We all keep asking the google assistant about the best hotels or nearest pharmacies more than we should. But has it ever occurred to you that how does the browser rank the restaurants or other things that we search for? That, my friend, is decided by the Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO is the process of increasing the quantity and quality of traffic drawn towards your website through organic search engine results. When a user searches, search engines give them a list of results that are relevant to the typed keywords.
SEOs play a vital role in deciding the rank of a website. To appear in one of these results an organization or a website should use the keywords that are commonly used by the customers. SEO does not only help the business of a website/organization but also improves the user experience.
There are various factors that determine the ranking of a Local SEO and it is our duty to keep you informed and updated-
- Content– You have to optimize the content in such a way that your website contains the keywords searched by the customers on the search engine. Adding the keywords doesn’t mean increasing the length of the content because longer content looks shabby. Make sure that the content is compact, to the point and qualitative.
It so happens that trying to match the keywords, we sometimes end up copying someone’s content. This leads to plagiarism and reduces the website’s credibility. Keep trying harder to make sure that your data/content is authentic.
- Google My Business– Your listing on My Business increases your visibility, especially when it’s an owner-verified listing. Once you have listed yourself on My Business more people will get to know about it. But listing the business is not enough, you also have to optimize the details about the business
.
Optimizing the listing is not tough; you just have to make sure that all the information about your business is clear. It should include your contact number, address, hours of operation, types of operation, pictures of the business, etc.
- Mobile Utility– It is a well-known fact that more people use mobile phones rather than desktops. Therefore you have to make sure that your website is mobile-friendly because Google’s mobile-first index is now a thing. It means that search engines fetch those websites first which are mobile-optimized.
Features like automatic adaptability of the site to fit the screen, using large fonts, easy accessibility, etc. make the site more user-friendly. More user-friendly a site, more are the chances of it being in the top results.
- Backlinks– When a webpage is linked to another webpage, it is called a backlink. The backlink attached to the webpage takes you to the original web source where it was officially published. When other sites link your links to their webpage, it automatically increases the traffic and gives the impression that your link is credible.
There are various ways to build backlinks like creating content, blogs, news, etc. For this, you have to reach out to local bloggers, influencers, and industry editors. They will give you the push you need.
- Social Signals– Google says that social media shares do not increase the traffic of a website. Links from social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are not considered as links from authentic websites. But when viewers share your content, its value and credibility increases. Also, the highest number of visits on a page, have higher shares.
So, it is crystal clear that if your content is seen more, it will be shared more and hence more backlinks.
- Local Links– Your site should have citations from various online directories like Apple Maps, Yellow pages, Foursquare, etc. Getting published by review websites such as Yelp and Glassdoor also helps. Your online presence should have positive reviews from past customers. Try to partner with local newspapers, publications, and local events; this increases the reach of the business.
- Page Speed- Page speed has been a deal-breaker in the SEO department. If a page takes more time to load, users are bound to skip it and move on to the next page. Because it is a two-way communication so your website has to be user-friendly.
Google has launched its mobile testing tool which checks the loading time of a website on various devices including mobile phones.
- Click-Through Rate– Search engines analyse the click-through rate of your website. It is the rate at which the people click your website rather than those who had the chance to click on it. The top three results which have higher CTR are more helpful to the customers.
Make sure that you have a high CTR because it indicates that your content is interesting.
- Bounce Rate– This is one of those things that you might want to skip, as this decreases your credibility. The bounce rate indicates the fair share of people who visited your website and exited it immediately. There could be various reasons for that such as longer loading time or unrelated content. Make sure that your content keeps them engaged and interested.
- Accessible Website– The first and foremost thing that a search engine does is, visit the URL and understand the content of the website. To help the search engine a website should be properly coded, have a sitemap and should have HTTPS. A robot.txt file tells a search engine where it can and can’t look for your site information.
SEOs are giving a plunge to local businesses and helping them increase their productivity and profits. It is helping them reach new heights and make sure that it remains two-way communication. So that businesses keep maximizing their profits and customers get the user-friendly websites to work on. We think we have guided you enough but if there is anything more, tell us in the comments.
