Local SEO Trends In 2020: A Comprehensive Guide

If you’ve always wanted to know what exactly local SEO services will be this year, this guide will give you a comprehensive understanding

So, let’s get, set and go!

THE BASICS OF LOCAL SEO

Local SEO is optimization of a simple local business with location-based keywords. Local SEO optimizes the business’s website as well as their Google My Business profile

Let’s read some important facts about local SEO:

• SEO for local business is pretty huge. According to statistics, around 46% of all Google searches is locally-based
• People go for the ‘near me’ search more often. This has become 150% more than previously
• Around 29% of all Google SERPs have a local part to their results
• Surprisingly, around 74% of consumers that go for local searches, visit a local store that day
• The first thing to do for local SEO services is to identify where the business is located in the Map Pack. Therefore, regular Map Pack tracking is important
• The local organic results show up below the local pack. You can regularly track the local organic rankings. In fact, you can track the local rankings for the same keywords across different spots

KEYWORDS RESEARCH FOR LOCAL SEO

All you need to get started with for keyword research is a short list of keywords people commonly use for their local searches

Here are some steps you could follow to get better results for your keyword research

• Yelp Suggest works as well as Google Suggest. Type in a keyword, you think, people might use to find local results and get a list of suggested results. Yelp also gives you keywords that you may not have typed, but are mostly used by users
• Google Suggest is equally good for local searches, however, it should be kept in mind that the keyword suggest should be something that potential customers usually search for
• Since, most of the searches done on Google are now voice searches, local searches have become cooler and trendier than before. The only difference between normal search and voice search would be the length of the keyword and the language used to speak it out. Although, this could be confusing and difficult it could be an option that SEO experts might just make better in the future

SEO RANKING FACTORS

Local SEO service has certain ranking factors that it depends on. Depending on these factors there can be ways in which it can be optimized

Let’s read on!

• Your Google My Business Profile is the #1 ranking factor for local SEO. The content and links on your website play a role in the Map Pack rankings and it to be the #1 your GMB profile needs to be right on point
• The use of Name, Address and Phone Number (NAP) are key for local SEO ranking. This is because, Google checks your NAP information to see how authentic the business information is. And the more they see the NAP citation the more confident they become about the business
• Online review plays an important role as an SEO ranking factor. This obviously states that negative review hurts the ranking and a positive one increases the ranking to a higher level. Reviews show how customers put their trust in the business and is a foundational factor in ranking. Also, remember to keep reply to them!
• Google’s traditional ranking factor also affects ranking in the organic SERPs which further impact local SEO rankings

GOOGLE MY BUSINESS

Your Google My Business (GMB) profile should be optimized for better local SEO ranking. If your want to make the most out of your GMB profile then taking care of your Google My Business profile is imperative

Here’s all you need to know!

• Consistency is the key! So, everything you put in the GMB profile must match your website and your NAP citations as well
• When Google sees that your business information is 100% consistent in your GMB and website, they consider your business legal. Any disconnect in the information can be extremely harmful for your business
• Google has a scoring system for your profile and how complete it is. The main section that you must be careful about is the Category Selection. This is where you describe your business as per Google’s suggestion
• Keep a check and update the crucial business information like, opening/closing hours, holidays, location, etc. even if there is a change in this information, remember to keep updating these facts

ON-SITE SEO

After you’ve optimized your content with the usual on-page SEO approaches, you have to follow strategies that are specifically designed for local small business websites

Know some more about it!

• Try to write specific content for the specific location. The content for each of your page should not only be unique but also it should be catering to a specific location
• Through your unique content, you can create landing pages for cities you’ve never been to! Although this won’t help your ranking in the Map Pack, however it will be good for ranking in the local organic results for different types pf local keywords. Also, as far as the people there are served well, the traffic will also convert well!
• You can also use Schema markup for local SEO ranking. Although, Google does not rely much on Schema, however, the review markup of Schema can be of help

I hope your queries about local SEO have been resolved through this blog. The next time you need to know anything more contact a local SEO expert. We are just a call away!