How to Optimize Your Website for Local Search

7 SEO Strategies to Optimize Local Business Websites

The past year has been an interesting one. Has it really been a whole year since we entered COVID-19-mode? We’ve heard a lot about the #ShopLocal movement. People were focusing on small businesses and buying gifts locally during the holidays.

According to the Retail Council of Canada (RCC), 90% of Canadians intend to shop locally during the 2020 holiday season. 83% prefer to buy items made in Canada.

We’re now past the holiday season. It’s time for small business owners and entrepreneurs to think ahead about how they can promote themselves locally in 2021.

If you have a local business that offers a service or a storefront, it is crucial that your marketing efforts focus on getting local traffic to your website.

There are many things you can do that will increase your visibility and reach your target market. Here’s how you can rank locally to help you reach your goals for 2021.

1. Make a list of regions you wish to target.

If you are from the Lower Mainland of BC, you might want keywords like “Langley,” Abbotsford,” and “Surrey” in your website content.

Include your city, nearest central metropolitan area, and province. Start creating long-tail keyword phrases to each of these. Let’s take the example of interior design. Instead of using the keyword phrase “interior design,” you could also target “Surrey interior designer” or “BC interior designer.”

2. Create a blog post or web page dedicated to each keyword phrase.

Once you have a list of keywords, it is time to get started writing!

Optimize your website for local searches by including keywords and geographical locations in your website copy. This will ensure that search engines see you as the top-of-mind in their search results. Don’t stuff your content full of keywords.

3. Post new content regularly.

Every website should have new content, especially if it is a blog post with value.

You can make your message even more valuable by creating new content that is location-based using your keywords.

4. In the text, add your business address to the footer of your website.

Your address is a must if you want to rank locally. This is a way to show Google that you are a local company, and it also lets your visitors know that they are at the right place.

You can even embed a Google Map to help customers locate your location and display it with images. This will build credibility and trust.

READ: Your Guide To SEO Trends 2021

2020 was a stressful and challenging year, I am sure. Many small business owners had their budgets cut and are now deciding where to spend their money moving forward.

Customer behavior changed, too. McKinsey & Company referred to it as “homebody economics” during their research on consumer behavior during the pandemic. It is defined as “Most people intend to leave their home to shop for essentials but remain low-engaged in shared services.”

This behavioral shift is essential for SEO trends in 2021.

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5. Utilize Google My Business.

Google My Business is a tool that helps small businesses stand out in search engines. Google is used to make over five billion global searches every day, whether it’s through a search result or a map query.

This means that your service or product can be found quickly by a broad audience. It increases your visibility and allows you to optimize your website for local searches.

6. Share and take local photos.

Optimizing your website for local searches requires more than just text. To show off what your business has to offer, take photos and share them instead of using stock photos.

Take pictures of your business in action within the local community. Name these photos when you upload them to your blog or website with file names that include your local keyword phrases.

Why? You can do this because all images on your website will have alt tags and file names that include localized keywords.

If someone searches for “best interior design in Surrey” on Google Photo Search, their image will be at the top.

7. Use review sites to your advantage

Free business accounts can be created with significant review sites such as Yelp, Google Yellow Pages, Insider Pages, and Angie’s List. Encourage customers to leave reviews about your business.

Optimizing your website for local searches is essential. But that’s another conversation! Contact us if you need help determining how to rank locally with off-site methods.

Take the time to go through your website, and then follow these SEO tips to get more customers in 2021!

Your business’s success depends on it.