The new entrepreneur’s guide to local SEO

If you’re a new entrepreneur and you’ve just taken up our mobile app development agency business opportunity , we’re certain you’ll be raring to dive in headfirst – part and parcel of that is getting stuck in to lead generation and building those first few apps.

Of course, we provide extensive sales and marketing support via our academy and our blog is packed with tips, suggestions and advise but, the work of an entrepreneur is never done and there is always something new to learn. If you’re new to running an online business, one of the hardest (and sometimes most frustrating!) concepts to get to grips with is Google and SEO. As essential as Google is for visibility for brands around the world, it isn’t always easy to know where to start when it comes to conquering the search engine.

In today’s post, we’re going to focus on local SEO. Local SEO is an expansive subject as it covers a whole host of different activities plus, it can differ from traditional SEO when it comes to knowing what to prioritise, so we’re going to start right at the beginning and give you’re a complete local SEO crash course.

What IS local SEO then?

We’re sure that you’ve headed to Google at some point in the last month or so to find a certain local product or service. Maybe you’ve been driving in an unfamiliar town and had to turn to Google to find a nearby petrol station, café or supermarket. Perhaps, you’ve been at home or the office and needed a plumber or electrician after an emergency. This is local SEO at work.

Positioned directly below the top band of adverts and aboe the traditional search results, is the local pack. Sometimes standing out with a map icon, the local search results show you appropriate local providers close to your own location, regardless of whether you’re searching for a vet, a mechanic, a certain shop or a service such as web design or accountancy.

Why does it matter?

As an entrepreneur, you’ll prioritise winning new business. One way to do this is to source clients close to home – and to do that and maintain a strong local presence so you’re front of mind for local businesses, you need to have good local visibility on Google.

According to data from Google, almost half (46%) of all searches which pass through the search engine’s servers have a local intent. Imagine if you could harness that local interest and turn it into local clients. Having a strong, effective local SEO strategy means your new mobile app business could have a steady, lucrative stream of enquiries from local businesses searching for a new app for their own brand.

How to gain local SEO visibility

So, it’s clearly desirable to have a prominent Google position in your local area. But just how do you go about securing that vastly important digital real estate? Make no mistake, local SEO isn’t quick and easy but there are lots of things you can do consistently to gain a foothold in the search results, so your business is easily discoverable when other organisations close by are searching for the services you offer.

1. Claim your Google My Business listing

Google My Business is the foundation of good local visibility. This is a free platform from Google. It gives the search engine lots of information about your business which it can then turn into search results. Go to google.com/business to claim your listing and fill out all of the required information. Add as much information as you can and ensure all data, such as address, web address, email and opening hours are accurate.

2. Build local citations

Citations are mentions of your business name, its address and phone number around the web. You can build these by completing directory submissions, creating a Facebook business page and similar.

3. Request reviews

Reviews are an important factor in local search so you’ll need to encourage your customers to leave a review for you. The more positive reviews you have, the better. A word of warning here – don’t ever be tempted to leave fake reviews. Google and potential clients can and will spot them. When you get a review, respond to it promptly (both good and bad). You need a steady, consistent stream of reviews to be effective so don’t have a huge blitz and then forget about it for a month.

4. Build links

Links are important for traditional SEO but they are also crucial for local visibility. Try and generate links from other local organisations, such as your local newspaper or other local businesses. Again, you need to be consistent and make this an ongoing activity.