Local SEO Denver is the process of optimizing online content for people in a specific geographic area. Search engines like Google deliver billions of local results every month and businesses that rank prominently for relevant queries receive a lot of traffic.
Whether you’re a contractor, plumber, dentist or real estate agent, implementing local SEO is important to your business. Here are a few tips to help you get started:
A strong local SEO strategy relies on a solid understanding of keyword research. The process of finding the right keywords is different for local SEO than it is for global search, as your audience has specific needs and desires when searching for businesses like yours. Local keyword research also considers a range of local metrics, such as search volume, competition level, and cost-per-click (CPC) potential, which is based on the number of people who are willing to pay to advertise with those terms.
Your local keyword research should begin by brainstorming initial keywords that describe your business offerings and your ideal customers. These are the solution seed words that you will use in your content and metadata. Identifying these words is the first step in determining how your business can rank for the most relevant queries online.
Once you have a list of solution seed words, identify any other words or phrases that indicate local intent. This may include terms such as “nearby” and “local,” or it could be associable words, such as “florist,” “wedding bouquets,” or “exotic flowers.” Including these local keywords in your content and metadata helps search engines understand that your content is relevant to people searching for the types of products and services you offer.
Using tools such as Google Trends or Ubersuggest can help you discover the most popular local keywords for your industry. Then, take a look at your competitors’ SEO efforts to see what local keywords they are targeting. This can be a great way to steal their best performing keywords and content strategies without copying them word for word.
In addition to your solution seed words, it’s a good idea to include keywords that reflect the attributes of your local business, such as whether it offers wi-fi, is pet friendly, or has restrooms. You can also incorporate location modifiers such as local landmarks, ZIP codes, street names, or neighborhoods to ensure that your business is easily found by prospective customers. This is especially important if you are competing against local competition in the same neighborhood.
On-Page Optimization
Local SEO is a specific subset of SEO that focuses on optimizing your website for local search queries. The process includes traditional on-page optimization (such as keyword research, title and meta tags), improved internal linking, optimized images, and content that utilizes hyperlocal keywords. Local SEO is essential for any business that serves customers in a particular geographic area, including franchises, retail chains, so-called Mom & Pop shops, financial services brands, service providers, and enterprise brands.
The first step in local on-page optimization is to optimize your website for local searches by incorporating high-intent geo-targeted keywords into your content. You should also ensure that your NAP (name, address, phone number, and area code) is consistent across your website and all online citations, directories, and listings.
Once you have optimized your website for local searches, it is important to monitor your rankings regularly. This will help you understand what is working and what is not, and it will allow you to make the necessary changes to your strategy. You can do this by using the free Google Search Console tool.
In addition to monitoring your ranking performance, you should also look at the competition. Try to identify what your competitors are doing that you are not, and find ways to compete with them in a way that is beneficial to your business.
One of the most important elements of local SEO is to include a clear call-to-action on your website. This should be visible at the top of your page, and preferably wrapped in an H1 tag. This will help potential customers know that your business serves their area, and will increase the likelihood of them clicking through to your website.
Another key element of local on-page optimization is to include user reviews. This is not just a great way to promote your business, but it also shows that you care about the experiences of your customers. Google rewards businesses with high ratings by showing them more prominently in its results, so this is a great way to improve your visibility on the search engine.
Local Business Listings
Business listings are one of the most critical pieces of a local SEO strategy. They provide the foundation for consistent platform information and boost visibility, credibility, and customer engagement. In addition to ensuring the NAP (name, address, phone number) matches across all platforms, business listing management also includes optimizing the business profile with relevant information like photos, descriptions, and a link to the website.
Listings are often integrated with maps and navigation apps, making it easy for consumers to find businesses near them. When the business profile is optimized with relevant keywords, it shows up higher in search results, attracting more potential customers. Business listing management includes claiming and verifying the business listing on major platforms like Google My Business, Bing Places for Business, and Yelp. It also involves adding accurate contact details, updating operating hours and services/products, and encouraging reviews.
Using tools such as the Keyword Planner and Semrush, a marketing professional can identify relevant keywords to target with their local business listings. For example, the Keyword Planner shows keywords that at least one competitor is ranking for. To narrow down the list, the tool allows marketers to filter by competitors’ business names and locations, which makes it easier to see what works.
Business listing sites and directories are where most users go to look for information about a business, so it’s important that the data is correct and complete. When it isn’t, it can lead to confusion and missed revenue opportunities for the brand.
It’s a good idea to limit the number of listing sites and directories that a brand manages. It is more effective to focus on the ones that are most likely to drive new business, such as Google, Facebook, and Yelp.
When building and updating business listings, it’s important to use the official name of the business in the NAP. It’s also a best practice to avoid adding fictitious departments or suite numbers, which can be seen as spam by search engines and can lead to a lower ranking. In a recent survey, Yext found that brands with complete and accurate listings received 43% more impressions on search engines than those without.
Link Building
Getting quality links is one of the most important aspects of Local SEO. Local link building is different from standard link-building because it focuses on your area of the market. For example, if you have a law firm located in Chicago, you can benefit from building local links that direct traffic to your website from people searching for legal services in your region.
Having a strong local linking profile can help your website rank higher in organic search results, which can lead to more qualified traffic. In addition, local links increase brand visibility. It takes, on average, seven brand impressions before someone will take action (the marketing “Rule of 7”). Having more visible brands increases the likelihood that potential customers will be nurtured into conversions.
There are several effective strategies for acquiring local links. Getting listed in business directories is an easy way to get your name out there and is especially useful for awareness searches, such as “lawyer near me.” You can also target vertical-specific directory sites like FindLaw. Another tactic is testimonial link building, which involves providing positive reviews for a local service or product and linking back to your website.
Finally, if your local market has its own news site or blog, you can pitch your company as a source for a story or a guest post. This can give you very authoritative.edu,.gov, and.org links, and it can also improve your organic search.
In addition to driving targeted traffic, local link building can help you establish trust and authority within your market. When people see that you are featured on a reputable website, they will be more likely to trust your services. Furthermore, it will help them feel comfortable reaching out to you for further questions or consultations.
Ultimately, local link building is a key part of any successful online marketing strategy. It allows you to reach a highly-targeted audience that is ready to buy your products and services. The team at Array Digital is happy to discuss how local link building can be implemented as part of your overall digital marketing plan. Contact us to get started.