the most important factors that contribute to local ranking success that you can achieve with the help of SEO techniques:
1. Own a proper domain extension. But don't make the mistake of stopping there. The Google algorithm is nothing more than a sum of factors that calculate the popularity and determine the relevance of a website on about 200+ different metrics! The ".md" Top Level domain is only one element in the algorithm.
2. To be truly competitive in the field of SEO, ideally your website should contain the languages spoken in the given region. The use of the local language on the website is very important, meaning a strong signal to the search engine. It is also recommended that the URL contains the accessed language in the form of a sub-folder: seolitte.com/ru/ or seolitte.com/en/. No parameters (seolitte.com/lang=ro; seolitte.com/lang=ru) and no subdomains (ro.seolitte.com; ru.seolitte.com).
3. To host the website in the country where you operate/provide your services and which you target (with a country-specific IP address).
4. Place your business location on the map and register your business in "My business" - FREE services provided by search engines:
5. To register the site on local directories and portals relevant to your business. Local search was a very active and useful business before the Internet when the Yellow Pages provided by the telephone company was a very powerful tool. As soon as the Internet gained territory and prominence in our lives, the Yellow Pages began to migrate online.
It is also very important to get links from (good/popular/relevant) websites in the country!
6. Be sure to place the contact details on your website (you can do this in the footer, for example), including the physical address.
7. To verify your address with Google My Business (Google sends you a letter with a unique code right to the indicated address).
All these factors will promote you in the search engines, one of the priority elements of the Search Engine algorithms is to practice local SEO – which in itself increases the likelihood that they will show your site for relevant local results.
The challenge is greater and the level of complexity increases when you target multiple countries. For this reason, the respective steps need to be followed for all countries where you want to expand or where you are active in the market.
Understanding how search engines work is a priority component in SEO, as Search Engine algorithms are constantly changing.
For this reason, the SEOLITTE team continues to study the algorithms of search engines and to study their functionality, thus we recommend a relatively new way, with novel impact and multiple opportunities for SEO rankings (as it is a segment still unexploited).
Voice search
Voice search is a great way to improve the search experience on mobile devices. This eliminates the need to access the keyboard and provides users with a simple interface and instant access to results. The recognition technology is very efficient!
Examples:
- Google Voice Search: This is a free service from Google that allows you to search the web-based on voice-speech searches instead of traditional text searches.
- Google Mobile App for iPhone;
- Google Voice Actions for Android: Voice search is also included in this app. With one click you start the recording and you can ask the question to the search engine. Results are displayed on the screen quickly and accurately.
- Apple Siri: Siri is a cheerful and fast solution for iOS – it distinguishes itself by using natural human speech. The results are communicated by voice.
We wish you much success and high-ranking positions! And if you can't handle site optimization, you can always call us for an offer of Local SEO Services!