Frustration sets in. This scenario, unfortunately, is a common one, highlighting a crucial, yet often overlooked, aspect of local SEO: time-based ranking factors.

The ever-evolving world of local SEO has thrown us a curveball recently. Gone are the days of simply optimizing keywords and building backlinks.

Now, it seems Google is taking into account the very notion of time itself when deciding how to rank local businesses.

In this post, we discuss it in more detail.

The Opening Hours uproar

It all started with a bombshell dropped in the local SEO community in late 2023. Sterling Sky, a leading SEO firm, revealed their discovery – opening hours appeared to be influencing local search rankings.

The news sent ripples through the industry, sparking debate and uncertainty. Some SEOs hailed it as a game-changer, emphasizing the importance of accurate and up-to-date opening hours. Others remained skeptical, questioning the validity of the claim and potential negative consequences.

Google, on the other hand, remained tight-lipped. Their silence fuelled speculation, with some even suggesting it could be a temporary glitch. To this day, there’s no official confirmation from Google about the extent to which opening hours impact rankings.

Popular Times: A new time-based ranking factor?

The plot thickens further with the emergence of “Popular Times” as a potential ranking factor. Introduced by Google, Popular Times displays graphs on local business listings indicating typical busy and slow periods throughout the week.

Here’s where things get interesting – a recent case study by Claudia Tomina suggests a correlation between a business’s Popular Times and its local ranking.

Tomina’s research indicates that businesses with higher peaks in their Popular Times graphs tend to rank higher for relevant keywords during those peak hours. This isn’t to say Popular Times is the sole ranking factor, but it seems to be playing a role in the complex algorithm.

So, how can you leverage Popular Times to your advantage?

• Monitor Your Popular Times: Regularly monitor your Popular Times data on Google My Business. This will give you valuable insights into customer traffic patterns.
• Targeted Promotions: During slow periods, consider running targeted promotions or special offers to incentivize customers to visit during those times. This can help improve your Popular Times graph and potentially boost your ranking during those hours.

Here’s a word of caution: Popular Times data is based on anonymized user location history. It’s not an exact science, and trends can fluctuate over time. Don’t chase temporary spikes in popularity; focus on providing a consistently excellent customer experience throughout your operating hours.

Best practices for time-based optimization

While the exact weight Google places on opening hours and Popular Times remains a mystery, there are steps you can take to optimize your local presence for these time-based factors.

• Claim and Verify Your Google My Business Listing: Google My Business (GMB) is the central hub for managing your local business information on Google. Claim and verify your GMB listing to ensure you have complete control over your business hours and other crucial details.
• Update Your Opening Hours Regularly: Keep your opening hours on GMB accurate and up-to-date. This includes accounting for holidays, special events, or temporary closures.
• Utilize Scheduling Tools: GMB offers tools to schedule specific opening hours for holidays or events, ensuring your information is always accurate.
• Monitor Reviews and Respond Promptly: Customer reviews can significantly impact your local ranking. Pay close attention to reviews mentioning your business hours, both positive and negative. Respond promptly and professionally to all reviews, addressing any concerns about opening hours.
• Track Your Local Rankings: Keep a close eye on your local search rankings using local SEO tools. By monitoring your rankings over time, you can identify any correlations between changes in your opening hours and your search visibility.

Conclusion

The world of local SEO is constantly evolving, and the introduction of time-based ranking factors adds another layer of complexity for businesses to navigate. While the full impact of opening hours and Popular Times on rankings is still unfolding, it’s clear that accurate and consistent time-related information is crucial for local search success.

By following the best practices outlined in this blog post, you can take proactive steps to optimize your business for these time-based factors

The post How Opening Hours & Popular Times Impact Local Rankings appeared first on Improve My Search Ranking.

Strategic FAQs can be a game-changer for your local business website. They not only answer customer questions but also boost your local SEO (Search Engine Optimization), helping you attract more qualified leads and convert them into loyal customers.

The power of strategic FAQs for local businesses

• Become a local authority: Craft FAQs that address specific questions about your area, services, and unique selling points. Mention local landmarks or events to showcase your deep connection to the community. This establishes you as a trusted local expert in search engine results.
• Target local keywords: Sprinkle relevant local keywords throughout your FAQs. Include your city, neighbourhood, and surrounding areas to increase your visibility in local searches.
• Boost user engagement: Well-written FAQs keep visitors engaged on your site for longer, sending positive signals to search engines. This can improve your website’s ranking in local search results.
• Reduce support calls: Anticipate common inquiries and provide clear, concise answers within your FAQs. This frees up your team to focus on more complex customer interactions.

