To attract local traffic to your business, you need to optimise your online presence for local search engine searches. This is especially important for small businesses, like home service providers, that serve a specific geographic area. Local searches make up 46% of all Google searches, so ensuring your business is visible in these results is crucial.
As more businesses realise they need to optimise for local search, it has become more challenging to rank by location.
The Meaning of the Local Pack
The Local Pack is the portion of the search engine results page that includes a map and three listings with the corresponding name, address, and phone number (NAP) data. The Local Pack is the most commonly seen feature on the first page of SERPs, appearing in almost 30% of them.
The Local Pack affects businesses that serve a specific location, like plumbing or delivery services, as well as companies like restaurants and medical practices that are based in one area.
It has become more difficult for local businesses to rank high on the first page of the SERPs in recent years. Google has decreased the number of results in the Local Pack from seven to three, taking away prime spots from local businesses.
The Local Pack is the top section of the SERPs that provides users with information about local businesses. Competing for a spot in the Local Pack is essential because it gets a lot of traffic.
The Computation of Your Pages’ Local Rank
The three main factors that determine local results are:
The distance between the search and location terms used in the search query is the number of intervening terms. If the user doesn’t specify a location in their search, Google will use the user’s current location.
The listing’s relevance to what the user is looking for is essential. This is why having accurate and detailed information on your website is crucial.
Google tries to reflect well-known places in the offline world in their local results, such as famous museums and landmarks. The visibility of your pages within industry-specific sites is also taken into account. Finally, it considers Google reviews and organic search ranking. Google uses a combination of these three factors to determine what a user will see when they search.
For example, suppose the Google algorithm concludes that a business farther away is more likely to have what the user wants. In that case, it will appear higher on the list than a business closer to the user’s location.
The Trick to Local SEO
To rank for your geographic location, you need to do location-based SEO, also known as geo-targeting. One way to do this is by creating a Google Business Profile.
Doing so is a free and easy way to improve your business’s local ranking and visibility. Although all companies can benefit from having a profile, it can be most advantageous for small businesses.
The best way to improve your Google Business Profile is first to claim and verify your business. Once done, you can update your website, hours, location, and contact information. Maintaining a Google Business Profile involves posting regularly, answering customer queries, and replying to Google reviews.
The Value of Boosting Your NAP
Include your NAP (name, address, phone number) on your website if you want to make it accesible for search engines to find your business. The most common locations for the NAP are in the header or footer, in crawlable HTML text.
Remember, your NAP should be consistent across all platforms. This means that the NAP on your website should match what’s on your Facebook page, local directories, and other olatforms. Having inconsistencies will confuse Google and result in a poor user experience, which will, in turn, impact your ranking.
Conclusion
You need to focus on your local SEO strategy to rank your website in local search engine results. When you have a well-optimized website, you’re in control of your destiny. You don’t have to worry about someone else outranking you because your site is optimised for local search.
SEO companies can help you strategise your local SEO and surpass your competitors in the digital market. At NESMA Group, we can help you build your website best. To optimise your website for local search across New Zealand, schedule a free consultation with us today!