How to Crush Local SEO to Dominate in Search Results

You have built a beautiful website, ready to welcome buyers, but…. crickets. Where is everybody? 

Why don't your target buyers find your products or services online? 

How do you increase your chances of showing up in the 3-pack? Pick the right keywords to focus on!

Here are some strategies you can take to identify and refine your keywords so that your efforts are geared towards increasing search volume and landing in that 3-pack. You can do some of the research manually, or we suggest using a tool like Google's free Google Keyword Planner to assist you with researching keywords.

First, identify where you stand today in search results for the keywords your target buyers are searching on. You might already be ranking for some keywords, not in the 3pack but on page 1 of the search results (the top 10 organic results appear on page one).

Next, round out your list with other relevant keywords to increase your chances of getting in that 3-pack.  Using the local florist as our example, the best way to identify your target keywords is to research the following three categories:

  A. Find industry words: Your objective is to identify commonly used phrases that people will use to search for               your business. Put yourself in their shoes – think about what your buyers would type in search engines to                   find a business like yours. Identify the keywords that are relevant to your industry. Include all components                 you can think of – product names, types, service types, problems people are solving, and questions people                 ask.

• Florists
• Flower arrangements
• Send Flowers
• How to send flowers?
• Where to buy flowers?
• Most popular flower arrangements?
  
  

   B.  Leverage keyword modifiers:  Modifiers are words that describe an event, product, quality or include other            relatable words. Think about different categories that your product or solution relates to – for the local florist            that might be:

• Parties
• Weddings
• Funerals
• What to bring to a dinner party?
• One day delivery
• Gifts
• Roses

     C.  Get your local keywords:  Consider all locations and areas you service and where your customers come                  from.  Customers likely look for businesses near them first. For the local florist, we might search on:

• Florist Washington, DC
• Florist in Washington, DC
• Washington, DC florist
• Florist near me
• Best florist in Washington, DC

Tip: Don't restrict the keywords to only the city you are physically in – include nearby locations.

What is the volume for the words you are evaluating? 

Once you have your target keywords, look to see how much volume the keywords are generating on Google. The individual search volume on each phrase, particularly for local terms might not seem like a lot. Still, cumulatively they add up to a lot of volume, so you need a content strategy to get ranked for several words – each word or phrase generates traffic that you want to get a piece of to visit you.

What can you learn from your competitors?

The last part of nailing your keywords is to see what words your competitors are ranking for that are getting them in the local 3-pack.  Input the URL of their contact page into Google's Keyword Planner to see the top words they are ranking for and add any new ideas to your target list. 

Now you have your words – how do you get ahead of the pack?

Your research is done, and you have your keyword target list. Follow these steps to put your keywords into action:

Step 2. Create a content plan

First, map the words you have prioritized to existing pages. Adding keywords or variations to current pages on your website is easier than starting fresh. It is best to focus on one topic per page. You can include two or three primary keywords per page with reworded variations. Targeting four or more keywords will dilute the page and negatively impact your chance of ranking for your desired topic. 

Second, after you have mapped keywords to existing pages, identify new pages or blog topics you will write to increase ranking for these words. You don't have to write all the content at once. Instead, create a calendar; a simple spreadsheet can include the page or blog topic and create a schedule. Perhaps commit to writing one new blog or website page a week until you have worked through your prioritized keyword list. 

Since you are trying to rank for local search results, prioritize writing content on your local words and phrases first. Find ways to insert the words on your site – add the locations you service and include locations in your blogs. If you have a delivery service, include those area names, counties, neighborhoods, and cities in your blog posts and site content. Add the location to headers and titles too. Content could be local promotions, news, and industry trends, depending on your industry and niche. The most important thing to remember is to write helpful content your local audience is interested in and seeking.

Step 3: Optimize your Google Business Profile

This step is critical for local businesses. The database of information stored in Google Business Profile significantly impacts local searches. Making sure your Google Business Profile is accurate with all your contact and location data and using keywords in your descriptions is a good start. 

Most businesses set this and forget it – but with minimal and consistent maintenance, this could be an easy win for you to increase visibility locally. You can post pictures and images and share content regularly. Don't forget to post to your Google Business Profile often and keep this profile as complete as possible. Stay tuned for future posts on how to optimize your Google Business Profile.

Step 4:  Get citations, and references on business directories and generate backlinks

A significant component of local SEO strategy is getting endorsed and mentioned by other sites. These mentions and links come in the form of citations which are mentions of your business's name, address, and phone number on another website, and backlinks are links from other sites directly to yours. In addition to your Google Business Profile, you also want to make sure you know all business directories where you can list your business, such as Facebook, Yelp, Apple Maps, Nextdoor, Foursquare, and more. There could be hundreds of business listings where you could be referenced. So leveraging a tool to centrally identify the opportunity of where to be listed and then managing your profile once to ensure you are listed consistently everywhere will help your overall local search results. 

Step 5:  Increase reviews from your customers

Know that 88% of people are likely to trust online reviews just as much as they would trust personal recommendations from peers. You should aim for at least 40 reviews with a 4.5+ rating. Identify the sites that share reviews that matter most to your business. Then have a plan for sourcing reviews from your customers. Ask for reviews early in your partnership so that it becomes a habit and you have an automated way to drive reviews. 

Never stop monitoring progress and measuring results

As with any marketing strategy, monitoring your results is a crucial part of the process. You must watch your results to know if your efforts are paying off. Track whether the keywords you're targeting have improved your local rankings. You will want to revisit your keywords regularly, at least every quarter, to see if search behavior has changed and if you need to adjust your strategy. Pay attention to which sources your customers are using most often to find you, and continue to invest more efforts where you are seeing good traction.

Red Panda Marketing helps local businesses like yours build and maintain a local SEO strategy to spend more time delivering great products and services to a large volume of customers and less time stressing about finding those customers. Contact us today for a free Local SEO consultation by sending an email to contact@redpandamktg.com.