Local SEO: How to Optimise Your Content for Local Search Results

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) isn’t just a tool for big companies that have lots of money to throw at their marketing. It’s also the best way to grow your local business, and you don’t even need the help of a professional Brisbane SEO agency. With a bit of keyword research and a lot of writing, anyone can optimise the content on their website to appeal to a local audience. In this article we’ll go over the basics of how you can optimise your content for local search results and boost your Google rankings.

Incorporate Location-Based Keywords

Keywords are the basis of every good SEO strategy. If you’re targeting a local area then there’s good news – location-based keywords are often easier to rank for than generic terms that are being searched world-wide. Location-based keywords typically contain some reference to a particular city, suburb or area. For example, a plumber might use local keywords like:

• Plumbing repairs in [city]
• Plumber [suburb]
• Emergency plumber [post code]

You don’t need to limit the keywords on your website to phrases that contain location information. Google uses other sources (such as your Google My Business profile) to figure out where you are located and show your website to people who are looking for nearby businesses. But, location-based keywords can dramatically improve your website’s performance in local areas and help attract customers that are right on your doorstep.

Build Location-Specific Landing Pages

One of the simplest ways to target a location with your SEO campaign is to build out location-specific landing pages. Remember that clear use of keywords helps Google understand the content and intent of every page on your website. So, if you have a landing page that’s dedicated to the keyword “Plumbing repairs in [city]”, you are much more likely to show up in local search results. If you’d rather let the experts take care of building bespoke landing pages, that’s understandable. Just look for specialists in your area, such as those offering SEO services in Baltimore, to get the results you need.

Update Your Website with Local Information

If you want to target specific locations then you not only need to help Google understand your service area, your customers need to understand it as well. One of the simplest things you can do to optimize your content for local search results and boost Google Maps ranking is to add location-based information to your website. For instance, you can publish your street address on your home and contact page. You could also consider adding a Google Maps widget showing the areas you service. These little details are helpful to customers and they’re a great way of boosting local authority.

Ensure Consistency in Your NAP

Your business’ Name Address and Phone Number (NAP) are a core part of your local SEO campaign. If you run a local business then these contact details are critical to attracting customers through Google. Not only can Google use your address to help figure out where you’re located, it may show these extra details when your website appears in the search results.

For the best results, your NAP needs to be consistent across your entire online presence. That includes everywhere your NAP appears on your website, as well as NAP listings in directories, social media profiles or external websites (such as if your NAP is published on a third party site).

In this context, law firms can combine SEO and PPC strategies to enhance their online presence. This integration not only improves search engine rankings but also effectively targets potential clients with precise messaging.

Focus on Local Link Building

Link building is a huge part of SEO. Every time a third party website links back to yours, Google sees that as a vote of confidence. The more votes of confidence, the higher you show up in Google’s search results! It’s not quite that simple of course, but link building is a great way to boost your local SEO campaign. According to the SERP Forge link building statistics report, backlinks are considered to be one of the top two criteria for Google’s page ranking algorithm.

One of the ways Google looks at the links between unrelated websites is to check whether the sites share topics. If you build links with other websites that share your location-based targeting, Google can use that to figure out that you have high quality information for the people in your area.

When performing your link building, focus on local websites, blogs, search engines and directories. For instance, if you can get a local news website to write an article about your business, Google would see that you share a location. The link contained in the article would then be used as a vote of confidence showing you have local expertise.

Look at External Ranking Factors

Achieving results with a local SEO campaign isn’t just about the content that’s on your website. Google has become very sophisticated, and it now considers your entire web presence when determining search rankings. That means it’s important to look beyond your website and consider things like your social media and Google My Business profiles.

Social media and Google My Business (GMB) are powerful tools for local SEO campaigns. Every post you make is a chance to convince Google you have something to offer customers that are searching for results in their area. Before you spend hundreds of hours optimizing and writing new content for your website, make sure you’ve updated your GMB profile and that you’re making regular posts on GMB, Facebook, Instagram, and other social platforms.

Tools like NiceJob and other useful NiceJob alternatives can help automate and streamline these tasks, making it easier to maintain a strong online presence without overwhelming your schedule.