Local SEO ranking is a part of any business’s marketing SEO strategy. To ensure your business is visible to potential customers in your local area, you need to optimize your website for local search engine rankings or organic search rankings of local businesses.

Our team of SEO experts set out to determine the top-ranking factors with local SEO services for your businesses. Several important local search ranking factors play into whether or not a business will rank high in local search results.

Google Business Profile Factors

Having a complete and up-to-date Google My Business profile is critical for ranking well in local search engines result. Your GMB profile should include all of the important local business information that potential customers might be searching for, such as your business name, address, phone number, website URL, business hours, etc

Business Title And Description

Your business title and description are two of the most important elements of your GMB profile, and they can also have a significant impact on your local SEO site rankings. Be sure to include relevant keywords in your business title and description, but don’t stuff them in there – Google will penalize you for keyword stuffing.

Categories

Another important factor to consider when optimizing your GMB profile is your business categories. You should include all of the relevant categories that apply to your business, as well as any sub-categories that might be applicable. For example, if you’re a hair salon, some of the categories you might use are “beauty salon,” “hair salon,” “haircuts,” etc.

Website URL

Your local business website URL is also important for local search rankings, so be sure to include it in your GMB profile. If you don’t have a website, you can still include other important business information such as your phone number, address, business hours, etc.

Review Factors

Reviews are an important factor when it comes to local rankings. To rank well in local search results, free business listing scan can give you several positive reviews from verified customers. You can encourage your local customers to write reviews by providing them with a link to your GMB profile, or by using a review widget on your website.

Types Of Reviews That Matter For Local SEO

Several different types of reviews can impact your local ranking factors, but the two most important types are Google reviews and third-party reviews.

Google-Based Reviews

Google-based reviews are the most important type of review when it comes to local SEO. Google reviews are factored into your business’s star rating, which is one of the first things potential customers will see when they do a search for businesses in your category. To encourage your customers to write Google reviews, you can provide them with a link to your GMB profile, or you can use a review widget on your website.

Third-Party Reviews Sites

Third-party reviews are also important for local SEO, but they’re not weighted as heavily as Google reviews. That being said, it’s still a good idea to encourage your customers to write reviews on popular third-party sites such as Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Angie’s List.

First-Party Reviews On Your Website

In addition to Google and third-party reviews, you can also encourage your customers to leave first-party reviews on your website. First-party reviews are reviews that are left on your website, rather than on a third-party site. While they’re not weighted as heavily as Google or third-party reviews, they can still help to improve your local SEO rankings.

Hindrances To Ranking in Local SEO

Several different things can hinder your ability to rank well in local search results. Here are some of the most common hindrances:

Recency And Frequency Of Reviews

One of the most important factors when it comes to reviews is recency and frequency. To rank well in local search results, your business should have a steady stream of recent reviews. Additionally, it’s important to note that Google favors businesses with a higher frequency of reviews, so if you can get your customers to write multiple reviews, that will also help your ranking.

Velocity Of Reviews

The velocity of reviews is also an important factor to consider. Velocity refers to the speed at which reviews are being generated. Google favors businesses with a high velocity of reviews, so if you can get your customers to write reviews regularly, that will help your ranking.

Diversity Of Reviews

Another important factor to consider is diversity. Diversity refers to the variety of review sites that your business is being reviewed on. Google favors local businesses with a diverse range of reviews, so it’s important to encourage your customers to write reviews on a variety of different sites.

Authority

The authority of a review site is also an important factor to consider. Google favors reviews from high-authority sites, so it’s important to encourage your customers to write reviews on popular, well-established review sites.

Formatting

The formatting of your reviews is also an important factor to consider. Google prefers reviews that are well-formatted and easy to read. So, when you’re encouraging your customers to write reviews, be sure to let them know that you prefer concise reviews and to the point.

On-page Factors

In addition to reviews, several other on-page factors can impact your local SEO ranking. Here are some of the most important on-page factors to consider:

Domain Authority

Domain authority is a measure of the strength of a website’s domain. The higher your domain authority, the more likely you are to rank well in local pack business listing.

Page Authority

Page authority is a measure of the strength of a website’s pages. The higher your page authority, the more likely you are to rank well in local search results.

NAP

NAP stands for name, address, and phone number. NAP is one of the most important on-page factors for local SEO. To rank well in local search results, it’s important to make sure that your NAP information is up to date and consistent across the web.

Optimization

Optimization is the process of making sure that your website is as search engine friendly as possible. The more optimized your website is, the more likely you are to rank well in local search results.

Quality Content

Quality content is also an important factor for local SEO. The more high-quality, relevant content including keywords, title tags, or meta descriptions you have on your website, the more likely you are to rank well in local search results.

Technical and Security Factors

The technical and security aspects of your website are also important factors for local SEO. The more secure and well-functioning your website is, the more likely you are to rank well in local search results.

Citation Factors

Local citations are mentions of your business on the web, even if there’s no link to your website. The more citations you have, the more likely you are to rank well in local search results. Some of the factors that influence your citation score are:

Accuracy

To improve your citation accuracy, it’s important to make sure that your NAP information is up to date and consistent across the web. You can use a tool like Google My Business to help you track and manage your NAP information. You can also use a tool like Yext to help you get listed on more high-quality directories.

Distribution

Another important factor for citation accuracy is distribution. It’s important to make sure that your citations are evenly distributed across the web.

Quality

The quality of your citations is also an important factor. Google favors citations from high-quality, well-established websites. You can use local toos to help you track and manage your citations.

Relevance

It’s also important to make sure that your citations are relevant to your business. Google favors citations from websites that are related to your business.

Link Factors

Links are one of the most important factors for local SEO. There are two types of links that are important for local SEO including inbound or internal links. The number of inbound links that you have is a measure of the popularity or importance of your website. The more inbound links you have, the more likely you are to rank well in local search results.

The link factors that are most important for local SEO are:

Relevance

It’s important to make sure that the inbound links to your website are relevant to your business. Google favors links from websites that are related to your business. You can use tools to help you track and manage your inbound links.

Link Anchor Text

Anchor text is the text that is used in a link to your website. The anchor text is an important factor for local SEO. It’s important to make sure that the anchor text is relevant to your business.

Page Authority

Links help to improve the overall page authority of your website. The more high-quality, relevant internal links you have on your page, the more likely you are to rank well in local search results.

Quantity

The number of inbound links that you have is a measure of the popularity or importance of your website. The more inbound links you have, the more likely you are to rank well in local search results.

Diversity

The diversity of your inbound links is also an important factor. Google favors links from a variety of different websites. To improve your website’s link diversity, you can use a tool like Majestic to help you track and manage your inbound links.

Personalization Factors

Personalization is a factor that can influence your local SEO. Google personalizes search results for each user based on their search history, location, and other factors. This means that the order of the results may be different for each user.

To improve your website’s visibility in personalization, you can:

  • Use tools like Google My Business and Google Analytics to track and manage your website’s data.
  • Use keyword-rich titles and descriptions to improve your website’s visibility in the search results.
  • Make sure you have an SEO-friendly website.
  • Optimize your website for local SEO.
  • Submit your website to local directories and listings.

Rank Your Website

If you want your website to rank well in local search results, you need to make sure that it is optimized for local SEO. Contact WESFED today and we will help you optimize your website for local SEO. We can help you track and manage your website’s data, use keyword-rich titles and descriptions, and make sure your website is mobile-friendly. Contact us today to get started!