Local SEO for Hereford
Over the years, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) has grown to encompass a number of areas that wouldn’t necessarily have been viewed as part of SEO in the past. Things like digital PR and content marketing are classic examples. Of course, achieving top rankings for websites was and still is the core of SEO campaigns, but even when it comes to SERPs (search engine results pages) we’ve seen a lot of change. The once-regular sight of 10 blue links is now ancient history and the task of optimising for local searches has evolved into a rather different beast.
To fully appreciate the changes Google has made in the way it displays local search results we have to go back in time and look at two significant algorithm updates.
The ‘Venice’ update, which rolled out in February 2012, introduced major changes to the way in which search results are displayed. A number of searches that would previously have displayed standard results, suddenly began showing up in local results. For example, someone searching for “hairdresser” before the update would have received the standard 10 blue link results. After Venice, the results from such a search would be more relevant to his or her location, i.e. local results. You can read more about the Venice update here.
The other hugely important update that had a significant impact on local search was ‘Pigeon’, back in 2014. This update introduced a number of additional changes to the way in which Google evaluated and displayed results for local search queries.
Fast-forward to 2016 and local search is now a big part of SEO. Over the years, SEO professionals have been able to identify a number of factors that correlate with higher rankings for local searches. Some of the factors are identical to those of standard, organic SEO, and the main two, (links and content) have been confirmed quite recently. However, there are a number of additional factors which you wouldn’t necessarily think of as important when it comes to organic (i.e. non-local) Search Engine Optimisation. In this post, I will walk you through some of the basic steps of local SEO.
Google My Business Listing
You need to verify your Google My Business Listings. You will find more info on how to complete this process here. It’s a pretty straight forward but essential task if you want to rank for local searches. Doing so will tell Google where your business is based so that they can display its location for anyone searching for services or products you offer within their local area. Keep your listing updated and encourage customers to leave reviews.
Local Content
Time for an obvious one; in order to rank well for local searches, your website needs to contain your address and (ideally local) phone number.
Your location should also sit amongst the keywords on your homepage as well as any services pages. Optimising for this is no different to that of traditional SEO – you want your keywords in all the important places: your title tag, H1 title, within the body of your content, alt image tags and so on.
It also pays to embed Google Maps on your contact page, as this will help visitors pinpoint your location and obtain route guidance.
It is a good idea to have some local content on your blog, too (topics would vary depending on your niche). You could have a variety of guides, for example “The top 10 [somethings] in [your area].” Having a good variety of local content can help Google understand that your website is relevant to the area in which the searcher finds themselves. It will also help you receive local links.
Citations and NAP consistency
Everyone familiar with SEO will know the importance of links. Links are also important for local SEO but, in this field, they are accompanied by one important factor known as ‘citations’.
A citation is a reference to your business name in the form of NAP (name, address, phone number). Unlike links, citations do not have to include hyperlinks.
Each location will have its own local search ecosystem. Here is a good example of what it looks like in the UK. Having citations on these important websites can help with your local rankings. There are tools which can help you check the presence and consistency of your citations, but you can also do this manually. Making sure your NAP is consistent across all listing is a very important element of local search ranking.
Local Links
As we have already discussed, links are one of the most important ranking factors. In local search, links are also very important but the types of links you should try to acquire are a little bit different. When optimising for local searches, try to earn/acquire some local links. These could be from a local commerce chamber, charities, newspapers or sports clubs. Of course, depending on your location, some of these links will be easier to acquire than others. For example, it would be much easier for a small business to get a link from a small local sports club than it would be to get a similar link from a big Premier League football club based in a nearby city.
Another source of local links can be from local blogs and influencers. This is where the local content on your blog can become very handy indeed.
Summary
As you can see, local SEO is not particularly different from traditional SEO. The basic principles are, in fact, very similar. Local SEO is all about having the right signals on your pages as well as having the correct off-page signals (local citations and links).