Local SEO ranking factors for small business in 2020. It’s time to get your website ready for the new year.
One of the easiest ways to start is reviewing your data.
Start off with the data from your Google Analytics and your Google Search Console.
Wherever your business is located try to follow these guidelines.
You want to concentrate on getting your website buzzing locally.
Your hunting for people on smartphone’s, wouldn’t you agree?
That is why you need a completely mobile friendly and a lightning fast website.
- Check Out Video For Our Top 10 Local SEO Ranking Factors
- Learn And Ask Questions About Your SEO Ranking Factors
- What Keyword Phrases Are You Trying To Rank For?
- Top 10 Local SEO Ranking Factors
- 1. Google My Business & Bing Places For Business
- 2. Mobile (Smartphones)
- 3. Website And Page Structure
- 4. Local Citations Are Local SEO Ranking Factors
- 5. NAP – Name Address & Phone Number
- 6. Reviews Are One Of The Best Ranking Factors For Your Business
- 7. Social Media Is Great For Engagement
- 8. Video Is A Great Way To Reach Your Mobile & Local Market In Your Community
- 9. Engagement Is A Must For Local SEO
- 10. Link Building For Local SEO Ranking
- Keywords For Local SEO
- Summary: Local SEO Ranking Factors
Check Out Video For Our Top 10 Local SEO Ranking Factors
Take action on the top 10 SEO practices we outline in the video and watch your ranking score grow.
Learn And Ask Questions About Your SEO Ranking Factors
Learn these top 10 tips that we will talk about today for a higher ranking score locally.
Here are a few questions and things you may consider.
- Are you using the right keywords?
- How to get more reviews
- Are you using the right citations?
- Is your NAP correct?
- Do You Have A Local And Social Marketing Strategy?
- What Is Your Website Speed?
- Does Your Site Follow The Site Structure Guidelines?
- Are You Working On Link Building?
Our goal is to get you a higher ranking score on Google and Bing local search.
You should start out with making sure your website is mobilized (can’t stress this enough).
People in your local area like Daytona Beach or the area we live in around Wilmington, North Carolina will be on smartphones and use mobile devices to find your business.
Look around. Everyone is using a smartphone.
Your site must have speed, load quickly on a mobile phone, and be easy to navigate on a small device.
Example: Mobile Biz Buzz gets your biz buzzing with local SEO service.
It is simple to navigate with your thumb or fingers.
The site loads very quickly and can be read easily on any mobile device.
It is mobilized.
Next, you need to know what keywords you are going to try and rank for.
What Keyword Phrases Are You Trying To Rank For?
Now if you’re a restaurant in Jacksonville, North Carolina, you don’t want to use “restaurant” as your keyword.
What is your specialty?
Chinese, Mexican, Steak House or maybe you serve the best burger in town.
Break your keyword phrase down to something specific.
Like Mexican Restaurant and add in your local community.
Here are a few examples:
Come up with your own top 10 keyword phrases for your business.
- Mexican Restaurant Fayetteville
- Best burger in Favetteville, North Carolina
- Best Burrito in Goldsboro
- Seafood Buffet Wilmington
- Biggest Breakfast Jacksonville
- Best Steakhouse In Jacksonville
Choose the best keywords phrases that will give you an opportunity to rank.
One other thing, remember searcher intent. See what type of results pop up when you do a search on Google. Study those results. What is getting those sites to rank?
In addition, remember you have voice search and text search.
Voice search usually ends up being a longer keyword phrase.
Also use categories.
When people type something in they usually will use a shorter phrase, wouldn’t you agree?
More on Keywords later because they are very important.
Top 10 Local SEO Ranking Factors
What keywords are you trying to rank for?
You need low competition keyword phrases when you first start out.
Look at the competition and see which keywords they are ranking for?
Next, let’s take a look at the top 10 key local SEO ranking factors that you should consider.
We’ll talk more on keyword phrases later.
Right now, we will be discussing the top 10 local (SEO) search engine optimization ranking factors that will make you the king in your market.
