You’re a local business looking for new customers or clients in your area. So how do you get ranked in Google for when people are searching for businesses like yours? Local SEO (Search Engine Optimization for your website) ensures your business appears prominently in search results when potential customers in your area are looking for your products or services. Effective local SEO not only helps you connect with nearby customers but also establishes your business as a trusted and relevant choice within the community.
Here are my Top 10 Tips for what you can do to rank high on Google for your local business.
- Put your city & state on your home page. You’d be amazed how many local businesses don’t do this! Better yet, put it in the header or footer so it appears on every page of your site. If your city is large, like Los Angeles, then also put your area or neighborhood: for example, Silverlake or West Hollywood.
- Put your city & state in your site’s title code. For example: George Numbers – Merced, California Accountant. The title code is the headline that Google displays when it lists your website in searches. Just using your name or your business name in the title might not match the terms people use to search for your services.
- Install an SEO plugin that helps you fine-tune the titles and descriptions of every page – Google uses this code to index and rank your site. Many of these plugins have free versions that will do just fine. My favorites are SEOPress and Rank Math.
- If you don’t already have a Google Business Page (GBP), make one right after you finish this article! This is a huge indicator to Google that you are legitimate and allows you to be featured on their local search map.
- Once you have your GBP, add your own photos to it. If you have a physical location, have the photos be the outside of your business, inside, happy customers, products. If you don’t have a set location or work out of your home, get creative. I added screenshots of the web sites I’ve built.
- Create regular posts to your GBP. Google Business Pages now have a post feature, like LinkedIn or a blog. And you should post to it. I know you feel you don’t have time for all this content creation, but set aside one hour a week to post. You can post a link to an interesting article in your industry, or a recent accomplishment/win for your business, or tips! Like this article.
- Make sure you have a LinkedIn profile and a LinkedIn business page and post to that regularly. You can post the same content that you posted to your Google Business Page.
- Have Social Media accounts for your business. Do you really need them all? YES! Because they rank high on google and are avenues that lead potential customers back to your site. Check out the Google Search for Moss Web Works. Google lists my social accounts, LinkedIn, website as well as all the other places my business is listed. In fact, all of the results on the entire first page link back to my business.
- Join your local Chamber of Commerce. Many of them have member business listings on their site, which can boost your own SEO and also becomes another road to your site. It also gives your business more legitimacy as you can post their logo on your site.
- Get Google Reviews. One indicator Google uses to rank your local is the quality and amount of your reviews on their platform. They have special link that you can send out to your happy clients and ask them for one minute of their time to write you a google review.
Any questions about LOCAL SEO or want us to help? Contact us and we can optimize your website to get more local customers.