Local SEO Factors

Although your website is on the World Wide Web it is important not to forget about the locals that got your business started in the first place. In recent years, Search engines, in particular, Google, have begun to direct a lot more of their efforts into providing better local search results. Thus, it is now more important then ever for your website to be optimizing its local SEO factors.

In a website audit, multiple local SEO factors are looked at, which include both your website’s citations and its local keyword search ranking.

            With “over 20% of all searches” being performed by people looking for local products or services, it is essential to anyone’s website to make sure their local listing is the same across all accounts, is comprehensible and is easily accessible to Google.

            As always, your website must work together in all parts. Therefore when conducting an audit, it is important your website has no alternate citations associated with its local SEO listing. Meaning it is the only business with the listed address and/or name. By conducting a search for Local SEO factors in a website you can see where your company is listed and what is being said about you.

            Once an audit has been done, multiple steps can be taken to optimize your local SEO factors, which can include but are not limited to:

–       Evaluating homepage title tags: make sure your <title> tag contains both your business name, business type/category, and the main place/city you perform your services/products

–       Checking the meta description tag: although not displayed in local page rankings, it is displayed in organic searches and thus, how you describe your business will alter who will click on your link

–       Formatting phone numbers and addresses so that they are simple: by keeping the format simple, you ensure that search engines will be able to interpret and identify this information successfully

Depending on your individual business’ problem with its local SEO factors, the auditor and your company can decide the next appropriate step to take. Whether the problem is small or a very simple fix it is essential to always keep an eye on your websites local SEO factors.