What Factors Affect your Ranking in Local Search

Getting your business to show up in local searches isn’t as easy as simply adding your geographic area into your content. Search engines have a more complicated process of evaluating search results before delivering to their users. Some of the factors that can impact local search rankings are:

• Consistent NAP
• Local links
• Local keywords

Name, Address, Phone Number

Since you need customers to find your business via local search, it means they need to find your physical location. Hence the importance of a consistent business name, address and phone number (NAP) on the web. This is also crucial when search engine calculate the distance between your and users’ location.

The best way to go about this is to set up Google My Business. Essentially it’s a listing that shows your address, phone number, open hours, etc. — everything a customer might need in order to visit or contact you.

Make sure you select the appropriate category for your business and describe the product or service you offer. If you move locations, it’s essential to update your NAP information on all your online assets.

Local Links

Links constitute an integral part of any SEO, helping search engines determine credibility for a website. The same is true for local-based searches, as with any search optimization, except local links have greater impact than any other simple links.

Local links represent a token of credibility towards a website or business. If local source links to your business, this confirms the location and the local prominence of your business to search engines.

Local SEO is about citation building — getting your name and address mentioned by local sites with authority and citations are the local SEO equivalent of links, pointing to your brick-and-mortar location instead of your website.

Google will source information from various places to determine a site’s relevance to local search. By acquiring relevant links, you’ll help your business become relevant in local searches.

Local Keywords

Keywords are a core part of any SEO strategy. Local searches revolve around geographical location, as users search for businesses, services or products nearby.

That’s why during the last few years, the key “near me” has become prevalent in top search queries:

• Restaurants near me
• Thai food near me
• Dentists near me
• Lawyers near me
• Drug store near me

“Near me” searches are a huge opportunity and will only continue to grow in number of searches. As with any type of online marketing, you need to be actively pursuing opportunities for your business.

You should include local keywords on your website such that when people are using their mobile phones, and they type “find x near me” you’ll be found because of relevancy and the distance from the target, not because you have placed “near me” into your content.

Therefore, include local keywords into your website content, but keep it authentic and natural and don’t over-use geographical terms. Search engines will know where you’re located without having the content swarmed with your location.