Crafting compelling local FAQs

Now you know some of the many amazing benefits of adding FAQs to your local business web pages.

But what’s the best way to do it?

Here are a few tips and best practices to help you make the most out of FAQs.

• Dive into local concerns: What are common questions specific to your location? Address parking availability, neighbourhood safety, accessibility options, or local delivery areas.
  • Pro tip: Conduct local market research or analyse existing customer inquiries.
• Highlight your uniqueness: Use FAQs to showcase what sets your business apart from competitors. Do you offer same-day delivery? Source local ingredients? Have a loyalty program?
  • Pro tip: Identify your competitive advantages
• Embrace the human touch: Infuse your FAQs with a friendly, approachable tone. Imagine you’re having a conversation with a neighbour, explaining things clearly and enthusiastically.
  • Pro tip: Maintain a clear and conversational tone

Examples of local FAQs:

Although FAQs would mostly be unique to each business, here are a few examples of how various industries can benefit from strategic and informative FAQs.

These examples should get your creative juices flowing, and then you can come up with relevant FAQs that can be added to important web pages on your local business website.

Restaurant:

• Q: Do you offer outdoor seating?
• A: Absolutely! Enjoy our beautiful patio overlooking Main Street, perfect for soaking up the sunshine during your meal.

Plumber:

• Q: Do you provide emergency plumbing services in [Your City]?
• A: Yes, we understand plumbing emergencies don’t wait for business hours. We offer 24/7 emergency services within a 10-mile radius of [Your City Center].

Retail Store:

• Q: Do you carry products from local artisans?
• A: Supporting our community is important to us! We proudly stock a wide selection of handcrafted goods from talented local artists right here in [Your Neighbourhood].

4 FAQ tips to remember

• Regularly update: As your business or local landscape evolves, update your FAQs to reflect changes in service offerings, events, or promotions.
• Mobile-friendly design: Ensure your FAQs are easy to access and read on smartphones and tablets, where most local searches happen.
• Promote across channels: Don’t limit your FAQs to your website. Share snippets on social media, local online directories, or even print them as flyers to distribute around town.
• Keyword-rich FAQs: FAQs are a great place to add important primary and secondary keywords. You can drive a substantial amount of organic traffic by making your FAQs search-engine friendly.

Bonus Tip: Consider using a dedicated FAQ schema markup on your website. This helps search engines understand the purpose of your FAQ content and potentially display it in a richer format in search results.

Conclusion

By strategically incorporating local FAQs, you empower customers with the information they need while simultaneously boosting your local SEO and online presence. This winning combination paves the way for attracting more local customers and establishing yourself as a trusted community partner.

The post FAQs for local business | Conquer your local market appeared first on Improve My Search Ranking.

Here’s where schema markup emerges as your secret weapon.

Forget dry technical jargon; think of it as a magic key that unlocks a treasure trove of benefits for both you and Google.

This post dives into the essence of schema markup and its profound benefits for Google and website owners. We also share practical strategies for local businesses to leverage schema markup.

Why Google loves Schema markup (and why you should too)

Imagine Google as a giant library with shelves overflowing with books. Schema markup is like a detailed filing system, making it easier for librarians (in this case, Google’s algorithms) to find the exact information you have.

This translates into two wins:

1. Google saves time and resources, understanding your website, and
2. Your business has a higher chance of getting a prime spot on the search engine results pages (SERPs).

Google is currently grappling with the ever-increasing costs of managing spam and integrating generative AI into search engine results pages (SERPs). The introduction of Search Generative Experience (SGE) marks a leap towards meeting searcher needs more efficiently, albeit at a higher cost.

This scenario presents a unique challenge: maintaining ad revenue while enhancing user satisfaction.

Schema markup stands out as a cost-effective solution, aiding Google’s crawlers and algorithms in understanding web content with unprecedented efficiency.

This not only helps reduce Google’s operational costs but also improves the visibility of websites that utilize schema markup.

By making your site easier for Google to crawl, index, and understand, you’re more likely to secure a front-row seat in the digital visibility arena.

Building trust: The new currency of the web

In the digital world, trust is paramount.

Schema markup allows you to speak Google’s language with precision.

