Local SEO for small businesses: What to do and what not to do

Local SEO is great for small businesses on so many levels. You can connect with the local community and have the opportunity to become a part of it. However, local SEO is not without its unique set of challenges, and that’s why you need to avail yourself of professional local SEO services in Liverpool from NHANCE Digital. We are the local SEO experts capable of helping you navigate the nuances of the online world.

Here, we have briefly outlined what you should and should not consider in your local SEO strategy.

What to do?

• • GMB page – A GMB or Google My Business page is crucial because that’s where your target audience will search for your products or services when they want local results. Having a GMB account can help in local link building efforts, boosting your SERP ranking.

• • NAP consistency – One of the best local search engine optimisation best practices is NAP consistency. Your business’s name, address, and number must be identical across all local listings, so your customers don’t get confused. Also, this will make it easier for your potential customers to search for you and find all the information they need to arrive at your brick-and-mortar store.

• • Local citations from online testimonials and local directories – Positive testimonials and citations are a great way to boost your local rankings. These show search engines that you are a reputable and reliable company. The citations must come from online review websites and business directors that have a good reputation.

• • Design a website – If you wish to augment your local ranking, it would be prudent to design a website. When businesses don’t have a website, search engines don’t find them credible enough to rank on the first page of the SERPs. Furthermore, websites act as digital storefronts to lure customers.

• • Local landing pages – To achieve local ranking success, you need to have local pages aligned with the local listings. These landing pages will drive traffic and support your local SEO efforts.

• Keywords optimised for local SEO – Keywords are an integral part of SEO, and even when you are locally promoting your brand, you need to invest in keyword research significantly. Use the most relevant keywords that are used locally to make your brand search-ready.

What not to do?

When it comes to local SEO, you must never engage in the following:

• • Avoid local spamming at all costs. You must not fill the local landing pages with unnecessary and unrelated keywords to your products or services. Such practices can get your local landing pages penalised by search engines, and it will result in hurting your rankings.

• • Don’t use keywords that do not make sense for your local audience. It is useless to try and use keywords that would be more suited if you were promoting your brand nationally.

• • You must never have inconsistencies relating to the name, number and address of your business. If there is any discrepancy, your customers will flag you as unreliable, which will hurt your rankings. In local SEO, you cannot afford to attract negative reviews because it is bad for business.

These are a few things that you must and must not engage in when trying to boost your business online to your local audience. You can enlist our local SEO services in Liverpool to let us take care of your business objectives.

Wrapping up

If you are the owner of a small business, local SEO is your best friend. It can help attract and lure new customers and make your website rank high in the local search results. Local SEO is different from regular SEO because it is much more targeted. The former only targets a specific region, area or location. So, you need to be careful when crafting a local SEO strategy and avoid practices that will penalise your business and harm your reputation. Positive reviews are everything to a local business since customers are keen on judging companies based on testimonials.

So, if you need any help promoting your local business, do not hesitate to contact NHANCE Digital. Our team of local SEO experts are here to assist you and look after your needs.