Your website does not need to be found around the whole world. You want the local community that your business is located in to find you online.
Businesses that are located in or around Wilmington, Jacksonville, Goldsboro, and Fayetteville, North Carolina (or any where in the world).
This information will help you get a better score on the organic search result pages and in google maps, called the local 3 pack which will enable you to get more people visiting your business.
Let’s dive right in and take a look at the top 10 local SEO ranking factors that will drive more traffic to your website. You want to get people visiting your site from the local community.
Besides local SEO you may want to check out a local business marketing strategy to have an overall good plan to get more traffic.
1. Google My Business & Bing Places For Business
It all starts by getting your GMB (Google My Business) listing set up and verified.
Make sure you watch for the postcard they will send you and follow the instructions.
More searches are performed locally on Google than any other search engine on the internet.
But keep in mind, there are many people that use Bing also.
So we’ll discuss both because your business wants all the traffic it can get so you can have an opportunity to make more money.
Google My Business To Get Your Site Found Locally
Google My Business is the starting point for all local businesses that wants to increase traffic both online and offline.
You want your business to show up in the local 3 pack of the maps.
The top 3 spots are the businesses that get all of the traffic.
Work on getting ranked in the local 3 pack to get more customers.
It is a free service offered by Google.
Make sure you use the best SEO practices even when posting an image.
Everything you do will help you get found in the local search for your community.
As long as it’s white hat. Don’t try to trick the system.
More people use Google search than all the other search engines combined and your business needs to take advantage of their free services.
Here is where you can let people know your business hours, phone number, and even have a link to your website so folks know what you do or offer.
You can post specials, share any news stories you have, or any other information that you think would be important to your visitors.
In addition, you can make changes and google will update them immediately.
Add Video And Images To Get A Better Ranking Score
People love watching video. Smartphones are making it easier and easier.
Create a few videos for your Google My Business profile to gain that extra edge in your local market.
Your business can post pictures or even add video to your Google My Business profile.
Let’s say you own a steakhouse in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Post a picture of a flaming delicious steak, add your special pricing, and include a call to action.
Make it a limited time offer.
Bam, you’ll acquire a few customers off of each piece of content once you get rolling.
Google also encourages reviews.
Stay on the lookout and engage with your visitors.
Using good SEO techniques for your restaurant will keep customers heading your way.
Make sure you have a good mobile strategy and be found on the local 3 pack.
Sometimes it takes a lot of hard work.
Use social media and reviews to boost your ranking. Restaurants can now be found on Facebook.
Google My Business New Features
One of Google’s newest features is that you can build a simple website in under 10 minutes.
We highly recommend you build your own website or hire us.
There is no substitute in having your own control and have the opportunity for a better ranking with your own business website. In addition, restaurants can now add a menu on google my business.
One final note is claiming your listing and keeping it updated.
People can comment and even claim your listing.
You can perform updates from any type of device.
So answer all comments, claim your listing, and get it verified.
Bing Places For Business
Bing places for business has a three-step process of getting listed. Here you can list your hours of operation, address, and phone number.
If your business changes hours during a holiday season ensure you post the changes.
You can also post pictures about your business.
Let’s say you own a restaurant in Jacksonville, NC.
Now, on Friday nights you have a fish fry special.
Post a picture with your pricing so people that are searching on Bing in your local area can find out all about your business.
Tell your story about your business so visitors know what you offer.
Use plenty of pictures. Even an image of the staff. Don’t forget to include how customers can get a hold of you. Include the services you offer or even a menu URL.
Bing may not be the biggest place to list your business. But it is also free to include your business for your community. This is another way to get visitors to your business so you can increase your profits.
One thing you must ensure happens is that you verify your listing so no one can make changes to your account. Bing is also mobilized and you can make changes to your account from any type of device.
2. Mobile (Smartphones)
Mobile is now referred to as smartphones.
Making sure your website has speed is one of the big local SEO ranking factors.
Not just for the search engines but your customers better have the speed or they will bounce off your site in a heartbeat.
Run a website speed test anytime you perform an update.
That test will also provide you with performance insights.
