How To Leverage Local SEO To Outrank Local Competitors?

Ready to fully tap into your local customer base. But How?

By using SEO to outrank local competitors. Go to Google and search for “best [your product or service] in [your city].” If it’s not you, you are missing out on vital potential clients.

Why?

Because,

– 90% of local customers make a purchase within a week of their initial Google search.

– 83% of users use the search engine to learn more about nearby businesses. 

Additionally, searches for “available near me” rose by 100% in 2021, “now near me” by 200%, and “along my route” by 1,000% in 2020. These statistics emphasise the importance of optimising your website for local searches.

Simple Strategies to Beat the Competition in Local Search:

Ensure that your name, address, and phone number (NAP) are consistent across all platforms.

Create accurate local citations.

Improve your Google My Business profile by adding precise and comprehensive information.

Include local keywords in your website’s text.

Make your website mobile-friendly and AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) compatible.

Understanding Local SEO

The primary goal of local SEO is to ensure locals can find your business online when searching for the products or services you offer. This involves improving your website’s visibility in local search results on platforms like Google and Bing. Digital performance marketing tactics can help amplify your efforts to optimise your presence for local customers.

Following is everything you need to know:

NAP Consistency

Name, Address, and Phone Number (NAP) must be consistent across all online platforms. Inconsistent NAP information can confuse search engines and lower your local search rankings.

For example, your rankings may drop if your address appears as “DLF Phase 3, 22A” on one website and “DLF 3, A22” on your GMB. Make sure your NAP is uniform across all platforms, including your website and other platforms. Digital marketing agency services can assist in ensuring NAP consistency across the web.

Local Citations
Any mention of your company’s NAP online is considered a local citation. These citations can be found on social media, websites, apps, and local business directories. They enhance your local search rankings, a core element of performance marketing services.

The following are some of the important citation locations (India):

• Justdial
• Sulekha
• IndiaMART
• Practo (for healthcare businesses)
• Zomato (for restaurants)

Make sure your data is accurate and consistent across all platforms, just like with NAP.

Google My Business

One of the most crucial elements of local SEO is your Google My Business (GMB) presence. It helps your business appear on Google Maps and in local search results.

To optimise your GMB profile, 

– Enter all of your information, including NAP, business hours, and categories. 

– Verify your location. 

– Make sure your operation hours are correct. 

– Manage and respond to reviews. 

– Include photos of your business.

How to Outrank Your Competitors in Local Search?

Conduct Competitor Research

To outperform competitors in local search, begin with a thorough SEO competitor analysis. Knowing your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses will help refine your strategy.

Steps for Competitor Research:

– Identify Top Competitors: Use tools like Google Search and SEMrush to discover who ranks for your target keywords.

– Analyse Their Keywords: Examine the keywords they target using tools such as Google Keyword Planner.

– Assess Their Content: Review their content formats, whether blogs, videos, or infographics.

– Inspect Their Backlinks: Tools like Ahrefs can show where they get their backlinks.

By understanding their tactics, you can identify gaps and opportunities to outpace them.

Optimise Your Google My Business (GBP) Profile

An optimised GBP profile can significantly improve your visibility in local search results. Performance marketing services often include optimising business profiles for local SEO as part of their comprehensive strategy.

Steps to Optimise GBP:

• Complete Your Profile: Ensure all fields, including NAP, business hours, and categories, are filled out.
• Verify Your Location: Make sure your business location is verified.
• Add Photos: High-quality images of your business can drive more clicks.
• Manage Reviews: Respond to all reviews, positive or negative.

Consistently updating your GBP ensures you remain visible and relevant.

Build Local Citations

Local citations of your business on other websites or platforms boost your search rankings. These citations boost your search rankings and are often managed by a digital marketing agency that specialises in performance marketing services.

Important Citation Platforms:

• Justdial
• Sulekha
• IndiaMART
• Practo (for healthcare businesses)
• Zomato (for restaurants)

Ensure consistent NAP information across all platforms to avoid hurting your rankings.

Optimise Website Content for Local Keywords
Including local keywords in your website is crucial for local SEO.

Where to Include Local Keywords:

• Title Tag
• Meta Description
• H1 Tag
• Body Text
• URL Structure
• Alt Text for Images

For instance, a bakery in Austin could use keywords like “best bakery in Austin” throughout its website.
Encourage Online Reviews

User reviews are essential for local SEO success. Positive feedback enhances your credibility and search rankings.

Review Platforms:

• Google Business Profile
• Trustpilot India
• TripAdvisor
• Glassdoor

Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews and always respond to them to build trust and show customer appreciation.
By following these steps, you can outrank your competition in local search and attract more customers.

Technical SEO for Local Search

Enhance Site Speed and User Experience

Technical SEO is vital for success in local search, especially site speed. Slow websites frustrate users and negatively impact rankings. Google prioritises faster sites.

Ways to Improve Site Speed:

• Optimise Images: Compress images using tools like TinyPNG to reduce file sizes without compromising quality.
• Minify CSS and JavaScript: Remove unnecessary code to speed up your site. Tools like Minifier can help.
• Enable Browser Caching: This allows browsers to store certain site elements, speeding up load times for return visitors.

Test your site speed using Google’s PageSpeed Insights for recommendations.

Mobile Optimisation

With over 50% of web traffic coming from mobile devices, mobile optimisation is critical. 

Ensure your site is mobile-friendly by:

• Using a responsive theme that adjusts to different screen sizes.
• Checking mobile previews to see how your pages appear on phones and tablets.
• Avoiding horizontal scrolling so users don’t need to scroll left and right.

Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test can help verify your site’s mobile optimisation.

Implement Schema Markup

Schema markup is structured data that helps search engines better understand your content, improving search result visibility.

How to Implement Schema Markup:

• Use a Local Business Schema Generator: This free tool helps create the necessary code for your business details.
• Insert Code in HTML: Add the generated schema markup into your website’s HTML.
• Validate Your Schema: Ensure there are no errors using Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool.

Types of Schema Markup to Consider:

• Local business schema: Includes business name, address, and phone number.
• Product schema: Provides product details such as price and availability.
• Review schema: Displays customer reviews in search results.

By enhancing site speed and using schema markup, you improve both user experience and search engine comprehension of your site, boosting local search rankings.

Conclusion

In today’s highly competitive market, securing the top position in local SEO is essential for any service area business looking to thrive. Conducting thorough SEO competitor analysis, along with using digital performance marketing will help you optimise your online presence, attract more customers, and outrank your competition.