While there are many variables and tasks for a national SEO campaign, local SEO is its own beast.  The big changes here deal with site localization across meta data, Google My Business, and local directory syndication.

Localization

To localize the website, the basic SEO meta data as well as the city and the state must be in the title of the landing page.

Metadata

Of course, the product or service that you are offering must be in the landing page title as well. You want to be ranked according to what you do, and end with your brand name. The ideal length should be 70 characters, for instance: Transmission Repair | Clutch Repair | AAMCO Davis, CA 95616

H1/H2 Tags

In the H1/H2 tags of the landing page, indicate the city and state as well as what you do. Because this is the heading, your site will automatically be relevant in searches.

Relevant Keywords

Make sure that the content of your domain has relevant keywords when it comes to the service location and geographic location. Don’t forget that “Contact Us” page as well.

NAP

Name Address & Phone Number (NAP) Syndication is crucial because Google wants to rank the most credible and relevant result in the SERPs. Be wary of mismatched listings, different addresses, and user-generated listings. Unofficial listings from users are often inaccurate, so it’s best to manually claim and verify listings with an ongoing local listings management service.

Mobile Optimization

A mobile site that is fully optimized is a must in the mobile world we live in today. More than 60% of traffic usually comes in from mobile sources, and to provide painless and streamlined mobile experiences for users, you need to have an optimized mobile site. Google’s insights tool will determine which sites provide positive experiences from users, and this will help your rankings a lot if you’re at the top of the list.

Google Services

An optimized Google My Business Page is a no-brainer, just like any other Google service. Ranking first means you should take advantage of Google services as much as you can. To summarize:

  • Verify your listing
  • Update all details
  • Ensure the correct opening hours and phone number
  • Upload high resolution & Geo-coded images
  • Welcome customer reviews
  • For an indoor street view tour, hire a Google-certified photographer
  • Post often and update always

Loading Time

Landing page loading time is important because in our fast-paced world, everybody is impatient. Instant gratification is demanded by everyone everywhere, and if your page takes forever to load, you will end up losing valuable visitors. Keep that abandon rate at a minimum with third-party tools like GT Metrix and Google Page Speed that help you outline where you stand.

Schema Markup

With Schema markup as your local onsite SEO, you can inform Google that you are a local business right from the landing page.

Geographic Keywords

If possible, make sure that the geographic keywords are relevant throughout your domain content. Try to connect all the locations you service through each page in your website, and connect the dots. Driving directions are also important, as well as local landmarks to make your location even easier to find and even more relevant for Google’s SERPs.

Fresh Content

Want to keep your stream of useful content fresh? Create a blog. User-experience-driven sites such as blogs offer a unique opportunity for websites to drive mentions and inbound links back to you. Vary your blog posts regularly from videos to infographics in order to keep things spicy.

In-Bound Links

Create high-quality inbound links and connect them to your landing page URL. Ensure that the city name in the anchor text of backlinks point to the local landing page, too.

Conclusion: There are a lot of building blocks to creating the perfect local SEO campaign, and with us as your trusted network of experts diligently working round the clock to increase your rankings, all the complicated intricacies of local SEO will be a complete cinch.

For More Information

To find out how Global Media Groups can help you generate leads, traffic and brand awareness, please contact us at 773-791-4363 or info [@] globalmediagroups.com.