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Are you exploiting the full potential of Google local searches? No? Its potential is huge! An optimised Local SEO is a gold mine for attracting new customers for your businesses.
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You might be thinking we’re talking about the same old story, but… stats speak for themselves:
So being well-ranked on Google, Google Maps and the Local Pack means improving your web-to-store conversion rate.
Local SEO is an underestimated and inexpensive lever. Many companies still prefer to rely on search engine advertising (SEA) or more traditional marketing actions.
But that’s a mistake… That’s basically like handing the competitors the first place!
Check out how to improve your local ranking on Google.
Google is quite transparent about the criteria that determine the positions in the SERPs, Maps and the Local Pack.
After a local search, the ranking in the results is based on 3 main factors:
These factors combined help Google determine the best results for every local search.
However, distance is not always prioritised. The algorithm may find that a slightly distant business is a better match than nearby establishments. If so, it will be better placed in the search results.
It sounds good, doesn’t it? Well, local SEO is above all based on practical optimisations, so here is a complete list of simple actions you can take to rank better on Google.
Having a complete and optimised listing is a must to appear on Google search results.
The listings are displayed in the Local Pack, Local Finder and Google Maps.
So here’s Google’s recommendation: “To have your business shown to users in nearby search results, make sure its information is accurate, complete and interesting.”
These are a few good practices to follow in order to achieve positive results:
NAP “Name, Address, Phone” refers to your contact information (name, address and phone number), visible when someone does a local search on Google.
To have a good ranking, this data must be identical on all platforms (your website, Google Business Profile, online directories, etc.).
Because Google compares the information shared on different sources to provide users with the most relevant results.
What if the NAP information on your listing is not consistent with that provided on your website or local directories? In this case, your local SEO will suffer.
NAP consistency is therefore an essential ranking factor for local SEO.
It’s a bit more complex then. Updating all the information for each point of sale manually would be time-consuming. It is better to leave it to the local staff to ensure that the information provided is correct.
Here are some important tips:
Presence Management refers to all devices designed to optimise the online visibility of your network and it’s crucial for local SEO.
It includes 2 parts:
Let’s take a look at the broadcasting first. The aim is to update and share your information on as many platforms as possible.
Why should you be on different sites? Because third party sites generate 28 times more traffic than the companies’ site.
As mentioned above, Google takes the information on these sites into account when establishing its rankings… that says a lot about how important Presence Management is.
Unfortunately, managing the broadcasting of information from a large number of points of sale is an arduous task.
Yet, Partoo will be happy to help you! Presence Management is one of our expertises and we broadcast your data (address, website, opening hours, photos, offers, etc.) on more than thirty platforms in just a few clicks.
As mentioned, the number and quality of customer reviews are important criteria for local SEO.
The real challenge is to get as many reviews as possible from your satisfied customers. But how? Not all your customers have the reflex to leave a review.
So you have to be proactive:
Google Business Profile is essential for local SEO. *But the Google tool does not do everything. It is also important to have a functional and well thought-out website.
Here are some good practices to follow:
For more details on this topic, you can read our article on optimising a website for local SEO.
Now you have some practical levers to improve your ranking on Google. When you know how important local Google searches are today, you realise how important they are!
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