Local SEO - 10 extremely effective tips for local businesses

What is local SEO?

The term local SEO, or local search engine optimisation, refers to the process of positioning a website as high up as possible in the local search results of a search engine.

The aim is to achieve the best possible ranking for relevant search terms in a specific localised area and to appear on the first search results page (SERP) for users.

Targeted local SEO optimisation measures are used to try to position yourself as high up as possible in the local search results.

Local SEO is important for all shops and companies with a physical location (e.g. doctors, restaurants, hairdressers, supermarkets, etc.) or companies that offer their services in a specific region, so-called service area businesses (e.g. emergency locksmiths, plumbers, painters, etc.).

According to a study by Google, over 70 per cent of search queries could be made via mobile devices by 2020. Google therefore categorises search queries in the local SEO sector as disproportionately important.

Top local SEO statistics

Source: Ahrefs

1. 30% of all mobile search queries are related to location. (Think With Google)
2. 76% of people who search for something nearby on their smartphone visit a shop within a day. (Think With Google)local seo smartphone searches
3. 28% of searches for something nearby lead to a purchase. (Think With Google)Yelp appears in the top five search results for 92% of Google web queries that include a city and business category. (FreshChalk)
4. 54% of smartphone users search for business hours and 53% search for directions to a local business. (Think With Google)
5. About 45% of shoppers worldwide buy online and then pick up the goods in shop. (Think With Google)
6. Mobile searches "where to buy" + "near me" have increased by over 200% from 2017-2019. (Think With Google)
7. Mobile searches for "shop open near me" (e.g. "grocery shop open near me") increased by over 250% from 2017-2019. (Think With Google)
8. Mobile searches for "for sale" + "near me" (e.g. "tyres for sale near me") increased by over 250% year-on-year from 2017-2019. (Think With Google)

Why is local SEO important?

Local search queries have become part of everyday life these days. Especially when the smartphone is always at hand.

In the age of the smartphone, local SEO is a must for all companies with a fixed location.

in 2015 , a study by Google came to the following conclusions:

• Nine out of ten consumers use search engines to look for services, reviews and/or products near them.
• Local search queries are particularly common when travelling.
• On this occasion, most users search for directions, company addresses and opening hours.
• Consumers who use their smartphone to search for services or products in their neighbourhood are usually already close to making a purchase decision.

Most users enter specific search queries when looking for information about local service providers in their favourite search engine. Hardly any one-word search queries are sent. On the other hand, it is more common for the selected keywords to be supplemented with the name of the city or desired district and thus made more specific.

Who can benefit from local SEO?

Every company with a fixed business location (shop, office, branch, etc.) benefits from local SEO - regardless of the size or industry of the company. The only thing you need is a fixed location that customers can visit or from which you offer your services. If this is the case, local SEO also makes sense.

Local SEO is a great opportunity for companies with a local location or offering regional services.

Users have long recognised the possibilities of local search. For example, when searching for an Italian restaurant or a doctor in the neighbourhood, the Google search engine is the first port of call.

79 per cent of all smartphone owners in Germany use their smartphone for search queries. Tourists and people unfamiliar with the area in particular use their mobile phones for local search queries. This gives even hidden shops away from the main shopping streets a chance of spontaneous footfall.

This makes Google one of the most important marketing tools for local businesses. The better the ranking in local search results, the higher the number of potential new customers that can be generated via Google hits. Local SEO ensures that these good rankings are achieved.

The challenge: More and more companies are recognising the importance of local searches on Google and are therefore investing in the local SEO optimisation of their websites. This makes the competition for a good ranking tougher than it was a few years ago.

So that you too can take part in this race for the top positions in the local search results, I will give you 10 valuable and tried-and-tested tips for local SEO optimisation to improve your rankings.

10 tips for local SEO optimisation for TOP rankings in local search results

Basically, local SEO is very similar to classic search engine optimisation. The ranking is determined by special ranking factors (on-page and off-page) and the respective Google update.

However, here is a list of the most effective measures that will significantly improve your local SEO:

Tip #1: Google My Business

Create a Google My Business account. The "Google My Business" account is incredibly important. It is the link to well-known services such as Google Maps, Google Street View and the Google 3-Pack.

In your Google My Business account, you enter primary company data such as NAP, company type, a brief description of the company, photos, opening hours, etc.

You can also create free posts, which can then be advertised immediately, such as current promotions, events and offers.

