Local SEO in 2024

Have you ever used Google or more specifically Google Maps to find a business? Of course you have, it’s a super useful tool, Google knows what it’s doing when it comes to displaying useful results (there’s an argument for Bing Places and Apple maps but honestly, when was the last time you used them?).

If you’re a business owner with a local presence you should be using the tools available that will help you be found and found by customers searching in your area.

Local Search Engine Optimisation has existed as long as people have been searching locally and is a crucial strategy for businesses that serve a specific geographic area or have physical locations. Essentially, if you don’t appear on the map you’re handing business straight to your competitors. With that in mind, what can you do to ensure that you come out on top for local searches?

Boosting your Google Business Profile

First thing’s first, you will need to set up a Google Business profile, this is a free tool offered by Google for businesses that have a physical location or serve a specific geographical area. Set up is fairly straightforward (you can follow the steps here), however there are a few things to be mindful of:

Consistency is key

Any details you give to Google or any other search engine about your business, for instance your address and contact details, should be reflected on your website and anywhere else you post your details, be that social media, web directories and so on. Having consistent information about your business spread across the web gives a really clear signal to different search engines about your business and gives them confidence that your business is the right one to display for that local search.

Make your profile stand out

Is there anything that your business offers that puts you a step above your competition? Google allows you to include specific attributes such as “wheelchair-accessible,” “free Wi-Fi,” or “outdoor seating” to help customers understand your offerings better. This could be the difference in convincing a customer to visit you rather than your competition.

Be active on your profile

Actively keeping your profile up to date is the best thing you can do to keep in Google’s good books. There’s nothing worse than turning up to a business that is closed because the opening hours were wrong or the image didn’t match real life. Google rewards a good experience because it gets people to keep using their search engine. Basically, it’s time for you to be the teacher’s pet, so here are some things you can do to actively keep your profile up to date:

Consistently adding Images

Upload high-quality images and videos of your business, products, services and team members. Regularly update these visuals to keep your profile fresh.

• Enable messaging

Allow customers to send you messages directly through your profile. Be responsive and provide helpful information promptly.

• Add posts and updates

Use the posts feature to share news, offers, events and updates about your business. These posts will appear in your profile and can help engage potential customers.

Responding to reviews

Any review either positive or negative should be responded to as soon as you can, this lets your potential customers know that you are active and available, contributing to that positive user experience that Google loves so much.

Reputation management

I, like most people, am heavily influenced by others’ opinions. If you can encourage your customers to leave you positive reviews, whether that be on Google, Feefo or Trustpilot, then you will quickly reap the rewards. But what happens when you get negative reviews?

Responding to negative feedback

From personal experience I can say that a negative Google review will 100% shape my decision on whether or not to visit a local business, however curiosity will more often than not, drive me into reading what negative things people have said about the business.

This natural curiosity is where your opportunity lies, a business that responds well and consistently to negative feedback will gain back a little more trust with people who would otherwise be completely turned off by a bunch of one star reviews.

Responding to criticism is the best thing you can do, but it’s how you respond that really makes the difference. As a business owner you should not be hostile or defensive towards negative reviews, instead take the criticism on board and use it to improve your business. Of course completely false, malicious or unfounded negative reviews can certainly be a pain in the arse, Google does provide a method to report these and get them removed but this is typically up to Google’s discretion and won’t always work. Respond first, report next if you can.

Building local directory links and citations

It’s time for a chat about online platforms called business listing directories. They’re basically like the digital version of those old-school phone books, you know, like the Yellow Pages? But way less likely to give you a paper cut.

So, what about them, and why are they used?

Well, business owners can upload their company’s info, which is called a citation, and those shopping around can then hunt for businesses using all sorts of criteria based on location, industry, services and more.

Some of the heavy hitters in the online directory game are Yell, Google Business Profile, and Brownbook. These are the go-to treasure troves for folks trying to suss out the what’s what in their neck of the digital woods.

For businesses, creating citations on online business directories gives them, something which we’ll call, local SEO street cred. Most businesses can be tied to a specific location, so it’s important that yours is one of the first ones that pops up on the SERP in your locale.

Key features of online business directories include:

Business and Contact Information

These directories give basic, yet essential info about the business, like its name, address, phone number, website URL (known as NAP+W), business hours and a little teaser with what they’re all about.

Reviews and Ratings

Many directories let you view and add reviews and ratings, much like Yelp. This is handy for both consumers and us business honchos because it’s like a sneak peek into the quality of their offerings.

Optional Extras

Most directories go the extra mile by letting you add photos, videos and social media links, though these aren’t as necessary as the NAP+W, but definitely make your listing far more appealing.

Business owners need to keep their info up to date as mismatched or out-of-date information will have you sliding down Google’s rankings far quicker than you climbed up, and you’ll end up losing out on that all important traffic.

So how do you know if your online business listings are the real deal or just digital window dressing?

Well, it’s probably a good idea to check out Google Analytics as a first port of call to see if traffic is on the up. Citations can sometimes take a few months to start paying dividends, so if it doesn’t look like anything’s changed, just wait it out a bit longer (they’re not pointless, we promise).

Local SEO rankings are also a good indicator of how effective your citations have been, especially when it comes to keywords. If directories appear when you type in your brand name, alongside your website, the listings are likely giving your SEO game a boost.

Online business listings are your ticket to being seen and heard in the online sphere, and can make a sharp impact on your digital presence. It’s important not to underestimate them, as competing brands all want a slice of the pie, so citations may be your saving grace to getting ahead.

Local partnerships and link building

Directory listings, particularly local ones are the first step but who better to vouch for you than the people and businesses who are actually around you? Reach out and ask for a mention. Don’t get me wrong, getting a follow link from the Guardian is great but do they really know ‘the best cafes in [insert your town here]’, probably not.

Google and the other search engines tend to see it this way too, so a local link is typically better in my opinion, relevancy trumps domain authority as far as I’m concerned (within reason). A caveat however, Jimmy down the road’s blog with two visitors a month probably won’t hold as much weight as an authoritative local publication or business, so factor this in when reaching out to the people around you.

Local on-site content

When it comes to the content on your website a contact page with an address and contact details is a good start, but there is more you can do on your site to help with your local SEO performance. How do I and how do the search engines know for sure that you are based in my area if I’m not looking at your listing on the map? By looking at the content on your site.

Making your content location specific ensures clarity, check out the following example:

“Come check out our local cafe…”

Vs

“Come check out our local cafe in the heart of Newcastle city centre…”

Optimising content for local terms is especially important when you have multiple locations and you require a separate page for each, but please don’t just copy your location page content and only change the city name. I come across that particular issue more often than not and it is bad for SEO. You want to make the content unique and tailored to the area as much as you can. Again circling back to that user experience metric.

Looking at a more technical side, you want to ensure your metadata is optimised for local keywords too. Page titles and meta descriptions are key to driving clicks to your pages from the search results pages, the closer they match local searches the more likely they are to attract quality traffic, even if they aren’t the number one result. Let’s have a look at a couple of examples:

Independent cafe | Cafe Business Name

Vs

Independent cafe | Newcastle | Cafe Business Name

The latter really drives home the point that the cafe is based in Newcastle. If I was looking for a local coffee shop in the search listings I would gravitate towards the one I knew for sure was in Newcastle.

Following these steps will put you in a great position to rank for local searches, but at the end of the day, if you want to be visible online for local searches all you need to remember is consistency is key. Consistently respond to feedback, keep your information consistent and up to date and interact with your local community to build relationships. As long as your website is up to scratch the rankings will follow.