If you run a locally focused business it is critical that you rank well in your area for your chosen search terms. You need to improve your local SEO.
While this may seem like a daunting task for many small business owners with little experience in search engine optimisation, the good news is it doesn’t have to be as difficult as you think.
Improve local SEO with these 12 tips, which if you implement you will see your website rank increase in the search rankings locally over time.
As with many things in life, nothing is a quick fix. The key in many cases is being consistent. The tips below won’t instantaneously move you to No1 spot on Google in your area. But, regularly checking your site against these tips will lead to improved rankings.
These actions work for us, they work for our local SEO clients, and they will work for you too.
12 Tips to Improve Your Local SEO
Onsite SEO (Things you can do on your website)
1. Ensure Pages are suitably named.
It is important to ensure that website pages are suitably named for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) because it helps search engines understand the content of the page and rank it appropriately in search results. When a page has a relevant and descriptive title, it can help search engines understand what the page is about and match it with search queries that are relevant to its content.
Having well-named pages can also improve the user experience of your website. A clear and descriptive page title helps visitors understand what they can expect to find on the page before they even click through. This can increase the likelihood that users will click on your page in search results, which can lead to higher traffic and potentially more conversions.
Additionally, a well-named page can also provide a good opportunity to include keywords that you are targeting for your SEO efforts. By incorporating relevant keywords into the page title, you can signal to search engines that the page is highly relevant to those keywords, which can further improve your rankings.
2. Check all titles on each page have the correct header tag.
Header tags are used by search engines to understand the structure and hierarchy of a webpage’s content. The header tags, such as H1, H2, H3, etc., indicate the importance of the text within each section and help search engines understand the content of the page.
Using header tags correctly can also improve the user experience of your website. Headers break up the content into sections and make it easier for visitors to scan and find the information they are looking for. This can keep visitors on your site longer and reduce bounce rates, which can positively impact your SEO efforts.
If the titles on a page are not correctly marked with the appropriate header tag, search engines may not be able to understand the hierarchy of the content, which could negatively impact your rankings. Additionally, incorrect use of header tags can make it harder for visitors to find the information they need, which can also negatively impact user experience and potentially lead to lower engagement and conversions.
3. Images should have a descriptive Alt tag
Images should have a descriptive Alt tag for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) because search engines cannot “see” images the way humans can. Instead, they rely on text descriptions of images, such as the Alt tag, to understand what the image is about and how it relates to the content on the page.
Including descriptive Alt tags for images can also help improve the accessibility of your website for users with visual impairments. Screen readers, which are used by many visually impaired users to access the web, rely on Alt tags to describe images and provide context for their users.
In addition to improving search engine visibility and accessibility, using descriptive Alt tags can also help with keyword optimization. By including relevant keywords in your Alt tags, you can signal to search engines that the image and the surrounding content are related to those keywords, which can help improve your rankings for those keywords.
However, it is important to avoid keyword stuffing Alt tags with irrelevant or excessive keywords, as this can be seen as spammy and may actually harm your SEO efforts.
4. Add a blog and post on it regularly.
By regularly posting new content on your blog, you are providing search engines with fresh content to index. This can help improve your rankings, as search engines tend to favour websites that are regularly updated with new, high-quality content.
A blog provides you with the opportunity to target keywords related to your business or industry. By including relevant keywords in your blog posts, you can signal to search engines that your website is highly relevant to those keywords, which can help improve your rankings for those terms.
Blogging also provides you with content to share on social media platforms. By promoting your blog posts on social media, you can drive more traffic to your website and increase engagement with your brand.
5. Ensure your links work throughout your site.
Broken links can negatively impact your search engine rankings and user experience. When search engines crawl your website and find broken links, they may interpret this as a sign that your website is not well-maintained and may not be a reliable source of information. This can result in lower rankings for your website in search results.
In addition to impacting your search engine rankings, broken links can also negatively impact the user experience of your website. When visitors click on a broken link, they are taken to a dead end, which can be frustrating and lead to a negative perception of your website. This can ultimately lead to lower engagement and potentially fewer conversions.