Pingdom will explain what issues you need to take care of to get a faster speed.
In addition, they will list other issues you may need to take care of on your website.
Try to get your website speed below 2 seconds or faster.
Google prefers less than 1 second.
The faster the better it is for visitors.
Hosting of your website is another item that could be affecting the speed of your website. If you’re using WordPress make sure you get WordPress Hosting for your website.
Shared hosting will not give you the speed you need.
We also found another great hosting company that offers a pixel perfect drag and drop website builder that provides you with a quick loading website.
They are called Builderall. Go check them out for 7 days free and watch free live marketing training taught by experts.
While you are there, check out the on page SEO tool, to help you get a better ranking score.
You might just want to check them out because that builder allows you to set up your mobile version just the way you want it.
In addition, they offer around 34 digital marketing tools to get your local marketing reaching the customers you want to attract.
Responsive Websites Are Preferred By Google
Google now prefers responsive websites that are smartphone ready and have made it official with their Mobile SEO Overview.
Responsive design of your website is a big local SEO ranking factor to consider in order for your business to get a higher rank score.
Smartphones have taken over the way we search.
It just makes sense.
That way your visitors and customers have a better viewing experience.
Look at your website on a smartphone. It must be simple to navigate.
You got to be able to operate everything with your thumbs and fingers.
It must be easy to get around your site and is a must for smartphone users.
If you have to stretch the screen to read your content your website needs some work.
People hate it when that happens. It is a good way to lose a customer.
It’s just good customer service and your business cannot afford to lose money.
Get a responsive website design and keep your customers happy with the speed.
You must have a lightning fast website upload speed or you may not rank in the search results well.
3. Website And Page Structure
Website structure is not only important for the search engines but your visitors as well.
Especially when it comes to using smartphones.
As we mentioned in the mobile section, your website must have a responsive design and be simple and easy to navigate.
We will not discuss schema at this point. Schema was founded by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Yandex. Over 10 million sites use schema.org to mark up their web pages.
We will provide you a link on how to get started using schema for more information.
Your menu should be easy for anyone to use and again especially with mobile devices.
Your keywords should be in your h1 (which should be your headline) and as necessary in your h2, h3, or h4 headlines.
Use your titles (h1, h2, h3, etc…) wisely. It breaks up the content and encourages visitors to read your content. Try to also use images with your titles to help the reader understand the message.
Remember each page of your website will have an entire new headline.
Each page must be designed with separate keywords and laid out logically.
Site Structure Keep It Simple
One other thing is that your entire website should focus on what your business is about.
Each page should be a part of the overall theme. Let me give you an example.
If you have a restaurant.
The main page should be about your brand and give the information to identify your business.
It should give them a picture of what your business represents.
Provide all of your information like name of a business, address, phone number, hours, social fan pages.
It is like the front of your business with your signage.
The other pages inside will break everything down into categories like we mentioned above.
Keep everything relevant.
Speaking of relevant. Keep your content relevant on each page of your website.
If you own a restaurant you do not need a page about your favorite cars.
Unless that is your restaurant’s theme of course.
Use content consisting of images, videos, and writing.
Use everything wisely and keep user experience and SEO in mind.
Why Site Structure?
Why is website structure important? Visitors to your site want to find things easy.
People that come to your website want to find your products and services.
Putting them in a logical and organized matter makes it easy to find your products or information that may interest them.
Just like a menu in a restaurant.
You would not put a cake (desserts) with a steak dinner (main menu).
That is why a menu is organized with appetizers, then the main menu (that is broken into sub-menus), the side dishes, children’s menu, desserts and then beverages.
Easy To Find Category And Sub-Categories
It works the same way with your website structure. Make your products or services easy to find.
Break them down into categories & subcategories.
You want to do this with your website menu.
It is just easier for navigation on your site and will cause less confusion.
Look at your website from a desktop and a smartphone to see if you need to make any changes to your design for a better user experience.
We have seen many websites look great on a desktop and then from a mobile screen, pictures were in an awkward spot. Charts were unable to read.
That is why you have to check this stuff out.
