Running a small business can be difficult. You need to think ahead and understand what your customers want, need, and expect from your brand. As a business owner, it’s essential to know the market like the back of your hand, create a strong team, and promote your products and services the right way.
Nowadays, everyone is online. Your competition is most likely investing in their internet presence, so you have to do your best to keep up. That’s why today, we decided to write about local SEO best practices that can help your business grow and become the best it can be.
We’ll talk more about what local SEO is, why it matters for your company, and how to use it for your benefit. Let’s get to it.
What Is Local SEO?
If you own a small business and want more customers to find you online, local SEO is your best friend. It’s one of the most effective (and budget-friendly) ways to increase your visibility in your area. But what exactly is local SEO, and how can you use it to grow your business?
Local SEO (search engine optimization) is all about optimizing your online presence so people in your local area can find your business easily when they search online. It’s especially useful for businesses like cafés, salons, dental clinics, retail stores, and any business that wants to attract customers from a specific location.
For example, if someone searches for “best hair salon in LA”, Google shows a list of nearby hair salons. If your business is optimized for local SEO, you’ll have a higher chance of appearing in those search results, which will help you gain a potential customer and increase brand awareness.
How Can Local SEO Help You Grow Your Small Business?
76% of people who search for “near me” visit a business within a day. Local SEO can help you be that business they fall in love with.
Optimizing your website for local SEO will lead to increased traffic, more customers, and higher visibility for you and your brand. And it’s so easy to implement these changes. You just need to have the right information.
Here’s how local SEO can help your business reach the success it deserves:
More Customers
People searching for businesses near them are just one step away from buying. If your small business appears in their search results, they’re a lot more likely to visit you. These people are usually not just browsing through the internet. They are ready to make a purchase, they just want some help in making their choice on who to purchase from.
Higher Visibility
Even if you have a small business, local SEO helps you compete with bigger companies by making you more discoverable in local searches. People love convenience when shopping, and if your brand is from their area, they’ll be more likely to buy from you than to go for large companies.
Better Reputation
By working on your online presence, you’ll get more positive reviews and build trust with potential customers. Buyers love reviews, and when they see how many people have had a good experience with you, they’ll start to trust you more. Also, this helps increase brand awareness. More people will know about you and consider your services.
Free Marketing
Unlike paid ads, local SEO is free when you do it yourself. That does take some effort and can be challenging and time-consuming at times, but it’s still worth it.
If you’re eager to see local SEO results but don’t think you have the capacity to do it yourself, check out platforms like Locanto to find an SEO expert in your area. Not only can they do all the heavy-lifting in setting up your local SEO, they can also help you target specific areas of your business to more effectively market your business. Why not take advantage of that and create a brand you are proud of?
Best Local SEO Practices
Now, let’s talk about the best local SEO practices that will help you rank higher in local searches and attract more customers.
1. Help People Find You With a Google Business Profile (GBP)
One of the most important steps in local SEO is claiming and optimizing your Google Business Profile. This is your chance to capture attention and influence your customers to take action.
Here’s how to set up your GBP:
- Claim your company: First, you have to go to Google Business Profile and sign in.
- Fill out your profile completely: Include your business name, address, phone number, website, working hours, and business category. One important local SEO practice is making sure your NAP (name, address, and phone number) is the same everywhere in your online presence.
- Add high-quality photos of your business and products: Take quality photos that show your brand in the best light. If you sell products (like food, tools, etc.), make sure you take photos of some of your products that look extra professional and give your customers an idea of what to expect.
If you sell services (if you own a hair salon or a catering service), take pictures of your staff interacting with people, helping them, and having fun. You can always hire a professional photographer to take your photos. It is an investment, but it will be worth it.
- Write an engaging business description: Explain what you do in a few sentences. Make it concrete and engaging. Also, don’t forget to do keyword research and use keywords relevant to your business.
- Encourage customer reviews: Ask happy customers to leave positive reviews, and always respond to reviews (both good and bad) professionally.
2. Integrate Local Keywords on Your Website
Keywords are words or phrases people search for on Google when looking for a business like yours. In order to find the keywords you want to target, you need to think about what your business is really about. Sum it up and write down different ideas.
Next, you want to add keywords that include your city, town, or neighborhood. You’re doing this because you want your brand to come up when people search for businesses in your area.
When you make your list, find keyword research tools that can tell you how many people search for these terms on Google and how much competition you have. You want to find keywords with a high search volume and low competition.
After you’ve found them, here’s where to place them:
- Homepage and About page: Mention your location and keywords as naturally as you can in your content.
- Your title tags and meta description: These are the headlines and descriptions that appear in Google search results.
- Service pages and blog posts: Make sure to include your keywords in your written content.
- Image alt text: Add descriptive text to your images that include your local keywords.
3. Add Your Business to Online Directories
Besides Google, there are many websites where you can put information about your company, and a lot of them list businesses by location. These local directories help increase your online presence and improve your local SEO ranking.
Here are some directories you can check out:
- Yelp
- Facebook Business
- Bing Places
- Apple Maps
- Yellow Pages
Just make sure to put your NAP (business name, address, and phone number) across all listings. Google loves consistency.
4. Ask Your Customers to Leave Reviews
Reviews play a huge role in local SEO. They will not only help Google see your brand as more relevant, but they will also help your customers develop trust and consider buying from it.
You can just ask customers to leave a review after you make a sale. You can also send follow-up emails or texts thanking them for purchasing from you and providing a link to review your business. Just make sure you stay genuine and don’t sound too salesy.
And last but not least, answer all reviews in a professional manner. Don’t stress too much if you get a bad review, your customer might just be having a bad day. Another tip we have is that you choose a brand voice (the way you talk to customers) and stick to it. It can be professional, friendly, and so on. Just be consistent and polite
5. Create Local Content
A great way to improve local SEO is by creating content related to your community. This helps Google see you as an authority in your area.
You can write blog posts about events and attractions in your city (for example, post about the 10 best hair salons in LA). You can also create local guides and participate in events in your community, and then write about them on your website.
6. Use Social Media for Local Engagement
Even though social media doesn’t directly impact SEO, it helps you connect with your customers locally, and it will drive more traffic to your website.
You can share posts about special offers, events, discounts, and updates. Make sure to use hashtags related to your location (like #besthairsalonLA).
Also, always engage with your followers and encourage them to visit your store.
Start Getting More Visibility for Your Website
Local SEO is one of the most powerful ways to grow your small business without spending a lot of money on ads. By optimizing your Google Business Profile, using local keywords, collecting reviews, and creating content that your community will appreciate, you can get more people on your website, attract more customers, grow your conversion rates, and expand your business.
Remember, local SEO takes time, but the results will make it all worth it. So, put these tips into action, and sit back and watch your brand expand its impact. We wish you luck on that journey.
Last Updated on April 14, 2025 by Ash