By using @id tags and linking to external data sources, you’re essentially building a bridge of trust. Google can verify your information with ease, giving your content a big thumbs up.

How local businesses can use Schema markup

For local businesses, schema markup is a game-changer. Think of it as a neon sign screaming, “We’re open and awesome!” to everyone in your neighborhood searching online.

Here are a few of the many, many ways how local businesses can use Schema markup to improve their search experience.

• Local Business Schema: This is your bread and butter. Provide Google with your name, address, phone number, and hours – the nitty-gritty that local customers crave. Learn more about NAP here.
• Product and Service Schema: Don’t just tell them you exist; tell them what you offer! Showcase your products and services directly in search results, making that click to your website a no-brainer.
• Reviews and Ratings Schema: Customer reviews are like gold. Schema markup allows you to display them prominently, building trust and encouraging more clicks.
• Events Schema: Hosting a local event? Schema markup ensures it gets the recognition it deserves, potentially boosting attendance.

Leveraging the power of @id and sameAs

While the above are powerful ways for local businesses to use schema markup, most websites are still ignoring the powers of @id and sameAs.

These two tools are especially important in the context of this conversation, as they directly help Google (1) understand your web page and (2) establish your page’s credibility.

Here is a quick explanation of both:

In schema markup, “@id” acts like a unique identifier within your webpage

Imagine you have a webpage with information about a product, a local business, or even an event. Within the schema markup code, you can use “@id” to assign a unique label to that specific entity. This label allows you to connect different parts of your schema markup that are related to the same entity.

For example, you could use “@id” to link customer reviews for a product to the product itself.

Search engines can then understand the relationships between different pieces of data on your webpage, leading to a more comprehensive understanding of your content.

On the other hand, “sameAs” acts like a digital fingerprint. It connects your content to the same entity it describes on a trusted website, like Wikipedia or a brand’s official website.

Imagine you have a page about a local bakery. You can use “sameAs” to link it to the bakery’s official website or its Wikipedia entry (if it has one).

Search engines see this connection and understand that your webpage is definitely about that specific bakery, not some random bakery with the same name. This builds trust with search engines and potentially improves your search ranking.

The Schema markup AI advantage

The future of search is all about conversations and understanding user intent. Schema markup plays a starring role here.

The detailed data you provide becomes fuel for Google’s AI, helping it learn and deliver even more relevant search results. This not only increases your chances of appearing in these advanced search experiences but also positions you as a valuable source of information.

Conclusion

Schema markup is a strategic investment, not just an SEO trick. It’s about building trust with Google, enhancing your online visibility, and ultimately, attracting more customers to your local business.

So, embrace the power of schema markup, watch your business climb the digital ladder, and leave the competition in the dust.

And, as always, if you have any questions or need any help, we’re here to help. Give us a call.

The post Schema markup: The secret weapon for local businesses in the age of AI appeared first on Improve My Search Ranking.

A recent revelation from Google has placed the spotlight on “openness” — specifically, the hours of operation a business lists — as a pivotal factor influencing its visibility in local searches.

SEO professionals have noted a significant change in Google’s local search algorithm, particularly following the November 2023 core update. Joy Hawkins, a prominent figure at Sterling Sky, was among the first to identify this trend. She observed that businesses marked as closed are now less visible in local search results. On December 7, 2023, Hawkins tweeted:

“Well the news is out, the new ranking factor we are seeing that has a massive impact on ranking is HOURS. We’re seeing that businesses literally vanish in the local pack when they are not open. We started seeing this with the November 2023 core update. This is also making temporarily closed listings not rank.”

This insight underscores the growing importance of accurately listing business hours on digital platforms.

Google’s stance on ‘Openness’ in local ranking

Responding to these observations, Google’s Search Liaison confirmed the increased significance of “openness” in local search algorithms.

They explained that while “openness” has always been a part of the local ranking system, its influence has intensified for non-navigational queries. This change reflects Google’s commitment to delivering the most relevant and useful information to users, although the specifics of this signal may evolve over time.

“The team tells me we’ve long used “openness” as part of our local ranking systems, and it recently became a stronger signal for non-navigational queries. This might change in various ways, as we continue to evaluate the usefulness of it, however.”

However, it’s crucial to note that this change predominantly affects non-navigational queries. For direct searches for a specific business, the impact of “openness” might be less pronounced.

