5 Tips on Website Design for Local SEO
Local Search Engine Optimization, or Local SEO, is a powerful weapon in your marketing arsenal. This “near me” mindset of searching creates a huge opportunity for your business.
But, how powerful is website design for local SEO? Let us go right to the expert, Google, itself:
- 80% of users are looking for local information
- Of those, half will visit a store they find within a day when searching with their smartphone
- Local searches via smartphone produce over 2 and half times as many purchases when compared to non-local searches
- 80% of consumers want ads customized for their city, zip code, or immediate surroundings
And the benefits keep stacking up. So, without further ado, let’s dig in with the top 5 tips to improving your local SEO.
1. Speed & Ease of Use
Realize that how your website looks and feels, no matter the platform, is the first step in any SEO. You must at least meet the initial expectations of your customer.
Your website must be free of broken links, load quickly, and be easy to navigate. When 40% of users are likely to leave a site if it does not load under 3 seconds, you can see why these things are important.
Broken links are also insidious. If you want to stop a search engine crawler and cause it to move on, by all means, do not worry about them. Additionally, broken links lead to lower traffic.
In regards to navigation, don’t make it difficult for those perusing the site to get around. Navigation is also a great indicator of what the website is about, informing your users with a glance.
Making your website quick and easy to use is the first, and easiest step on your journey. But, it is not enough.
2. Website Design for Local SEO
It is no secret that smartphones have taken over our lives. This is especially true when it comes to local search & SEO.
Websites must take advantage of responsive design. Responsive website design ensures that your ally adjusts based on the user’s interface. Why is this important?
Google announced the mobile-first index in April of 2018. When the biggest search engine in the world makes this type of announcement you can bet it is important.
So, what do you do? Make sure that your responsive website is fast on every platform. Additionally, make sure it is easy to read and is great no matter what the screen size is.
3. Optimize Your Content
Your site’s pages, starting with the homepage, should be clear and concise. Avoid fluff and the desire to stuff keywords into your pages.
Starting with your homepage, ensure that your website describes:
- Who you are
- Where you are
- What you do
Prime areas for inserting this information go beyond your main content areas. Your page title tag, header tag, and meta description all need optimizing with this information.
Repeat this process, where you can, across all your pages. While meta description is no longer as important as it once was, it does serve as an advertising copy.
As it is ad text, make sure that you write an amazing meta description. Use targeted well-researched keywords along with content relevant information.
4. Apply Location SEO to Your Pages
Now that you have a clean, fast, and working website we can start to take advantage of your location. Pepper your location into your website without forcing it. This is even more important when you have many locations.
Every product, service, and location needs its own page. This will seem like a lot of work, but it worth it for improving your SEO.
Remember: consolidation is the enemy! This is where keyword planning and implementation shine.
Keyword research is a step you cannot skip. Knowing exactly what, and how often, people search for things is powerful. It allows you to craft better content.
If your content is relevant and shaped correctly, your indexing will improve. Higher listings equal more clicks, so it is worth it to do your homework!
5. Take Advantage of Local Business Schema
Here is where things get a little technical. A local business schema is a structured data markup code that you add to your website.
This code speaks to the web crawlers in an easier language for them to understand. It tells the crawlers what you are and what you do.
Does it work? Yes, and Google’s research shows it brings more people to your site. They will even stay longer!
Decide what critical pieces of information you need your potential customers to have about your business. Take that information and let Google guide you through the process.
Bonus: Local Directory Listings & Reviews
Starting with Google My Business, make sure you claim or create your local listings anywhere you can. It is important that your name, address, and phone number appears exactly the same.
After completing your Google My Business listing, and ensuring it matches your website, get busy on those other listings. You can find tools that will help you find these sites as there are many out there.
Think hard about what you use to search and incorporate those platforms into your reach. There are many free options out there to take advantage of.
After you have done the work of grabbing those listings up, take a hard look at your reputation. Chances are that, even if you are brand new, someone has already reviewed you.
Your first line of defense is keeping an eye on Google, Yelp, and Facebook to track and address every review that comes in. Whether good or bad, a well thought out response goes a long way in maintaining a great reputation.
Find Some Help
Remember that website design for local SEO is never complete. SEO is a long term process that needs some attention every month or even every week.
Chances are that, as a business owner or manager, you will find that you need someone to get this work done for you. SEO is very time consuming, especially at the beginning of the process.
Do you want to help to leverage the internet and its opportunities? Get a FREE Website SEO Analysistoday and we will help your business grow!
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