Look at it from a customers viewpoint.
Last point. Submit a sitemap to the search engines.
4. Local Citations Are Local SEO Ranking Factors
First off, what are local citations?
Citations are places online where your business is mentioned.
People can find your business online with these citations and that is why they are one of the many local SEO ranking factors that can benefit your business.
They give visitors another way of finding your business, location, phone number on the internet. Every business is different and you must choose the right citations for your business.
We are going to be discussing structured citation listings first.
Almost every business can use these type of citations.
We are concentrating on the ones that are located in the good ole USA.
These citations are for all local businesses in Goldsboro, Fayetteville, Wilmington, and Jacksonville, North Carolina that want to increase your local SEO ranking score.
Citation Basic List
Here are a few that we feel are important to our market.
- Google My Business
- Bing Places For Business
- Apple Maps
- Yelp
- Foursquare
- Yahoo Local
- Dunn & Bradstreet (D&B)
- MapQuest
- Yellow Pages
- Manta
- Merchant Circle
- Angie’s List
- Hot Frog
- Yellow Book
- Brown Book
- B2B Yellow Pages
Those are a few that will get you started.
You can check out each citation and you will want to look to see if they have a free listing or a paid listing.
Depending on your budget, you can decide on the best option for your business.
Just apply for a few per month and build up your citation listings with a little time.
Industry Specific Citations Is Your Next Step
Each type of business should get listed in their industry-specific citation groups.
Restaurants, lawyers, auto repair, coffee shops, car dealerships, accountants, and whatever category your business is in there are specific citations you should get a listing for.
For example, a car dealership does not need to be listed in Urban Spoon or Zomato because these are restaurant specific citation sites.
Our good friends at Moz will help us today find specific citations by category that would be best suited for your type of business in the USA.
Do a little research to find what is best for your business.
5. NAP – Name Address & Phone Number
NAP stands for name, address, and phone number.
Your Nap must be exactly the same where ever it is listed.
NAP is what the search engines gather to find your business and to check if you are who you say you are. One dot could give the wrong information about your business and lead to a lower search score.
Where ever you list your business, list the information exactly the same way every single time.
Here are a couple of fake examples for illustrative purposes only;
(Name) Big Fat Mack Cat Restaurant (Address) 1234 Daytona Beach St. Daytona Beach, Florida 32117 (Phone Number) 123-123-1234
(Name) Big Fat Mack Cat Restaurant (Address) 1234 Daytona Beach Street, Daytona Beach, Florida 32117 (Phone Number) 800-123-1234
Look Closely Which One Is In Correct?
Now, look at both listings.
Can you see what is wrong?
1st they both have the same business name.
2nd the addresses are different.
One has Daytona Beach St. and the other one has Daytona Beach Street.
You must have the exact match on all data you provide.
Even a (.) dot has to be the same.
3rd the phone number is 123-123-1234 and the other is 800-123-1234.
They must match and you should list your local phone number.
So, do a search online and see what you can find out about your own small business.
It is one of the many local SEO ranking factors that you want to keep an eye on for a better search score for your small business in Jacksonville or Wilmington, North Carolina.
We all want better rankings for our businesses and in order to make that happen, we must pay attention to detail.
Do you have any tips? List them in the comments section.
6. Reviews Are One Of The Best Ranking Factors For Your Business
Local reviews for your business can give you the firepower your site needs to move up in the local search results. Start getting more reviews asap.
Google will tell you right from the beginning of signing up for your google my business account that they (meaning Google) encourage reviews.
It should be the first place that you need to make it happen.
How to get reviews and what you need to know.
Now when we type in steakhouse Jacksonville, Florida. We found 3 listing on the top of the local maps search results.
One of the major reasons is the reviews they are receiving. Good local reviews for your business increases the results for local search.
Naturally, there are other local SEO ranking factors getting them to the top of the 3 map pack.
Some people say just ask for a review face to face.
Now Yelp is against it and apparently, Google is for it.
We are going with Google folks. It will be up to your business on which way you go.
