Local search rankings on page one of the search engine results pages capture a lion’s share of the clicks and calls from web searchers. Ranking at the top of a local search result for your commercial keywords can significantly boost your bottom line. If your business is not presently performing well in your local search rankings, find out how you can conquer your local search rankings through local SEO.

A large majority of consumers use local search. 74% of consumers perform local searches on Google. At least once per week, 56% of people visit a business right after searching. The volume of online search for local business services is staggering. Once you understand what is achievable for your business through digital marketing, you will appreciate the power of local search engine optimization and how it can transform your business. 

Google is the default search engine for local searches. Google is the most popular search engine, with an 86.6 % market share according to Statistica. Google only favors three local businesses when it comes to search results and placement in the “3-Pack”, the area in which the search engine result page (SERP) showcases local results listings.

Clearly, local searchers can convert into offline customers. High-ranking local business enjoy the lion’s share of local search results. Most high ranking business invest in local search optimization services. Local SEO includes methods for optimizing organic search results by improving local on-page SEO, optimizing website user experience, optimizing content for commercial keywords, and building local backlinks to your website, just to name a few.

Local Search Brings Quality Traffic To Your Website

Local SEO is an inbound marketing strategy that generates local traffic. Local SEO is designed to improve the visibility of brick-and-mortar businesses in search engines through local search rankings.

According to Google, 46% of all Google search results have local intent. Consumers are looking for local businesses that they can find quickly. You want your business to be easily found in your local search engine for your keywords.  The easier you are found online, the greater your business growth. Online traffic leads to more leads, sales, and revenue.

There are two main reasons local search rankings are so important for your business:

1. Local SEO helps rank your website in local search results. Ranking your website increases traffic for local businesses. Local SEO can help a business stand out. Local businesses rank higher in search results.  It also increases its chance of being ranked in the Google 3-Pack

2. Local SEO helps your Google Business Profile rank in the Google 3-Pack.  The higher your 3-Pack ranking, the greater share of clicks and business your company will take from local search results.

So what helps your digital assets rank locally?  Let’s find out by reviewing local ranking factors.

6 Benefits of Local Search For Small Businesses

1. Your business is easier to discover. Potential customers can easily find your business through their local search engine. Localizing your business through optimization increases its ranking in local SERPs.

2. Your business information is readily available in your Google Business Profile. 

3. Local SEO can increase a company’s credibility. Higher ranking in the SERPs can help build trust.

4. Local SEO boosts website traffic. Small businesses that optimize are more visible and have a higher ranking in the SERPs.

5. Local SEO helps businesses remain competitive. Local businesses can rank in the 3-Pack 

6. Local SEO improves online visibility.

According to Google, these are the main factors that influence local search rankings. These are known as Relevancy, Proximity and Prominence. These 3 elements make up the North Star of local search marketing since our goals is to make your digital assets apparent for your services, within your service area and popular because of the great services that you offer.

RELEVANCE

“Relevance” refers to the degree that a local search rankings matches the intent of what the web searcher is seeking. Relevance simply means that the business matches the user’s needs. Google will need to have complete information about your business to properly match relevant searches for the kind of services that your business offers.

How do we maximize your relevancy factor for local search rankings?

Relevancy is derived from the content about your business. Content optimization plays a significant role in creating highly relevant information about your business on your digital assets in order to help you business get found online via local search rankings.

Therefore, the more optimized your website and Google Business Profile, the more Google’s search bot can properly match your digital assets to local searches and with greater frequency since your business information is more explicit. The less ambiguity in a business website and Google Business Profile, then the better your digital assets will rank higher for the terms that match your keywords to the searcher’s intent to find your services.

We emphasize your service pages with local SEO best practices. We want to put every best practice into each service page that you have on your website and interlink your services throughout your site.

Optimizing for your services on your website also helps optimize your Google Business Profile because your Google borrows from your website to flesh out your Profile.

PROXIMITY

Proximity is a ranking factor in terms of matching your digital assets to the searcher’s location. When ranking local businesses, Google selects local businesses that are as close as possible to the web searcher.

How do we maximize your proximity factor for local search rankings?

Proximity is one of the most influential factors in local ranking. The more that your website can be anchored to your region, county, city, neighborhoods within your service area, the greater your rankings will be in local search rankings.

We emphasize your location pages with local SEO best practices. We want to put every best practice into each location page that you have on your website and interlink your location throughout your site.

Optimizing location on your website serves an additional important function. It helps optimize your Google Business Profile because your Google heavily “borrows” from your website. Additionally, we also fully optimize your Google Business Profile for your location and services in order to further optimize for proximity.

PROMINENCE

Prominence is a measure of your business’ authority in your field and how well-known your business is. A company with a recognizable brand, great reviews and a broad online reach has prominence The greater your prominence, the greater your local search rankings.

Local search results attempt to reflect a businesses popularity in local rankings. Prominence relies on information about a company, as gathered from the internet, such as articles, links, and directories. Prominence is also influenced by review scores and the number of reviews. Positive ratings and reviews often lead to higher rankings.

