In this podcast episode, Rebecca discusses what local search is and how you can improve your ranking performance and visibility for local searches. She walks through the types of local search, the ranking factors specific to local search, and then she provides some key takeaways for improving your placement in Google local search.
Types of Local Searches
- Keyword only
- Keyword plus location
- Mobile-based searches
Ranking Factors for Local Search
- NAP – name, address, phone number
- On-page optimization
- Inbound links
- Google My Business
- External directory references
- User behavioral and mobile usage
- Search personalization
- Reviews
- Social media signals
Key Takeaways for Improving Local Search Placement
- Keep your NAP (name, address, phone number) consistent across your website and local directories
- Place your NAP in your website header or footer so it associated with all website content
- Use the local area code in your NAP
- Make phone numbers click to call on websites
- Sign up for Google My Business and have the right category and service area in place
- Sign up for other local directories
- Grab as many reviews as you can
- Make sure your local directories have your focused keywords in their description
- Use social media, and in particular, Facebook
- Check your existing local listings on services like MozLocal
If you’d like to learn more about local search, you can read Rebecca’s blog post: What is Local Search Optimization? She discusses the topic in more depth and provides a number of videos produced by Google.