Ask Questions To Get Reviews
Ask a few questions first. So was your steak cooked like you wanted it?
Great, what about your service, was your waiter kind and considerate?
Was our service quick? Did your waiter check back and make sure you had everything you needed?
Make sure you immediately take care of any concerns the customers have.
Then ask, do you mind posting a positive review about your dining experience this evening?
Pull out your tablet or phone and get it done.
You can get more social media engagement by offering your customers rewards and by using your free WiFi.
A reward program is simple and easy with digital loyalty punch cards.
Your business may be giving away free WiFi. But you can rack up the likes, shares, and reviews quickly.
Let them know as soon as they start using your free WiFi service if they could comment on your service and dining experience.
Better yet, use social WiFi marketing so you can already start out with a like on your Facebook fan page.
Keep Customer Happy Then Ask For A Positive Review
First and foremost, make sure the customer is happy. Taking care of the customer should be priority number one. That’s how you earn your money. Once you know they are satisfied and good to go.
Then ask for a review.
Make it part of the experience of doing business with you.
Ask for the review on Google, Facebook, your website or another place you have your reviews.
Get an email if possible and let them know that you need it for your follow up, newsletters, specials, or coupons they can receive.
Include a review with any follow-up.
Make sure you thank them and ask, do mind giving us a positive review.
Why not if everything went well.
Train your staff to ask for reviews.
Like we said earlier, make it part of the presentation and closing.
Reviews are a big-time part of the local SEO ranking factors.
People look for reviews most of the time before they go somewhere, before they buy a product, or before they buy a car or stay at a hotel.
People use reviews for almost everything.
Some folks look up reviews before they buy appliances.
They even check on you plumbers, roofers, and builders.
You need to implement a strategy acquiring reviews.
Every employee must know when to get a review.
Your site even needs to have it automatically set up.
7. Social Media Is Great For Engagement
Social Media is great for building your brand and engaging with your audience in your community.
Don’t think your jumping right on and selling your products. Although, this has happened.
Take a look and figure out what social media sites that are best for your business. You might want statistical data to help you decide what social media sites to use.
It takes time to build your brand on these social media networks.
Pictures and videos are great content to use when posting on your favorite site.
Have a little fun. It doesn’t always have to be about business.
Show people you are a real person.
Share other local businesses post. Start networking with other local businesses in Wilmington, Fayetteville, Goldsboro, and Jacksonville, North Carolina.
We are all neighbors and we all should support one another.
Offer tips about your services.
Share funny stories about projects you got going on.
Let your employee’s share on your social sites.
Sometimes they have the best ideas and can help you build a following.
Social Media Helps Your Local SEO Ranking (Not A Ranking Factor)
Building your brand takes time and so does your local SEO ranking. They work sort of hand in hand. You’re trying to build trust and recognition. Social media is not a ranking factor but it does help.
Try using social media billboards. Short videos to get your biz buzzing on social media..
The more people see them, the more they will start recognizing your brand.
Just don’t waste your whole day on social media sites.
Make it part of your daily routine and just post a few pictures about something interesting that will capture attention from your audience.
Have you read the article that Neil Patel wrote?
The ultimate guide to social media marketing for local businesses.
It will give you more insight on this subject.
Use Social Media To Build Your Brand
Here are a few of the social media sites you might want to consider to build your brand and improve your local SEO ranking.
- YouTube
That should get you started on your social media sites.
Building your brand takes time.
Trust and recognition are what it will take.
Remember social media, are little billboards online and they are free to use.
They pay off with time because your local SEO score will start increasing.
8. Video Is A Great Way To Reach Your Mobile & Local Market In Your Community
Start a YouTube channel to reach more customers. It’s a great traffic source also.
YouTube is the second largest search engine.
Using the best SEO practices will have your videos ranking in the local organic search results very quickly.
A video is probably one of the most important mobile marketing ideas that you should start using for local marketing.
You should start a YouTube channel for your business.
Videos provide another way to reach your audience on mobile devices and locally.
It’s also another one of local SEO ranking factors that can gain your business some traffic because of the influence it has and the value video provides.