“If you were searching for a name of a business, that would generally be that you wanted to navigate / find that particular business. If you were searching for a general topic, that’s non-navigational.”

Potential for fake listings?

During a discussion on X, Sherry Bonelli raised concerns about businesses potentially listing false 24/7 hours to boost their visibility. This practice could lead to a poor user experience, as customers might find businesses closed when they’re expected to be open.

Google promptly addressed these concerns, advising against manipulating business hours. Not only could this result in a poor customer experience, but it could also trigger ongoing adjustments in ranking signals and potential penalties, including suspension emails from Google.

Takeaways for local businesses looking to improve search visibility

For local businesses, the message is clear: keeping Google Business Profiles up-to-date with current operating hours is not just a matter of accuracy; it’s a strategic necessity.

During peak seasons like the holidays, accurate operational hours are particularly crucial. They minimize customer frustration and can enhance visibility in local pack rankings. Accurate hours also offer a competitive edge, especially when rival businesses might be closed.

However, Google also cautioned against fake listings as that could lead to penalties in search engines and suspensions.

Conclusion

In summary, as Google continues to refine its local search algorithms, the importance of transparency and accuracy in business listings has never been more critical. By ensuring that operational hours are current and reflective of actual business practices, local businesses can improve their search visibility and provide a better experience for customers looking for their services.

The post Open business hours affect search visibility, confirms Google appeared first on Improve My Search Ranking.

Businesses can use their Google Search Console account to identify and troubleshoot these 3 areas, which are:

1. Identifying whether the page is indexable or not
2. Identifying if the page is a duplicate or canonical of another page
3. Reviewing the rendered HTML for code-related issues

1. Ensuring page indexability

Understanding whether your website pages are indexed by Google is crucial. The URL Inspection Tool in Google Search Console is instrumental here. It can quickly tell you if the page is indexable or not. If it is not indexable, Google will likely offer a suggestion for why Google may be facing trouble indexing the page.

If a page isn’t indexed, it might be due to issues like improper redirects, server errors, or blocked resources. The tool offers insights on why a page might not be indexed and how to fix it, making it easier for local business owners to quickly fix the issue.

Business application

For local businesses, ensuring every critical page is indexed is vital. Regular checks can prevent business-critical pages from being overlooked by Google, ensuring they appear in search results.

2. Dealing with duplicate content

Google’s handling of duplicate content involves selecting a canonical URL, which is the version it considers most representative. If your content is marked as duplicate, it’s not necessarily a penalty, but it does mean that Google has chosen what it considers the most relevant page.

According to Google:

“The next thing to check after crawling is if it’s been ignored as a duplicate and the canonical URL is on another one most of the time this is fine.

Even if this might not be the canonical URL you expected, the content is indexed and will be able to show up in search results, so this is generally fine.”

Google also advised against the cache or site search operators for troubleshooting and debugging purposes:

“Don’t use cache or site search operators and features because they are not meant for debugging purposes and might give you misleading outcomes when trying to use it in debugging.”

Business application

Local businesses need to audit their content to ensure uniqueness. This could involve rewriting product descriptions or creating unique content for each location page to avoid duplication.

Apart from ensuring each product or location page is unique and not merely a duplicate of another, make sure that no page that you want to appear on in search results canonicalize another page.

3. Reviewing Rendered HTML

Differences between source HTML and rendered HTML, post-JavaScript execution, can be significant. Problems in the rendered HTML could mean that Google isn’t seeing your content correctly, which can negatively impact your SEO.

It is important because checking rendered HTML is different than checking the HTML via the source code. If you want to see what the Googlebot sees, you need to review the rendered HTML.

“Check the rendered HTML and the HTTP response to see if there’s something you won’t expect. For example, a stray error message or content missing due to some technical issues on your server or in your application code,” says Google.

Business Application

Regularly checking the rendered HTML of the important pages on your site can uncover hidden issues like missing content or broken layouts that can affect how Google and users view your site.

How these tips may help local businesses

1. Improved visibility

By ensuring pages are indexable and unique, local businesses can improve their visibility on search engines, attracting more customers.

2. Enhanced website performance

Identifying and resolving technical SEO issues leads to better website performance, directly impacting user experience and engagement.

3. Competitive edge

Staying updated with Google’s guidelines gives local businesses an edge over competitors who might overlook these technical aspects.

Conclusion

Technical SEO might seem daunting, but it’s a crucial component of your digital strategy. By following Google’s tips, local businesses can significantly improve their online presence and search engine rankings.

