Harris KhanGoogle is the number one search engine in the world. It has been for a long time and it will be for many years to come. That’s because Google is reliable, easy to use, and just gives you what you’re looking for.
There are a variety of factors that Google uses to determine your rank. It doesn’t just go by how many friends you have on Facebook or Twitter, or whether or not you’ve been tagged in a photo on Instagram. These days, the most important factor is where your business is located. Google wants to give the searcher what they want, and if you’re a local business with a physical address, it’s going to fight harder to rank you higher in their search engine results pages (SERPs). So how do you improve your local ranking on Google? Here are some of those highly effective tips:
1. Use On-Page SEO Services
First and foremost, you need to make sure that your site is properly optimized for local search. Make sure your on-page SEO is up to par and start tracking how Google views your website through analytics. Analyze the keywords that searches lead to your website with, and see if there are any gaps in between what people want and what your site provides. You can engage your audience with on page SEO more, and in turn, lead to a higher quality score and better local rankings. If you don’t know how to do this, you can find many companies that do on-page SEO. Simply search Google for “on page SEO services,” and you’ll see a plethora of results, all offering to make your website faster, stronger, and more visible.
2. Verify Your Location
You need to make sure that people know where your business is located. If you’re a local business, the only way you’re going to get organic search engine results is if Google knows where you are. This is part of the efforts that need to go into on-page SEO, but it has its own step in the process because your location needs to be verified. The best way to do this is by filling out Google’s Local Business Center and setting up a “Google+ Local” page for your business. Once you do this, you’ll be able to be even more visible on Google, and your chances of getting ranked higher will increase dramatically.
3. Build Backlinks
Backlinks are important when it comes to SEO in general because they help push the ranking power of your site. They are votes for your website or page, and more of them means that Google is going to be forced to rank you higher in the search engine results pages (SERPs). So where do you get backlinks? The most common way people think about getting links is through directories like Yelp and YellowPages, but this isn’t always effective. The best kind of backlinks are the natural, editorial links that come from other authority sites. These are the types of backlinks that will create a snowball effect, where your site starts ranking higher and higher in Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs).
4. Use High-Quality Photos
One of the most underrated aspects of local SEO is using quality photos. Unfortunately, many business owners think about the money they are going to save by taking their own pictures with their phone or a cheap camera, but this can be one of the biggest mistakes you make when it comes to ranking better on Google. The problem is that if your image isn’t up-to-par, Google’s going to rank you lower. Why? Because the images on your website affect their quality score, and a lower quality score means it’s going to be harder for you to improve your local ranking. That’s why you should use Google’s image search to find the highest quality images that will relate directly to your website. Or, simply hire a professional.
5.Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly
The days of using a desktop to search the web are coming to an end. These days, more and more people are using mobile devices like their smartphones or tablets to find what they’re looking for on the internet. In fact, many millennials start their search engine queries while they’re watching television. So if you want higher rankings in Google’s SERP, your site needs to be mobile-friendly. Fortunately, this is one of the easiest aspects of local SEO to correct. All you have to do is follow Google’s mobile guidelines and your site will be set!
6. Manage Reviews
Online reviews are very important when it comes to a business’s visibility on Google because they’re a direct expression of what previous customers have thought about your organization. This is why it’s so important to manage online reviews because the better your review score, the more likely it is that you’ll be able to pull in organic results from people searching for keywords related to your business. The best way to manage online reviews is by simply replying to them, whether it’s publicly or privately. This shows your customers that you care about their opinion, and it can even help change their perceptions (and maybe even the actual score) of your business.
7. Create Content
The final step in increasing your local rankings is creating content for your website that will keep people coming back again and again. This is how you drive more organic traffic to your site and keep it growing. But what kind of content should you create? Well, some great ideas include:
- blog posts
- videos
- infographics
- webinars
The possibilities are endless when it comes to creating new types of content that can be posted on your website. Just remember to use keywords in your posts whenever you can so that Google is more likely to rank them high.
Now that you know some of the most effective ways to rank better on Google, it’s time to get to work! Implement these tips into your local SEO strategy and watch your website traffic grow. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day, so don’t expect to see results overnight. But if you’re consistent and put in the effort, you’ll be able to outrank your competitors in no time. What are you waiting for? Start ranking today!