Smartphones are a very inexpensive way of telling your story.
You can always go out and produce a professional video if you got the funds.
Video Marketing for Local Business
Post a video on your Google My Business page.
Here are a few things you should include;
- Introduce Your Company
- Share Your Story About Your Business
- Employee’s (What They Do Behind the Scenes)
- How To & Explainer Videos
- Testimonials (Optional)
- Thank Your Customers
Video Marketing is a good way for your local business to connect to smartphone users.
Follow these guidelines to show your local market what your business is about.
You can create other videos to reinforce your message. Maybe events that you participate in.
Company holidays you and your employees enjoyed.
What about one of the company picnics or a fun meeting you’ve had.
Just get a little creative.
Now when it comes to marketing your business video there are a few things you will need to do to get it found online in your local area. You can also use these videos to share on other social media sites.
- Start Business YouTube Account
- Produce The Video
- Choose Keywords For The Video
- Include Location (Ex: Wilmington or Jacksonville, North Carolina)
A location should be in the title, description, and any tags.
If you post to Twitter use hashtag for location. Example; #Wilmington or #Jacksonville.
Keep Video Marketing Simple
- Write Up A Brief Description About The Video
- Add A Link To Your Business Website After The Description
Keep it simple, easy and short. Video marketing is easy and can be fun.
You can use your smartphone. It is just a preview of your company or something about your company.
Just like Hollywood. You’ve seen a movie preview.
It gives enough information so you can go and check it out.
You can also create “How To Videos” for your products.
9. Engagement Is A Must For Local SEO
How can your business even get engagement from your visitors?
You must have some type of good content or an action.
Video marketing is leading the way for engaging your audience.
What you write on your website pages is a good place to start.
Maybe, even how your business looks inside and out with photos.
You never know who is observing you online or offline.
The more content you produce online, the more engagement opportunities you will have.
You want to produce good quality relevant content.
Engagement will come from all your good content like; your website, citations, videos, social media or images and from the way you and your employees treat your customers.
In addition, it could have been an action that causes engagement.
How a customer was treated, the food you served them, customer service, billing or a number of other opportunities that just pop up.
It’s all about how well you handle the situation.
Good or bad. Face it head-on. It could be a problem and you just need to respond with a solution.
Engagement – Good Or Bad Can Have A Positive Impact On Your Local SEO Ranking
Good or bad, you must engage with that customer or visitor to explain the circumstances.
If it’s a bad experience respond quickly. Explain how you can make it better and still thank them.
Now if it’s a good experience you probably already know what to do.
We all have had the customer that is never going to be satisfied.
The best thing you can do is at least come to an understanding.
Express your concerns and let them vent theirs.
Keep it professional. Do not take it personally. Stay calm.
Engagement can lead to a lot of reviews.
So answer quickly, professionally and just tell the truth.
By doing so you will see that your local SEO ranking to start to climb.
People can tell if your real or not. So just do the right thing.
10. Link Building For Local SEO Ranking
Building good quality links is one of the best local SEO ranking factors that you can perform.
We saved the best for last because once you have initiated all the other search engine optimization ranking factors you’re on your way to moving all the way up to the top.
Naturally, you will need more links and the other tasks performed better than your competitor.
The more you work at it, the better your ranking score. You actually already started building a few links or mentions with your citations.
Now we are going to pick up some more localized links bringing more power to your local SEO ranking.
Let’s start with the Chamber of Commerce. Most business that supports the local community wants to be a member.
Check out your local Chamber and find out what it takes to add your listing.
It will also allow you to gain some contacts that could further your linking capabilities.
Also, it sends a signal to the search engines that you mean business.
Linking That May Require More Work & Relationships
Like we talked about with the Chamber. It is your chance to network and build some relationships to give you more quality links. Don’t forget about your competition.
They have already acquired some valuable links and you just need to find out where they are from.
You don’t want quantity. Go for the quality links that will give you the power you need.
Associations, suppliers, and trade shows that are specific to your business.
