Short Guide To Local SEO: How To Do Local Positioning




It's something that has happened to everyone. We are returning from work and we remember that we have to stop by and get some bread. We take our shiny smartphone out of our pocket, Google "bakery" and run to the nearest bakery to get the precious carbohydrates before it's too late. Once again, saved for a corner by Silicon Valley. But if we look at it from the side of the owner of the bakery, what was the decisive element with which he gained a new customer? The fact that he came out in the results for a local Google search - that is, having had good local SEO.

For all the realities - not just small ones - that live off local customers, such as pharmacies, hardware stores, grocery stores, restaurants, local SEO is essential to capture new customers who are looking for products and services in the area and to bring them to their physical point of sale. And it is even more important in a period in which wide-ranging customer mobility has been limited and in which takeaway and home delivery are the masters.

In this short article we will find out:

What is local SEO:


SEO, as we have already seen, is the acronym for search engine optimization. Similarly, local SEO identifies all those operations specifically aimed at favoring the positioning of a page or site in the local search results on Google.

Google local search:


Let's say that Google has reached such a refinement that, depending on the keywords provided, it is able to guess with a good approximation what the user's search intent is. Therefore, if he has reason to believe that we are looking for a product or service in the area, he will run his local search algorithm to offer us useful results to satisfy our need.

How to do local SEO:


Let's start by saying that of course that for the purposes of local SEO, normal SEO never hurts. Having a site well done, with clear information and structure, usable by phone and optimized for the right keywords is still a great business card for customers and search engines.

But the most important element, if you want, for the purposes of local SEO is the presence of a Google My Business page of the activity.

Create Google My Business:


The Google My Business page represents a kind of privileged channel to let the local search algorithm have all the information about our business, so that it makes us appear for the right searches.

It's totally free, and it's very easy to create [You can start here].

The first step is to enter the name: if the business is already known to Google it will be sufficient to claim the page, otherwise it will be necessary to create it from scratch.

[Please note: only the name must be entered. For example, trying to enter keywords can lead to the suspension of the card]

Therefore it will be necessary to provide, confirm or correct the address (and make sure that the placeholder is in the right place) and define the category of the activity (eg restaurant, pizzeria, beauty center). You can then add a telephone number, website link, additional categories and attributes, opening hours, services offered, photos.

[Please note: Google will ask you to verify the location, by post or by phone]

Provide consistent and quality information:


It is essential that Google knows what we offer to users (relevance), where we are (proximity) and that they can access a good amount of quality information about us (evidence).

The ratings and comments from users, as well as the responses from the account holder, are all particularly well received by Google for the purposes of local positioning. A large number of positive reviews can really make a difference, both in the eyes of the potential customer and Google, which naturally takes into account the "stars" earned by the business. And it also takes into account the owner's responses to customer comments, which demonstrate for its algorithm an activity that is attentive to customer feedback and their satisfaction.

To conclude, local SEO is essentially an optimization activity for local search, in which Google My Business - given its symbiosis with the search engine and algorithm - plays a key role. Therefore it is particularly important that the Google My Business card is equipped with all the essential and also accessory (but always consistent) information to meet the three fundamental requirements of relevance, proximity and evidence.

As we said, normal SEO doesn't hurt for local ranking purposes. Referring to a well-made site optimized for the right keywords can make the difference in directing a flow of customers towards us.

For this we have created a free guide that explains how positioning, keywords and SEO work: the 5 rules to improve your visibility on the web.

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