Local SEO has become important ever since small businesses came online and printed indexes got replaced by web directories. People left printed directories and opted for online search to find everything from a doctor to restaurant locally. US alone get 7 billion unique local searches every month today & the count is on rise every day. It makes the fact obvious why small businesses are gearing up for local SEO.
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What makes few businesses do better than competitors in local search results depends on many factors. In this post, you will read about those factors & learn how a local business can earn more sales in present-day.
Local SEO before 2014
In 2010 Local Business Center became Google places & users got improved local search results that included reviews, photos along with places. After that excessive directory submission, creating landing pages, use of Google places & ignorance towards social media became usual trend in local SEO. The local directories existed then but showed only profiles and no listings. Other important local SEO events & strategies involved:
Google's Local 7 Pack
Google launched G+ in June 28, 2011 & in a year it replaced Google Places with Google+ Local. Due to this, SEO companies & marketers shifted their focus to G+ profiles. Google too seemed like preferring showing G+ results and the top results in local search contained Google 7 pack. It showed 7 results (shown as A, B, C, D, E, F, G) from local Google listings that offered the business name, address , phone number and map.
Centroid Bias
Centroid Bias is the display of local results on the basis of nearness to the geographic location of a query. It had great impact on old maps from ranking point of view. However Google has relaxed this policy now as more locations are seen against a query now.
"Results for "restaurants in Manchester"
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What makes Local SEO different in 2014
The Pigeon Update
Pigeon is the supposed name (given by Search Engine Land) of a local search algorithm update released by Google in July 2014. The update has affected only English search queries of US (as reported up till now) but more impacts are anticipated globally.
Pigeon brings Good News for Small Businesses
Now small business websites too have chances of appearing above the big brands in local search. Like, initially if a user searched for Pizza in South Hampton, brands like Dominos were certain to appear on the top but now the algo will prefer local businesses in search results. Other changes include:
Credible directories & sites like Yelp, Yellowpages.com, TripAdvisor, OpenTable get improved local search engine rankings. Earlier, you would see Google+ results even if the search query had specific directory’s name in it e.g. 'Boston Pizza+ Yelp'.
This boost of rankings can be correlated with Yelp's latest complaint against Google's biasedness towards Google+ local listings. Yelp had made a complaint to Google for not showing other directories in top of search results even though the user asked for a particular directory. This has changed post Pigeon update, so tech experts relate it with Yelp’s stern firm act but view it as a treat for local directories as well as small business owners.
Google 7 pack's domination is over and you may see hyper-local 3 pack in organic search results instead. Local businesses are free of Google's long-standing control & can expect better rankings.
Duplicate results in Google SERP witness huge drop & thereby increase the quality of results. Same website/business may not appear many times in search results now.
With all this, changes the way small business owners struggled to get relevant local traffic earlier. The level of relevance, accuracy & quality of local search results has improved after pigeon update. Now, you have better prospects to get more local visitors by having better visibility in organic search results.
Hyper-local results across all devices are helpful to get more mobile users & local directories appearing higher may bring additional traffic to a business. Targeting local customers is easier for brick & mortar businesses as Google too is focusing on offering instant & improved results to users.
Pigeon Brings you Few Challenges too
Local businesses that were doing well due to G+ profile now have less probability to benefit from Google 7 pack (many have already lost rankings) as now they have to compete for just 3 places.
The negative reviews on local directories (yelp, yahoo local, Bing local etc.) can affect businesses as they may show up. Online reputation has become the most crucial part of Local SEO as reviews sites now dominate local search results.
You can’t solely rely on G+ or Google business listings now as all directories/listings & review sites are important.
Are you noticing a drop in Local Traffic? Is your negative review ranking high in search results?
Consult SEO Experts for Immediate ActionHow to Improve Local Search Rankings in 2014?