Here are some examples; the first one search for suppliers for a restaurant in Daytona Beach;
Type in the search box; restaurant + suppliers + Wilmington, then click the enter button and then you have it.
Next let us look for associations for auto dealers in Jacksonville, North Carolina.
Type in the search box; auto dealers + associations + Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Then click the enter button and there they are.
One more.
Let’s search for trade shows for the medical profession in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Type in the search box; medical + trade shows + Eastern North Carolina or Fayetteville, North Carolina. Then click the enter button and you’re in business.
Local Link Building
There are many more ways. But when we need the ultimate list of local link building for our business, we link over to nifty marketing.
You want local links that will move you up in the search ranking.
Remember, you want good quality links.
We have shown you numerous local SEO ranking factors that can improve your local search score.
It takes a lot of time and smart working habits to ensure it happens.
It all pays off in the form of you gaining higher rankings in the local SERPs and increase traffic busting thru the doors of your small business.
Mobile Biz Buzz gets your Biz Buzzing so you’re getting a little bonus tip and that is choosing the right keywords. That’s next folks.
Keywords For Local SEO
Choosing the right keywords doesn’t have to be that difficult. Sometimes we just over think what we really need to have to get a better ranking with our local SEO.
Ask your employees, what they would say to find your business. What do you say or type in to find what you’re looking for?
Let’s imagine that you own a catering business in Jacksonville, Florida.
Now if your main business is for weddings.
You would need to figure out what keywords would be best for your situation.
Now if you had a keyword research tool it would make it easier.
Choosing The Right Keywords For Local SEO
When you write up your pages you have to make sure you do not overuse your keywords or you will be penalized from the search engines and receive a lower search score.
You want to mix up your key phrases in the headlines of your page. Choose the one that will give you the most traffic. Without a keyword research tool.
Put the words in what is called quoted search results (“QSR”) and watch the results. Here are a few examples without a keyword research tool;
- “Catering for weddings” – results – 405,000
- “Wedding catering” – results – 243,000
- “Wedding catering company” – results from 12,700
- “Catering company for weddings” – results from 172,000
- “Wedding caterer” – results – 379,000
Pick the one that would give you the best results and add on your area. Make that one your headline.
Catering For Weddings Jacksonville Florida.
You could also add in your Delicious menu or have a separate page for the food you serve.
That is an old school way. But it is pretty accurate.
One other consideration is that we did not use the area included in our QSR.
The results are from Google the day we wrote the article.
Keywords For Voice Search For Local SEO
You also need to consider voice search. OK, Google.
People use voice search today and it will only keep increasing.
So here are a few examples of using voice search.
OK Google, the best steakhouse in Daytona Beach.
Then again you might say, OK google find me some, live rock music in Wilmington, North Carolina.
If your an NFL fan, you probably would say, OK Google, sports bar to watch the Carolina Panthers.
Voice search may require longer tail keywords for your website.
So you need to consider voice and typing when choosing keywords.
With voice search, you may need to use longer keyword phrases or long tail keywords.
Summary: Local SEO Ranking Factors
Today we covered a lot of ground to help you get more visitors and increase your ranking score with local SEO.
This information was for the small business owners around the world and local businesses in our area of Goldsboro, North Carolina.
We surely hope you use this guide so you can better your search results.
Mobile Biz Buzz would like to thank you for stopping in and visiting us today. It’s time to get your biz buzzing with local SEO.
We would like to ask you to comment below and even like us or give us a positive review on our Facebook fan page.
Let us know what you thought of the information we provided.
Are you using WordPress or a drag and drop builder?
We prefer WordPress ourselves. Check out this DIY marketing for small business solution with a great on page SEO tool to use with their lightning fast website builder.
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Any questions big or small, just contact us.
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Did you get a chance to read our basic SEO checklist? It’s a good read that will give you more SEO best practices.
Get your Biz Buzzing with Local SEO Ranking Factors.
Hot Tip: Another big ranking factor starting early 2021 will be that each page/post within your website will need to pass the PageSpeed Insights test. Start getting your site ready so you do not lose any page rank on Google search.
Glad you enjoyed.