If you want to watch Google’s video on debugging technical SEO problems, you can do so here:

https://youtu.be/jFeLHfY0xkE

The post Google shares 3 tips for identifying technical SEO issues appeared first on Improve My Search Ranking.

Today, let’s dive into the world of GBP metrics, exploring the top metrics that are crucial for your business’s growth and sustainability. While some of the metrics we discuss today may be specific to certain industries, they represent the core concept we’re trying to convey, i.e., feel the pulse of your business and how it’s doing.

Why GBP Metrics Matter

Think of your GBP as a digital mirror reflecting your business’s online charisma. It’s not just a listing; it’s a story of your brand being told in the digital streets of Google Search and Maps. By mastering GBP metrics, you embark on a journey to:

• Boost online visibility: Discover how your business shines on Google. Understand which aspects catch the eye of your potential customers and leverage that to stand out in the digital crowd.
• Decode customer behaviour: Peek into the minds of your audience.
  • What are they searching for?
  • What excites them about your business?

These insights are golden for tailoring your offerings and marketing manoeuvres.

• Track and elevate performance: Monitor key actions like website clicks, calls, and bookings. This is your business pulse – keeping track helps you to stay healthy and robust in the market.
• Hone local SEO: Local businesses, take note! GBP metrics are your compass in the local SEO landscape, guiding you to be more visible and relevant in your community.
• Manage your reputation like a Pro: Your response to messages and reviews paints a picture of your brand. Keep it bright and positive with timely and effective communication.
• Make smarter decisions: Data is the new oil, and GBP metrics are a rich reserve. Drill deep into this data to fuel informed and impactful business decisions.

The Magnificent Seven: GBP metrics to monitor

Here are the 7 trailblazing metrics that can propel your business to new heights:

1. Views: The Window to Your World: How many eyes are on your business? Split into Google Search and Maps views, this metric is your first clue to understanding your online popularity. You can also get a peek into the exact search queries that people use to find your business online.
2. Call Insights: The Pulse of Engagement: Each call from your GBP is a potential customer knocking. Track these calls to understand peak times and prepare your team to respond effectively.
3. Message Metrics: The Art of Conversation: In the age of instant communication, responsiveness is key. Measure your message volume, response rate, and speed to keep the conversation flowing and fruitful.
4. Booking Insights: Turning Interest into Commitment: For service-based businesses, tracking bookings is like watching your efforts bear fruit. Understand your booking trends to optimize your resources and capture peak interest.
5. Direction Requests: The Path to Your Doorstep: If you have a physical location, this metric is a beacon guiding customers to you. High numbers indicate a strong local presence and effective local SEO. On the other hand, a sub-par number indicates you have more work to do and improve your local SEO presence. Check out this comprehensive local SEO guide to learn exactly what to do.
6. Menu and Food Order Metrics: The Flavour of Success: For culinary entrepreneurs, menu views and food orders are the ingredients of your success recipe. They reveal customer preferences and your menu’s appeal.
7. Website and Booking Clicks: Digital Footprints to Your Business: These clicks are virtual footsteps leading customers to your digital doorstep. Track them to understand online interest and drive traffic effectively.

Embrace the power of data-driven strategies

Regularly monitoring your Google Business Profile metrics turns you into a digital maestro, orchestrating your online presence with precision and flair.

Or, at the very least, you will be able to make more data-driven decisions instead of shooting in the dark. And that’s never a bad thing, right?

These insights help you refine your strategies, engage customers more effectively, and steer your business toward growth and success.

So, stay informed, stay ahead, and evolve with the dynamic digital landscape. Your Google Business Profile is not just a listing; it’s your digital dynamo powering business growth and customer connections.

Transform these insights into action and watch your business soar in the digital skies!

The post Unlock the potential of your business with Google Business Profile metrics appeared first on Improve My Search Ranking.

This beginner’s guide will provide local businesses with a comprehensive understanding of the local lead generation and the tactics you can implement to drive leads for your business.

What is organic lead generation for local businesses?

Local lead generation refers to the process of attracting potential customers in your local area who are interested in your products or services.

The goal of local lead generation is to increase brand awareness, engage with your target audience, and drive sales for your business through non-paid, organic mediums, such as social media, online content, and search engine optimisation.

