As local SEO grows ever more competitive, you need an aggressive strategy that will set you apart from other neighbourhood businesses. Here are the top five things you can do right now to give you an edge on your local competition:
- Dive into Google My Business
If you haven’t already, the real first step to implementing this tactic is to claim your Google My Business (GMB) listing. Once this is done, users have instant access to a host of useful tools like analysis, insight, Q&A features, photos, and Google Posts. You will also be able to choose the best category for your business, which can help you better position your brand. It takes some trial and error to get it just right, but when you do, you can easily breeze past local competitors.
- Google Posts
Google Posts lets you include a photo, offer, page URL, business or product description and more in your search results. Each mini ad lasts for seven days, so there is plenty of opportunity to keep your content and engagement fresh. There has even been some indication that using Google Posts effectively can help boost your page rankings.
- Employ URL best practices
Make sure your URLs are concise, yet descriptive and user-friendly. Include relevant keywords when you can – especially keywords that would be meaningful to a local audience, like the name of your city or neighbourhood, product descriptions, and so on. If your site runs on a CMS, you may find you need to adjust your settings to make your URLs SEO-compatible.
- Secure your site
Google has recently started showing security warnings to Chrome users on HTTP sites that include a password or credit card field. Having your site show up to some users as unsecured can deal a huge blow to consumer confidence and is almost guaranteed to turn potential customers away. Learn how to secure your site here to minimise the damage.
- Create great content
The need for excellent, engaging content never changes, no matter what’s currently trending in SEO. Google loves fresh, high-quality content and so do your potential customers. If you’re intimidated by the thought of content creation or struggle with long-form content, there are plenty of tools you can use to help inspire your next blog post or how-to video.
Boost your SEO ranking with these five steps to ensure that your business stands out from the local competition.