Google obtains the information it needs from the My Business account, as well as reviews, opening hours and photos, and displays these in the local search results.

The only requirement for creating an account is a Google account.

In the following video you can see how to set up a Google My Business account.

Tip #2: NAP - company data

NAP stands for Name, Address, PhoneNumber.

This information is crucial for Google. It is important that this company data always looks the same in your Google My Business account, on your own website and on all platforms where it appears.

For example, if a company provides different information on its Facebook page than on the company website and My Business account, this is not only irritating for the search engine, but also for potential customers.

Ideally, the company data should be structured like this:

1. Company name (your name + your service + / or your location)
2. Address (important, always the same spelling)
3. Telephone number (always the same format)

Care should also be taken not to change the address too often. This could lead to Google categorising you as untrustworthy.

Tip #3: OnPage optimisation

Local SEO is no different from "normal" search engine optimisation in terms of on-page optimisation. However, the search queries can differ significantly from those of supra-regional search queries. You must therefore explicitly analyse and select the relevant keywords and topics for regional searches.

The keywords relevant for a company's local SEO are determined with the help of a keyword analysis. Which keywords are frequently searched for in the respective region? Which search phrases are used? Do these also match the service offered?

Once you have researched the relevant keywords, optimise your landing page for these search terms. (See also point 9. Landing page per branch)

Tip #4: Social media

Are there any social media channels associated with the company? Then make sure that these are also active and that you interact with fans and followers. This sends positive signals to the search engine (e.g. brand awareness) and has a positive effect on the ranking.

If no new content is posted on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TripAdvisor etc. or if there is no interaction with followers and fans, the positive signal to Google is lost and therefore the positive effect on the search engine rankings is also lost.

It is therefore important to consider whether the resources are available for the effort required. Only if you have the time to actively operate social media channels or the financial means to have them operated by an agency are these channels a sensible marketing strategy in terms of local SEO.

Tip #5: Local citations

Local citations, or local directories, also play an important role in local SEO. For this reason, a company should definitely not do without entries in the business directory.

Entries in well-known, trustworthy and thematically relevant directories are also relevant. If there are entries in industry-specific directories, this is an important indicator for Google.

Again, it is important to ensure that the data entered matches that on the website and other platforms.

Tip #6: schema.org - structured data

Structured data helps the search engine to assess the relevance of the website and assign it to specific search queries. Structured data is not visible to website users as it is stored in the HTML code.

Schema.org terminology is used in most structured data for Google searches. With the help of schema.org, the data on the website, such as your contact details or opening hours, can be labelled so that they can be better recognised by search engines.

Google recommends using the JSON-LD format for structured data wherever possible. Conveniently, there are already specifications for this that can be used either by Google or schema.org.

More about the advantages of structured data.

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Tip #7: Backlinks and local links

Backlinks are also important outside of local search engine optimisation. In contrast to "normal" backlinks, however, local backlinks should be locally relevant.

These links can either come from local bloggers/influencers, from local company and business directories (Herold, Yelp, etc.) or from local news channels, such as associated chambers, suppliers and retailers.

The more mentions and external links from thematically relevant sites, the better for your ranking.

If you want to learn more about backlinks, read our article Backlinks - Guide & Link Building Tips for 2024.

Tip #8: Reviews

For most consumers today, authentic and personal reviews are crucial when making a purchase decision.

Who has never read reviews on Amazon or other online retailers before making a purchase decision? Probably very few. This is especially true for larger purchases.

Good ratings or reviews have a positive influence on local SEO. The saying "the more the merrier" applies here.

But beware, if a company only has five-star ratings, this could be an indication of manipulated reviews. It doesn't have to be, but it should be checked carefully.

Like our reviews on Proven Expert or Google, for example. We have over 120 reviews on Proven Expert and over 80 Google reviews. All of them are 5-star ratings. You can check our reviews here: Proven Expert reviews.

Trustworthiness is an important factor in customer acquisition and an equally important ranking factor.

To get an average star rating from Google, you need at least six reviews.

How do you get these reviews?

Either you wait for customers to leave them (this can take time) or you actively approach them and ask for a fair review if they are satisfied with your product or service.

Tip #9: Landing page per shop

If you are a company with several branches or shops, i.e. several locations, a single website is not enough. In this case, it would make sense to create a superordinate landing page from which links are created to the local landing pages.