The importance of local lead generation

Local lead generation is crucial for businesses that operate in a specific geographic area. By focusing on generating leads within your local area, you can improve your chances of converting those leads into paying customers. Additionally, local lead generation can help you to build relationships with your customers, establish a strong reputation in your local community, and increase brand loyalty.

Strategies for effective local lead generation

Optimize your website for local search engines: Ensure that your website is optimized for local search engines, including Google Business Profile, Bing Places, and Yahoo Local. This will help your business to appear at the top of local search results, making it easier for potential customers to find you.

Here are a few tips that can help local businesses get started with organic lead generation:

1. Utilize social media

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can be effective for reaching potential customers in your local area. By creating a strong presence on these platforms and engaging with your audience, you can increase brand awareness and drive leads.

2. Leverage local directories and listings

List your business on local directories and listings such as Yelp, Foursquare, and Yellow Pages. This will increase your visibility in your local area and help you to reach potential customers who are searching for businesses like yours.

3. Publish high-quality and SEO-friendly content

Creating high-quality content for local organic lead generation is an essential part of any successful digital marketing strategy. Quality content not only helps to create trust and build relationships with local customers, but it also helps to increase visibility and generate leads.

Local organic lead generation occurs when people in a specific geographic area find and interact with your business through organic search engine results. Quality content is the key to getting noticed in organic search engine results. To ensure your content stands out, it should be well-researched, relevant, accurate, and memorable.

When developing content for local organic lead generation, it is important to focus on keywords that are relevant to your target audience. Keywords should be incorporated into the content naturally, as this will help to increase its visibility in organic search engine results. Additionally, content should be tailored to the local audience, as this will help to establish a connection and resonate with them.

4. Optimise your website for search engines

Optimizing your website for SEO is another important way to increase visibility and generate leads from local organic search engine results. SEO involves optimizing your website content, structure, and other elements to make it more visible and appealing to search engine algorithms.

This includes making sure your website is mobile-friendly and easy to navigate. The user experience on your website also matters a lot, and so does the loading speed of your website.

5. Offer special promotions and discounts

Offering special promotions and discounts to customers in your local area can be an effective way to drive leads. By incentivizing customers to try your products or services, you can increase the likelihood of them becoming paying customers.

Unless you’re advertising to promote discount offers, using special promotions can be another organic way to increase lead generation.

Conclusion

Local lead generation is a crucial aspect of any business that operates in a specific geographic area. By implementing the strategies outlined in this guide, you can effectively reach potential customers in your local area, increase brand awareness, and drive leads for your business. With a strong local lead generation strategy, you can grow your business and succeed in today’s competitive market.

Related articles

• Local SEO Guide

Need help with your Local Business SEO?

SEO Company for Small Businesses

Local SEO by Location

London SEO Agency

UK SEO Agency

Essex SEO Agency | Kent SEO Agency | Sussex SEO Agency | Surrey SEO Agency

The post A beginner’s guide to organic lead generation for local businesses appeared first on Improve My Search Ranking.

These include:

• Creating and optimizing a Google My Business profile,
• Claiming and verifying business profiles in local directories, and
• Implementing a local keyword strategy.

By taking advantage of these opportunities, you can improve your online presence and reach more potential customers in your area.

1. Optimizing the Google Business profile

A Google My Business (GMB) profile can help with local SEO by providing accurate and up-to-date information about a business to Google, which can then be displayed in search results and on Google Maps.

Having a completed and verified GMB profile can improve a business’s visibility in local search results, as it allows the business to appear in the “Google Maps” section of the search results.

This can increase the chances of being seen by people searching for businesses in the area, and can also help to improve the overall online presence of the business. Additionally, GMB allows posting updates, photos, and special offers to the profile, which will help to keep the information fresh and attract more customers.

A word of caution, however.

You have to be targeted and specific when optimizing your Google Business profile. Otherwise, it’s easy to get carried away.

One example of that would be the inclusion of categories.

You should include only relevant categories that best define your local business. Adding too many and/or irrelevant categories will lead to negative results, as Darren Shaw, founder of WhiteSpark, highlights.

https://twitter.com/DarrenShaw_/status/1089919297432969216

2. Claim your business profile everywhere else

Claiming business profiles in local directories, such as Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Yellow Pages, can also help with local SEO. By claiming and verifying these profiles, businesses can ensure that their information is accurate and up-to-date across multiple platforms.

