7 WAYS TO BOOST LOCAL RANKING IN SERP

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Ranking on the 1st Page is crucial for fetching potential prospects. Potential customers looking to buy products and services always consider the results on the 1st page. So it is essential for businesses to make their spot on the first page. But do you know, “Appearing on the first page of Google can help you take your small business to a giant level.” If you aim to rank in a country, you will benefit somewhat. But if you aim to rank in the local pack, it will benefit you as you will gain a major portion of your targeted audience. 

Focus On Local Keywords

If you aim to gain a local audience, you must work on dozens of local keywords with high volume and low difficulty. Use tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush. Ranking for specific local keywords doesn’t demand keyword stuffing. The proper strategy is needed. That strategy must define a keyword mapping plan and the density of keywords to be used on a particular page. 

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Create Location-Specific Landing Pages

Every website usually has landing pages that target a global audience. But there is a very low probability for such pages to fetch potential prospects. Because the buyers prefer to buy products or hire services from their local seller or service provider. A very small number of buyers are ready to take risks to buy things from far-away sellers and service providers. 

Besides, there is general psychology that buyers tend to trust local businesses. The predominant reason behind it could be their insecurity. They may think, “If anything goes wrong with the shopping, I would have an opportunity to meet the business owner to resolve the conflict, but choosing a distant seller may be problematic.” 

Do I need to create as many landing pages as many locations I’m targeting? 

Well, creating the exact number of landing pages as many locations as you are targeting is a time-consuming process. It could be taken as a perfect example of hard work. But we live in a digital era where everything is SMART and not HARD. So, if you want to save time, energy and resources, we suggest the dynamic approach. What is it? It means creating only one landing page which targets multiple locations. How? It suggests incorporating functionality in the particular landing page that the person is getting shown with the location from where he is surfing the internet. Developers play a great role in this regard.

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Build NAP Citations 

Full form of NAP citations is ‘Name’, ‘Address’ and ‘Phone Number’. If you post appropriate NAP citations on relevant websites, it will be of great help. Also, it is acceptable for your business to change location, name, phone number or even address, but if something changes, you must update it on all the websites where you have built NAP Citations. 

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Keep Updating Google Business Profile 

Local SEO is incomplete without a GBP profile. It is one of the mediums to acquire new customers. Regular Updates of the GBP profile prove to be immensely helpful. 

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Update Regular Reviews From Happy Customers

Happy Customers and Positive Reviews are credibility-building factors. If such reviews are updated constantly, a business may experience a boost in local ranking. I suggest, ‘Don’t post fake reviews from multiple ids or accounts you handle.’ This is considered as malpractice and may prove detrimental for your rankings.’ The best method would be to request your customers to drop the review on Google. You can give them some petty rewards as a gratitude token.

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Focus On Developing Local Content 

It is suggested not to rely on generic content. Always go for developing ‘Location-Specific Content’. The content must support local information. For example, You are writing content for Mississauga. You must add some location-specific information. 

Best Way To Develop Local Content

  • Hire local content writers. 
  • Instruct them to add the best local information. 
  • You must add relatable local information. 

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Make Website All-Device-Friendly 

No matter whether you are trying to rank for generic keywords or location-specific; you must ensure that your website is all-device-friendly. If your website is not friendly, it will be difficult for your website to rank for any keyword. 

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Conclusion 

Local SEO is becoming more and more important for businesses who want to target their local audience. By focusing on local keywords, creating location-specific landing pages, building NAP citations, updating your Google Business Profile regularly, updating happy customer reviews, developing local content, and making your website all-device-friendly, you can improve your local ranking and attract potential customers. With the right strategy, local SEO can take your small business to a giant level, making it essential for businesses to invest their time, energy and resources.

Also Read: TOP SEARCH ENGINE RANKING FACTORS

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