In order to achieve the best possible position in the local search results, a separate landing page should be created for each individual location. Care must be taken to ensure that the following information is included on the landing page:

• Location data in meta description, on subpages, important headings, in the URL and in the body text
• Location map, e.g. through the integration of geolocations such as Google Maps
• Contact options, e.g. with a telephone number or contact form
• Services or products offered at the location
• Pictures of the location
• Description of the location
• Introduction of the location team
• Call-to-action
• Social media buttons

Tip #10: Google 3-Pack or Local Snack Pack - this is where you really make a profit

"Google 3-Pack" or "Local Snack Pack" is the box below the paid adverts(Google Ads) and the Google map (Google Maps) and above the organic search results.

The 3 results that are displayed in the Google box are also the ones that are clicked on most frequently for local search queries.

Imagine the following:

You are on a city trip in Berlin. It's lunchtime and you have an appetite for Italian cuisine.

You take your smartphone out of your pocket and enter the search query "Italian restaurant" using the voice function or keyboard.

The search results in your immediate vicinity are then displayed, with the Google Map and the Google 3-Pack at the top.

In the 3-pack, you will see the 3 most relevant results (from Google's point of view) for your query.

If you click on one of these results, a new window will open.

Here you can, for example:

• View pictures of the restaurant and get a visual impression
• Check the reviews
• Call and reserve a seat
• Let the route planner guide you there
• And much more (I will explain this in more detail in a separate blog article)

Honestly. Isn't that cool?

Cool for you if you have an appetite for pizza.

Cool for the restaurant owner who offers the pizza.

And it's not just cool for restaurant owners, but for all businesses that have a local location or all providers of regional services.

Hence tip 10: Add all the information you can about your business to your Google My Business account and maintain it regularly. I will explain what other options the Google 3-Pack offers in one of the next blog articles.

That's it.

Those were 10 extremely effective tips for the local search engine optimisation of your website. The prerequisite for the effectiveness of the measures is that the basic search engine optimisation (tech. SEO, UX, valuable content, etc.) has been carried out properly. If this is the case, you will soon notice an improvement in your local rankings with these 9 tips.

Don't have the time resources to do the local SEO of your website yourself? Give us a call or send us an enquiry by email: +43 1 353 2 353 | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

In a free initial consultation, we will find out what we can do for you and how much you can benefit from local SEO optimisation of your company website.

Conclusion on local SEO

Local SEO is an important part of search engine optimisation for companies that offer their services locally or have shops.

As smartphones are a big part of our everyday lives, it allows users to become aware of services and/or products on the go.

Not only search engines need to be taken into account, but also the optimisation of map services. If your company's website is optimised for these local search queries, the user must be shown the most relevant content for their search. Then there is a great chance that this user will become a customer.

Here are the most important points for a good local search ranking from our point of view:

• A website optimised for local search queries (Local SEO)
• A well-maintained Google My Business entry
• Further entries in industry-relevant directories

and

• Predominantly positive ratings / reviews

Frequently asked questions

What is Local SEO and why is it important for your business?

Local SEO stands for local search engine optimisation and is particularly relevant if you run a business with a physical location or regional offerings. Local SEO makes your website and your business more visible in search results when potential customers in your region search for your offer. This increases the likelihood that these people will become your customers.

How can you optimise your Google My Business profile for local SEO?

A well-maintained Google My Business profile is essential for a good local ranking. Make sure that all relevant information, such as address, phone number, opening hours and a description of your business, is correct and up-to-date. Also, use high-quality images to visually represent your business and collect positive reviews from satisfied customers.

What are the most important points to achieve a good local search ranking?

To rank well in local searches, you should have a website optimised for local search queries, maintain a well-maintained Google My Business profile and create entries in industry-relevant directories. You should also endeavour to receive predominantly positive ratings and reviews from customers.

How does on-page optimisation for local SEO differ from normal search engine optimisation?

The basic principles of on-page optimisation remain the same with local SEO, but the focus should be more on relevant local keywords and topics. Through a keyword analysis, you should identify local search phrases and terms that are frequently searched for in your region in order to integrate them specifically on your website.

How can you optimise your website for mobile devices and local search queries?

As more and more search queries are being made via mobile devices, it is important that your website is optimised for both desktop and mobile devices. Ensure a fast loading time, appealing and clear design as well as clear and easily accessible contact information to ensure user-friendliness for local search queries.