This can improve the visibility of the business in local search results, as these directories often appear high in search results for local businesses. Additionally, having a presence on these directories can increase the chances of receiving positive reviews and ratings, which can also improve visibility and credibility in local search results.

It’s important to note that it’s also beneficial to keep the information consistent across different directories, including the business name, address, phone number, website, and hours of operation. This will help to create a coherent and consistent online presence for the business, which can improve its visibility in local search results.

Read more about the importance of NAP consistency across the web and why it is important for local SEO.

3. Use a local keyword strategy to guide your content and SEO efforts

A local keyword strategy is a method for identifying and targeting keywords that are relevant to a specific geographic location. It can help businesses to improve their visibility in local search results by making sure that their website and online profiles are optimized for the keywords that people in their area are searching for.

There are a few key steps to creating a local keyword strategy:

• Research: Identify the keywords and phrases relevant to your business and the local area. This can be done using tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs.
• Identify local keyword variations: Identify variations of keywords that include the name of the city, state, or region you are targeting. For example, “pizza delivery in Bristol” or “best Chinese restaurant in Lancashire”.
• Optimize your website: Use the keywords you’ve identified in your website’s title tags, meta descriptions, headings, and throughout the content on your site.
• Monitor and adjust: Monitor your website’s performance in local search results and adjust as needed.

By implementing a local keyword strategy, businesses can improve their visibility in local search results and attract more customers in their area.

Related articles

• Local SEO Guide
• Analyse Local SEO Competition
• Link Building for Local SEO

Need help with your Local Business SEO?

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Local SEO by Location

London SEO Agency

UK SEO Agency

Essex SEO Agency | Kent SEO Agency | Sussex SEO Agency | Surrey SEO Agency

The post 3 organic opportunities for local business SEO appeared first on Improve My Search Ranking.

• Drive a consistent stream of relevant organic traffic,
• Create brand awareness,
• Establish brand authority,
• Generate highly-qualified leads, and
• Increase conversions/sales and revenue.

However, not every local business seems conducive to the concept of content marketing and organic traffic and lead generation. Local law firms seem to be one of those businesses that don’t normally do very well when it comes to content marketing.

However, it doesn’t have to be that way. Your content does not have to be boring.

And because most local law firms aren’t leveraging this medium very successfully, that leaves more opportunities open for your business.

To help you, here are a few content marketing tips for your local law firm’s website.

1. Create content for each step of your customer’s legal journey

Unlike many other niches, the law industry has a lot of potential for creating relevant content for each step of the user’s journey.

For instance, if you deal with divorces, you can create content for the awareness stage that’s titled “X signs that your partner is considering a divorce.”

Then for the next step of the user’s journey, you can create a blog post on ‘X things to take care of when filing for a divorce.”

After that, for the last stage of the user’s journey (at the bottom of the funnel), you can create a content page that’s optimized for the keyword best divorce lawyers [in your city].

By doing so, you keep your website visitors engaged and provide value to them at each step of their journey. In addition, if someone goes through the entire process with you, they are more likely to convert and become a customer.

2. Create timely content to keep it fresh and engaging

Sometimes, some high-profile legal cases get a lot of attention on the internet. In that case, it is wise to create timely content to keep things fresh on your blog as well as keep your readers engaged.

The recent Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard trial is a good example of leveraging high-profile trending cases.

3. Leverage case studies

Not many local law firms leverage case studies as well as they should, and that means missing out on important opportunities.

A law firm is usually as good as its results, and good results speak for themselves.

If you have won a few cases, create written case studies on them and publish them on your website. If you have lots of case studies, divide them into thematically-related categories, e.g., divorce case studies, adoption case studies, financial fraud case studies, etc.

Case studies can not only be optimized for certain keywords (to drive organic traffic) but they can also be used for lead generation and lead nurturing.

You can gate a few case studies for lead generation. Similarly, you can also use case studies to warm and nurture leads when they are close to making a decision. That helps you convert more organic visitors into paying customers and contribute to the success of your organic content marketing strategies.

4. Create FAQ content

Law isn’t always easy to understand by the general public. Many people have questions about specific terminologies, legal jargon, or processes.

These questions can be strategically used to drive traffic with the help of FAQ content.

With FAQ content, you can target the entire keyword in a question. The answer is more likely to be ranked in SERP featured boxes, which can propel your local law firm’s website to the top of the rankings. Additionally, your FAQ answer can also become the de facto answer for voice searches.

