5 Tips on How to Optimize Your Business Website for Better Local Search Results

5 Tips on How to Optimize Your Business Website for Better Local Search Results

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Do you want to be recognized as a leading provider of your products or services within your locale? Well, the good news is that with proper use of search engine optimization, this can be achieved with relative ease.

The good thing here is that SEO will not only give you an edge over your competitors but will tremendously increase your sales in a highly competitive market. Below we discuss 5 Tips on how to Optimize Your Business Website for Better Local Search Results.

1. Start with the title and meta descriptions

Even with frequent changes in search engine ranking, the importance of a good title and well thought out meta description has remained constant. Given that your title and description is what will appear on search pages, you need to take your time and ensure that these two elements are nothing short of perfect.

A good title should be about 50-60 characters. It should also include the targeted keyword and the name of the city where your business operates. If your business name does not contain content that will help when it comes to search engine ranking, resist the temptation to include it in the title. Since the characters to include are limited, ensure that every character you include in the link will help in increasing your visibility.

Just like the title, the meta description should be short and precise. It should also be descriptive, captivating, and unique. Thanks to recent changes by Google, meta descriptions can now go up to 200 characters. Make use of this addition but only include words that will help with your ranking.

There are emulators that will allow you to see how your title will appear on search engines. These emulators include Yoast SEO Plugin and SEOmofo just to mention but a few. Use this to tailor your title and meta description and ensure that every character counts.

2. Increase your Linkages

5 Tips on How to Optimize Your Business Website for Better Local Search Results

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Linkages can make all the difference where SEO is concerned. Getting authority links especially where yours is a small business can be quite a task. With good planning and some bit of research, however, you can find linkages that are sure to increase traffic to your site and enhance your business visibility. So, working on your on-page SEO is a must.

Broken link building is something that many website owners ignore when looking for linkages. Taking advantage of this often-overlooked tactic will definitely work to your advantage. You have to remember though that it takes hard work for broken link building to work.

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So how do you find broken links that are relevant to your business? Well, start by looking at dead pages on top sites that are in your niche. For example, if you offer link building services, search for dead pages on the sites that appear at the top of search targeting link building providers.

Sites like Ahrefs Site Checker can be used to find broken links in your niche that you can build and increase your linkages. You can then narrow your options to sites that would like to be linked to. Even though not all of these links will work, you can bet that out of ten, three or more websites will respond to your request to link your content in place of the dead resource.

3. List your site on directories and Citations online

5 Tips on How to Optimize Your Business Website for Better Local Search Results

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Well, is your business listed on any online directories? If not, it is important that you list your business in as many directories as possible. This way, your audience will have an easy time finding you on local search engines.

Consider top online directories such as Citysearch and Yelp among others. You can also search for respectable directories in your locality and ensure that you are listed on most if not all of them. Google My Business is another online directory that can give your business tremendous exposure. All you have to do is ensure that your content is optimized so that you appear on Google’s 3 pack in your location. It helps that this is a free resource and nothing but optimized content and good reviews are required.

Citations just like online directories are important. You should ensure that your business name, phone, and address or on top citation data aggregators such as Acxion, Infogroup, and Neustar. Ensure that your location data is correct and consistent on these sites. Considering that top search engines such as Google also rely on offsite signal to determine a business’s legitimacy and local ranking, you need to ensure that any location data is nothing but accurate.

4. Structure Website for SEO

Your business website should be structured to serve users well. Website users should be able to find the information they are looking for quick and generally have a pleasant experience on your site. As a rule of thumb, websites that are user-friendly rank well on search engines.

Essential pages that you will find in top-ranking websites include;

  • A Sitemap that helps visitors to the site access all website content from a single page
  • About Us page designed to improve the site’s credibility
  • Contact Page with adequate contact information such as business address, phone number, and email address among others.
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Google and other search engines like websites that also have a privacy policy.

Aside from including the above pages, you should go a step further and create corner content that answers some of the questions that visitors to your site will have. Having permalinks that describe the content on each webpage will also help a great deal. Depending on the platform you are using, select a URL structure that is sure to work for the good of your business website.

5. Optimize your Website for Mobile

5 Tips on How to Optimize Your Business Website for Better Local Search Results

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The use of mobile devices is at an all times high and this trend is going to continue for years to come. Current statistics actually show that there are over one billion mobile phone users in the world and this number keeps on rising every day. This means that if you want to rank high on search engines, you have no option but to ensure that your website is optimized for mobile devices.

It is important to note that optimizing a website for mobile goes beyond the user interface and layout in general. The user- experience also must be considered. There are many tactics that you can employ to ensure that your website is mobile-friendly. Anything from ensuring a fluid layout that will work on different phone screens to ensuring that images on your site are expandable will make quite a difference. Take your time to learn your mobile visitors and their search habits and tailor your website to suit these habits.

Conclusion

It is no secret that a good SEO strategy can propel your website to the top of search engines. This can only translate into increased visibility and increased sales at the end of the day. Though search engine optimization will help your business a great deal, you have to be committed and keep on refining your SEO processes. Keep in mind that search engines such as Google change their algorithms many times in a year and you have to adapt your website to these updates if you want to remain at the top.

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