On-Page Strategies for local SEO

Local SEO 22 Jan 2021

Having a guide to local content and on-page is the difference between position 1 in Google and a position that doesn’t matter!

Maybe your business was once thriving for your local search results, but with everything changing recently, it’s now time to dominate your local SERP with a new local link building and content strategy!

Quick question – Has your current website strategically placed its city’s name throughout its online content to help users and more importantly search engine bots understand that it’s a “keyword” in the city?

Maybe this is you – wanting to reach out to new additional customers in smaller suburbs of your city. However, you don’t know the new ranking factors and how they work or how to do it optimally?

Help is at hand – after reading this complete guide, you’re going to know all about the possibilities of on-page local SEO strategies, so your business can BOOM all across the city and make it through 2021.

Considerations in any Local SEO Strategy

  1. Doorway Pages
  2. Research local keywords
  3. SERP Analysis
  4. Content Writing
  5. Generating Q&A Schema
  6. Post-publishing

Don’t use doorway pages!

Doorway Pages – A doorway page is made to direct traffic but doesn’t offer any value to the user, as doorway pages involve deception of the user and search engines, which is strongly against googles core commandment of never to mislead the user. Doorway pages may be built for the purpose of getting top rankings on local searches, but these days local rankings are far more likely to be a way down the rankings than up. So don’t use them.

Do Local Keyword Research!

Google my Business

It’s important to note that if you’re not familiar with google my business, you should get familiar with it and how to make your business appear on local search queries.

Keyword Research (KW) – Keyword are an essential part of SEO, as it allows you to make sure that you’re focusing your time and energy on search terms that people are actively searching.

Any google my business listing should be set up from a consumer perspective in mind. As in by answer the question which consumers are actually typing into Google, so you’re not wasting your time answering questions no one cares about.

So how do you figure out what consumers want from local businesses? The answer is through research and using tools to figure out what terms are in demand.

Organizing Data

To make life easier when performing local SEO and KW research, look into using software like Search Analytics for Sheets. This will allow you to pull all of your KW’s into a Google sheet or multiple sheets, quickly. Speed is of the essence for everyone and utilizing similar software will speed up the process instead of looking at one city at a time to identify target keywords.

So how do we search for keywords using Search Analytics for sheets? Let’s take a look:

  1. Create a new google sheet with the same email address that you use for Google Search Console access.
  2. Name your sheet whatever you want.
  3. In the menu, click on Add-ons, then click Get add-ons
  4. Click on the magnifying glass and search for “search analytics for sheets”.
  5. Install.
  6. You need to verify the tool to be added.

Categories

When you generate a list of keywords, it’s important to categorize them via semantic-relatedness. Yes, seriously. (Don’t worry, semantic-relatedness is just a fancy way of saying how we’re going to structure the SEO content on the website).

Do keywords need their own page or can it just feature on another page under another heading? Semantic-relatedness sounds a lot less intimidating when it’s explained this way huh?

Multiple Locations

To be competitive in one location is one thing, however, to be competitive in different locations is another. The KW’s needs to be done multiple times for each new independent location. There can be no assumptions in on-page SEO and one place’s local results don’t always translate with another.

When adding locations to a business, do independent KW research for that location too.

Local Business SERP Analysis

SERP Analysis – (Search Engine Results Page) – It’s important to consider what SERP search results come up when your local business keyword is typed in. For example, what SERP features show? FAQs, Reviews, Videos, Paid Results or ads?

A Local Pack shows up in SERPs when a query includes local service, local intent, or includes a geographical name like “SEO Agency Edinburgh,” and will include results close to your current location. Therefore, a key consideration for your local business should be to include more detailed information about your business such as the business name, address and phone number, Working hours, Q&As, Popular times and reviews.

Content is King

Content is so important for local SEO. Businesses will need to provide content which is more optimal for target queries compared to the competition. A business can’t start writing a new page’s content until they’ve analysed and looked at the content currently ranking in local search findings.

It’s important to consider and view the top-ranking pages to see how the pages are structured, what they cover, and provide in order to gain some insights on how to outrank them.

Schema & Local Search Findings

Once a business has written new optimized content there is an opportunity for some of the FAQs to show in the SERP. One of the latest evolution in SEO is called schema markup. This new form of optimization is one of the most powerful but least-utilized forms of SEO available today. Schema markup is code (semantic vocabulary) that you place on your website to help the SEO engines return more informative results for users.

Post-publishing

How long will it take the local search ranking to rise?

There are a lot of factors that will determine when your page gets indexed and when it’s TRUE ranking can be achieved.

In short, there is no way to comment on the time it will take.

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