Every company needs the same thing: to be seen.
One of the best ways to increase the visibility of your home services business is to invest in local SEO. When you invest in search engine optimization that focuses on your local area, you will only be shown to the customers you actually want and need.
In this post, we'll teach you what local SEO is, why it's important, how the Google algorithm works and how to improve local rankings for your business.
Let's dive in!
What is local SEO?
Local SEO stands for "local search engine optimization". It is the process of improving a website's ability to rank higher in localized Google searches.
For example, if you type "Best Pizza Sacramento" into Google, you'll find that "the flying goat," a Spokane, WA-based pizza parlor, doesn't appear in local search results. Instead, Google will direct you to a restaurant like "Roma 2 Pizzeria" in Sacramento, CA.
This is called a local search result because the website for Roma 2 Pizzeria is optimized for Sacramento-based Google searches. On the other hand, the Flying Goats website is optimized for Google searches based on Spokane.
The same goes for your home services business. When people Google for plumbers or HVAC technicians in your area, does your website come up? If not, you need to invest in local SEO. Your website will get a steady stream of potential customers if you do
Why is local SEO important?
As we explained in the beginner's guide to local SEO:
"The purpose of local SEO is to ensure that your business appears in Google search results when people search for products or services nearby."
This kind of online visibility will do wonders for your business. 76% of people who perform local searches on their phones visit a business within 24 hours. Even better, 28% of those searches result in purchases. If your business's website is up to date on Google's local rankings, your customer base and sales figures will increase.
Get to know the Google ranking algorithm
There are a number of search engines. But none of them has a candle for Google. A typical example: Google accounts for 86.64% of the global search market. Its closest competitor is Bing, with a market share of 7%.
To improve local search rankings, you need to understand how Google's ranking algorithm works and what ranking factors the search engine takes into account. Here are the three most important things that Google analyzes websites for:
Relevance: Google only targets websites that relate to user search queries. This is why you won't see ballet tutus when you search for mountain bikes. Google analyzes keywords, i.e. the words and phrases users type into search engines to determine relevance. If your website is optimized for the right keywords, it can become more local in the next section - read more.
Location: When it comes to local ranking, Google also analyzes websites for location. This is another reason why the aforementioned flying goat, the aforementioned pizza parlor in Spokane, doesn't show up in searches for "Best Pizza Sacramento."
Popularity: Finally, Google considers the popularity of a website before ranking it. Websites that receive more traffic, have more backlinks (more on this below) and manage larger social followings have a better chance of reaching the first page of Google search results. Why? Because Google assumes that prominent websites are popular for a reason. To better serve users, Google prioritizes these sites.
Now that we've gotten to know Google, let's talk about improving your loc
How to improve your local ranking in 5 steps
Local SEO is not complicated. If you're willing to put in the work and follow the five steps below, you'll improve local rankings for your business's website. Let's take a look.
Perfect your Google my business profile
This profile can make or break your local SEO strategy. Here's how:
- Create your profile: If you don't have a Google My Business profile yet, you can create one for free. Google will guide you through the whole process.
- Enter complete data:The more data you can add to your profile, the better. Start with important information such as your full company name, business category, exact address, phone number, web address and hours of operation.
- Add quality photos: Google my business profiles with high-quality photos get 35% more clicks than those that don't. So add as many eye-catching images as possible.
Once you have perfected your profile, continue with step 2.
Edit your website with regard to SEO
Next, take a look at your website. Is it optimized for SEO? We're assuming the answer is no, since you're reading this blog post. Don't worry, here's how to edit your website:
Make it mobile-friendly.
Mobile devices generate 54.8% of internet traffic around the world. Let's say your website doesn't look good on the latest iPhone or Samsung Galaxy tablet. In this case, visitors are unlikely to stick around for long. This will cause your website's bounce rate to skyrocket, leading to poor SEO results.
In addition, Google now favors mobile websites index and rank. It will be difficult to improve local search rankings if your website is not optimized for mobile devices.
Add valuable keywords.
As mentioned above, keywords are the words and phrases that people type into search engines. Google uses them to determine which websites should rank.
You need to know what keywords your customers are typing into Google when they search for the services you provide. Some of them will be obvious. For example, if you're a roofer, keywords like "best roofers in [your city]" and "roofers near me" are safe.
To find less obvious keywords, use a free tool like Ubersugest.
Once you know which keywords your customers use, add them to your website. Just make sure you don't fall back on keyword stuffing. When website owners add too many keywords, it becomes unreadable. Always prioritize readability.
Ensure consistency.
Finally, make sure that the information on your website is consistent across the internet. Is your business combat on your website the same as on your Google business profile? What about Yelp and your Facebook page? The same goes for all other business details.
Your local ranking will drop if Google discovers contradictory information about your business. So be super careful and check for typos and other inconsistencies.
Implement a content marketing strategy
Another way to improve your local ranking is to invest in content marketing.
How will this help? By creating keyword-optimized content, you give yourself additional opportunities to rank in Google search results.
You probably don't want to use the keyword "ac maintenance cost" on your website - even if you're a professional HVAC tech who fixes air conditioners for a living. This phrase doesn't get enough search traffic to make it during your website.
However, that doesn't mean that "AC maintenance costs" is a worthless keyword. So why not write a blog post on this topic instead? That way, you can capitalize on the traffic it generates while filling your site with other higher value keywords.
Content marketing also helps you build relationships with your target customers. They will read your articles and start to know, like and trust your business. When their AC breaks down, you'll be the first business they call to fix it. Win!
Collect and respond to customer reviews
Online reviews are crucial for the local ranking.
If you can generate positive, authentic online reviews on sites like Yelp, Thumbtack and of course Google reviews, your website will show up in more searches. As an added benefit, quality reviews help convince a potential customer to do business with you once you've achieved a high ranking.
If you've ever bought anything online, you know this to be true. We all read reviews before we make purchases on sites like Amazon and eBay.
The question is, how do you create positive ratings at a consistent clip? Here's how:
- Do a great job: If you offer a high-quality service, your customers will automatically be more open to reviewing your company. So make sure you do a great job.
- Ask for reviewsDo your customers love the services you offer them? Then you just need to create reviews to create them. 72% of customers who are asked to write a review write one in order to write one, according to BrightLocal.
- Offer incentives: Another way to collect reviews is to offer incentives. You can give reviewers a gift card to Amazon, offer a discount on the next service or a discount on the service you just performed.
As soon as you receive a review, respond to it - even if it's less than positive! 53.3% of customers expect companies to respond to negative reviews within a week.
Spend time building local links
Create a strong backlink profile for your website.
A backlink is any link that connects a specific website to yours. A backlink profile is a collection of links that point to your website. So this link counts as a backlink for Google, sitting in the search giant's backlink portfolio until we remove it from this post.
Google views backlinks as a sign of authority. The larger the backlink profile of your website, the more authoritative Google will consider your website to be. Since Google generally gives precedent to more authoritative websites, link building is a great way to improve local search rankings.
There are a number of ways to create a backlink profile. Here are a few ideas:
- Partner with other companies: Find businesses in your area that serve similar customers. Then offer to link to their website if they do the same for you.
- Sponsor local events:This is a great way to let your community know about your business. It can also earn you a link if the event includes a "Sponsors" page on its website.
- Involve the press: Local news outlets are always looking for stories. Ask them to write a story about your business and link to your website in the article.
- Invest in guest blogging: You can always write blog posts for other local businesses. Make sure you link to your website in the content if you do.