How do we maximize your prominence factor for local search rankings?

Local search services increases a small business prominence through building local back links, building citations, creating dynamic social media, cultivating favorable reviews, guest posting, press releases, digital public relations, and a variety of other methods and processes to build your business’ digital goodwill.

These ranking factors are applicable to local search rankings and include the 3-Pack top ranking factors as well as local organic ranking factors. These are just a few of the local ranking factors that influence local search rankings; yet, we consider them the most important for local search rankings.

1. Google Business Profile signals: Google creates a local business through Google Maps using signals like proximity, Name-Address-Phone-Website (NAP-W) data, categories, plus updated content such as photos and reviews. Key metrics from your Google Business Profile include dwell time on your listing, clicks to your website, clicks for direction, clicks to call your business, messaging and bookings.
2. Link signals: Quality and authority of your inbound links have a high impact on your rankings. 
3. Review signals: Includes review quality and quantity, review diversity and review velocity. Wherever possible, have reviewers use the combination of your commercial keywords and location.
4. On-Page signals: This encompasses how content is structured and presented on your website such as keyword optimization, geo-tags, internal linking, heading tags, etc.
5. On-Page location keyword optimization. Don’t just say “roofer”,  say “roofer Seattle” or “roofer west seattle”.
6. Consistent Name-Address-Phone-Website information across your website, Google Business Profile, social media and citations.
7. Volume of quality localized content on your website.
8. Internal linking throughout your website.
9. Commercial keyword relevancy across your website.
10. Geographic keyword relevancy across your website
11. Focus of your overall website content to your niche/profession. The more focused, the better.
12. Keywords + Location in the anchor text of inbound links.
13. Quantity & quality of inbound links from locally relevant websites.
14. Quantity & quality of inbound links from niche-specific relevant websites.
15. Mobile-friendly website
16. Fast-loading website.
17. Dwell Time: How long does someone spend on your webpages after clicking on it from the SERPs. Google might also be interested in the other aspects of your website, such as how visitors interact with it once they click through, and whether they bounce to other sites or visit other pages. 
18. Citation signals: These signals indicate the consistency of Name-Address-Phone-Website (NAP-W) data. Both the number and quality of citations are taken into consideration. Google considers popular directories and listing websites such as Yahoo, Bing Places and Yellow Pages are trustworthy, high-quality sources.
19. Personalization: It is similar to behavioral signals. To optimize for. It’s based on browsing history and language of the consumer their location and the device they use for searching.
20. Review signals: These signals include the number of reviews and keywords used. 
21. Social signals: These signals include the volume of likes, shares, and comments on social platforms, as well as mentions on community sites. Be sure you create a Facebook Business Page as that has become standard now for small business digital marketing.
22. Structured Data Mark-up: Schema code that is inserted on your web pages to assist search engine bots understand what your web page is all about.
23. Click-Through Rates from local search results. The MORE, the better for local search rankings.

The following is a list of SEO processes that help improve webpages’ local ranking. It is by using the combination of all these processes where the real magic happens for local search optimization.

• Optimize Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business)
• Build local citations
• Build local backlinks
• Optimize for local SEO ranking factors
• Competitive keyword research & analysis
• Improve webpage loading speed
• Update metadata on every web page
• Consistently request favorable reviews

Google is also very focused on providing quality results in local search rankings. To rank locally, there are best practices local businesses should follow regarding their review data, prominent attributes and photos to ensure that your Google Business Profile listing and website are both optimized to really stand out. These features can set you apart from your competition:

• Use keywords that you want to rank for to respond to reviews. The replies are not the most important part of the responses.
• Upload photos of products and services that you would like to rank for and then refresh your photo content regularly.
• Google Posts: Make sure your post content is keyword-optimized for the terms you wish to rank for.
• Google Q&A: Answer user questions, or create your own questions with content that includes relevant keywords
• Service attributes: List all pertinent service features that you offer.
• Website: Website content qualifies for “Their site mentions” justification so be sure to get nuanced with your service and location offerings.
• Landing pages and webpages linking to them should be optimized using keywords that are related to your important service features.

NOTE: Avoid keyword stuffing. It does not work as it provides a poor user experience. It will not do you any favors when trying to convert searchers into buyers. Additionally, it might hurt your local search rankings.

All the strategies mentioned above should be implemented with your prospective client experience mind. You should not create content solely for the purpose of gaming the system. Rather, your content should bring real value to prospects looking for information about your business and the services that you offer.

Local SEO is simply one of the best marketing strategies for small businesses because the majority of your prospective clients are searching for you in your local area.

Local SEO is a sustainable method to get found online in local search rankings. Small businesses simply can not afford not to invest in local SEO. Local SEO is now a reality for nearly all small business owners to enjoy a thriving local business. If you are not investing in local SEO, you are advertising for your competition.

Small businesses can use local SEO strategies to achieve online success by focusing on building their local digital assets, such as their website, and Google Business Profile for long-term gain. Just as you invest in physical assets to operate your business, you need to invest in your digital assets to grow your local search rankings, leads, sales and your business.