5. Create glossaries

Not everybody is familiar with all the acronyms and words that are used in the legal industry. That presents an opportunity to create a glossary page where you define every acronym and word that people may have questions about.

These glossary pages are a great source of traffic and backlinks — which can pass link equity throughout your website and push other pages on your site higher on the search results pages.

What’s next?

We hope you found these 5 content marketing tips for local law firms helpful. For more such local SEO content, stay tuned to our blog.

If you need help with local SEO, feel free to contact us.

The post 5 Tips: Content Marketing for Law Firms appeared first on Improve My Search Ranking.

We’ve got you covered.

Here is a 10-point local SEO content checklist that will help you increase traffic and sales by keeping you on the right track.

1. Primary keyword research

High-quality and helpful content begins with thorough keyword research. Before you start writing online content, you need to understand the following:

• What are people in your niche searching for online?
• Which keywords are they using in search engines?
• What is their search intent for each search query?

We can divide local keyword research into two parts: primary keywords and secondary keywords.

By primary keyword research, we mean the main keyword phrase that each web page on your local business site will target. It’s important that each page on your website targets a unique keyword phrase with different search intent. Otherwise, you may end up with keyword cannibalization.

The easiest way to do primary keyword research is by analyzing content gaps between your and your competitor’s websites.

2. Secondary keyword research

Once you have identified the main keyword that you want to target with your web page, the next step is to shortlist a list of secondary keywords. These secondary keywords are semantically related keywords (or LSI keywords) that add context to your web page for readers and search engine crawlers.

Additionally, you can also rank for these secondary keywords and increase the total traffic potential of each page you publish.

For local SEO content, it is also important to find and include geo-specific keywords. For example, your main keyword might be “plumbing services”. But a geo-specific secondary keyword could be “plumbing services in London”.

3. Meta title

Each web page should have a unique meta title. It is an important search engine ranking factor. The meta title should be keyword-rich and accurately explain the contents of the page. 

Make sure that the meta title you write isn’t too long or too short. ~50-55 characters is considered the ideal length.

4. Meta description

Although meta description is not a direct search engine ranking factor anymore, it is still an important part of the puzzle.

Well-written meta descriptions encourage more search engine users to click on your web page. A higher click-through rate (CTR) not only brings additional organic traffic but can also play a crucial role in improving your search engine rankings.

Use a tool like our SERP snippet tool to preview how your meta title and meta description look before you publish your web page.

5. Images

A good content piece has useful images that add value to readers. For local businesses, it may include customer testimonials, photos of the business location, or product shots.

Here are a few tips when it comes to adding images to web content:

• Make sure to add a few images. They make your content less monotonous and more engaging.
• The images should be SEO-friendly. Add relevant keywords in the file name and alt text descriptions.
• Make sure the images are all web-friendly, compressed, and small in size. Images that are too big in size can slow down your web page and negatively affect search engine rankings.

6. Internal links

Internal links play an extremely important role in search engine optimization.

Before you publish your new web page, make sure it has contextual, helpful links to other pages on your website.

After publishing, find other thematically related pages (ideally, the pages with high page authority) and build relevant links to the new page you just published.

This will help Google bots and your website visitors find the new page easily. In addition, these internal links will also pass valuable link equity that will help the newly published page in search engine rankings.

7. Outbound links

Outbound links are links to external websites. Do-follow outbound links can pass link equity outside of your website, but that shouldn’t be the main concern.

The main goal is to make your web page the best possible resource for readers — even if that means including relevant and helpful outbound links.

Google judges a page’s worth by the value it adds, and outbound links can add value to readers.

8. Readability

The content must be easily readable. 

Use bullet points, images, shorter sentences and paragraphs, and a well-structured outline to create a pleasant reading experience. You can use free tools like Hemingway to see how easy-to-read your content is. Aim for a score of less than 8.

In addition, the design of your web page also plays a big role.

9. Website speed and user experience

The longer your web page takes to load, the tougher it’ll be for your page to rank on Google’s first page.

Check out our free guide on how to increase the website loading speed.

10. Call-to-action

Last but not least, the goal of a local business web page is not just to drive traffic. It is to drive sales and revenue.

And that happens when you include a powerful call-to-action that is in line with the search intent of the user.

Related articles

• Local SEO Guide
• Local SEO Landing Page

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The post A 10-Point local SEO content checklist to increase traffic and sales appeared first on Improve My Search Ranking.