The upswings & Google updates in last 4-5 years call for making a new strategy for your local SEO. Using old techniques may not bring the relevant traffic, sales and search engine rankings to you. So, make your optimization process coherent with recent Google update to meet your business goals. Follow our smart SEO tips for attracting local visitors to your site:
- Make Local Listings & Citations Your Power
While displaying local results Google focuses on showing the best-reviewed & most relevant result based on geography. Now that local directories have equal power in organic search results, your business ought to be listed in best local directories including Yelp, Google+ Local, Bing Places, Yellow Pages, Yahoo Local, Foursquare etc.
Your trust score increases when the site is listed with various & authoritative business listings and Google prefers to show it up. Getting as many citations as you can is an added advantage (whether they contain link or not) for off-page local SEO. Also it looks like the Google listed businesses with highest reviews appears on the top of Google pack.
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To get complete benefit of citations make sure that you use similar name, spelling & address everywhere. Using tools like Moz Local can help you check the consistency across web.
Ensure that you have consistent citations across the leading data providers. The local directories (Like Yelp, Bing, Google+ local) pick data from few data aggregators, so your business information must be entered in their database e.g. Express Update, Neustar Localeze, My Business Listing Manager & Factual are the top data aggregators for USA based companies.
- SOLOMO – Invest in Social, Local & Mobile altogether
According to Nielsen, around 50% of US users own a mobile or smartphone and 40% of social media users access social media through phone. Another data by Karen McGrane reveals that 46% of customers use their smart devices for local product/services research. The convergence of social, mobile & local users clearly demands to treat these three areas all together.
Use of SoLoMo applications can help you connect with potential buyers on the basis of their geographical location. These apps send push notification (broadcasting deals, coupons & events) to target local audience and allow small businesses to get across them. This Geo-targeting is combined with users’ social network & based on many factors like customer loyalty, proximity & check-in history.
- Identify the link between Online Reviews & Local SEO
Is your Social, Local & Mobile Traffic Adequate to your Business Goals?
Consult Analysts for a CheckOnline Reviews have great role to play in local SEO. A study by Search Engine Land shows that 72% of buyers trust online feedbacks as much as they believe in personal references. 52 % of them feel convinced to try a local product or service if they read positive feedbacks about a local business.
Online reviews are the biggest strength of small businesses as of now to perform better in local search. Review sites have gained importance in Google results after Pigeon update and proactive online reputation management has become all the more important. Make ORM your top priority while managing Local SEO & keep the following points in mind while focusing on it.
- Businesses with more reviews have higher CTR as users trust those links more.
- The Google Maps Rich Snippet however has search engine ranking benefits too as it gives maximum information to most of local FAQs
- Google favors third party review sites more than ever (especially after Pigeon update) as they add value to user search.
- On-Site Local SEO – Do it Smartly
On site SEO is not new for local businesses but you have to be smarter in your ways now. Apply following techniques to make it quick & result oriented.
- Make your title tags keyword optimized relevantly (local keywords). Include them in URLs, Page Titles, Meta Descriptions, H1 and H2 Tags & site content.
- Don’t miss NAP(Name, Address, Phone Number) HTML.
- Create content that has ‘local’ significance. Think like a local user and offer the needful in your content.
- Make use of Schema Markup as that can gear up your position in Google.
- Make your store details valuable & accessible by including all important information (address, phone number etc.) on site. Avoid image for including NAP as that is not crawlable. Give unique URL to store locator.
- Make separate landing pages for multiple locations (in case you serve to various users from multiple locations) or you can list all of them on one page where contact info is available.
Following old strategies may not work any longer as search engines have grown smarter. Change your approach towards local SEO if you want to get local customers who make online search before buying from nearby places. The changes that have been put forth by Google in last 5 years to improve its search algorithm hint towards the value of quality results. To get your business among organic search, make sure you serve those quality guidelines.
Go for relevant SEO support for upgrading your position in local search. Contact FATbit if your business lacks it.
We would love to hear from you how your local search experience has been so far. Share with us your views, ideas & techniques to help other businesses too.