To ensure that your links work throughout your site, it is important to regularly check for broken links and fix them promptly. You can use tools like Google Search Console or third-party website auditing tools to identify broken links on your site.
6. Do you have enough content on each page?
Visitors to your website expect to find informative, high-quality content that addresses their questions or concerns. If your website pages have insufficient content, visitors may quickly leave your website, leading to a high bounce rate, low engagement, and potentially lower conversions.
Having enough content on each page can signal to search engines and users that your website is authoritative and trustworthy. It can demonstrate that you have expertise in your industry, and you can provide in-depth, valuable information to your users.
it is generally recommended to have at least 300-500 words of high-quality content on each page, though this may vary depending on the type of content, the purpose of the page, and the user’s search intent.
Ultimately, the focus should be on providing valuable, informative content that meets the needs of the user. Rather than aiming for a specific word count, you should ensure that your content is relevant, engaging, and useful. You can achieve this by conducting keyword research, understanding your target audience, and providing comprehensive and well-organized content that addresses the user’s search query.
It’s also important to note that the amount of content alone does not determine whether a page is considered “light content” by Google. Other factors, such as duplicate content, low-quality content, or thin affiliate pages, can also impact your website’s search engine rankings. Therefore, it’s essential to focus on providing high-quality content that is unique, valuable, and meets the needs of your audience.
7. Are your pages optimised for relevant keywords?
Each page on your website provides an opportunity to target specific keywords related to your business or industry. By including enough high-quality content on each page, you can include relevant keywords and signals to search engines that your website is highly relevant to those keywords.
8. Do you have internal links to other pages and content on your site?
It is also important to ensure that your internal links are well-structured and relevant to the content on each page. This can help improve the user experience of your website and help search engines understand the structure and hierarchy of your content.
9. Do you have external links to relevant information and sites
Linking to relevant external sites can also help provide context to your content, helping search engines better understand the topics and themes of your content. This can help improve your website’s search engine rankings and visibility for relevant search queries.
By linking to relevant and authoritative sources, you can signal to search engines that your content is trustworthy and informative. This can help improve your website’s credibility and search engine rankings.
10. Is your site mobile-friendly and easy to navigate
For businesses that serve local customers, having a mobile-friendly website that is easy to navigate is especially important. This can help improve your visibility in local search results, as many users search for businesses and services on their mobile devices while on-the-go.
A mobile-friendly website that is easy to navigate provides a positive user experience for visitors, which can improve engagement and reduce bounce rates. This can signal to search engines that your website is high-quality and relevant to users, which can help improve your search engine rankings.
Off-site SEO (Things you do away from your website)
11. What backlinks do you have?
Backlinks, also known as inbound links or incoming links, are links from other websites that point to your website. They are important for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) because search engines like Google use them as a signal of the relevance and authority of your website.
Backlinks can also drive referral traffic to your website. When users click on a link to your website from another website, they are referred to as referral traffic. This can increase your website’s visibility and lead to more conversions and sales.
It’s important to note that not all backlinks are created equal. Backlinks from authoritative and relevant websites are more valuable than backlinks from low-quality or spammy websites. Therefore, it’s important to focus on acquiring high-quality backlinks from reputable websites in your industry.
12. Be active on social media
Maintaining an active presence on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can improve your visibility and engagement with local customers. Share updates about your business, respond to customer inquiries and engage with your local community.
Summary of how to improve local SEO
Both offsite and onsite SEO is essential for improving local SEO results. Onsite SEO involves optimizing the website structure, content, and code to make it more search-engine friendly. This includes implementing keywords, optimizing titles, meta descriptions, and other technical SEO elements. Offsite SEO, on the other hand, involves improving a website’s authority and relevance through link building, social media engagement, and local business listings. Both techniques can help businesses improve their search engine rankings, increase visibility, and attract more local customers. A well-executed onsite and offsite SEO strategy can also improve user experience, increase website traffic, and ultimately drive more conversions and revenue.
No time to improve local SEO yourself? Red Box Web Design help businesses around Stafford, Stoke and throughout Staffordshire to improve and maintain their search rankings and we can help you too. Let’s talk