How to do local SEO for small business

Search Engine Optimisation, or SEO, helps your small business reach the right people through digital content marketing. But, since 46% of all Google searches are local, local SEO can target a more specific audience. There are a few things you can do to reach local customers. 

This guide will offer tips on local SEO for small businesses, including:

• Claiming your business Google listing for local SEO
• Focusing on brand design and content quality
• Targeting local SEO keywords to reach your audience

You can find a general guide on small business SEO here. 

When considering local SEO for a small business, you’ll want to think about how you can reach the people who search for relevant businesses in your area. You can start by adding your business to Google.

Claiming your Google business listing helps your business appear when people search similar businesses, both in the search results and the map. 

By doing this, you will be more accessible to people searching in your area. For example, if you have a coffee shop and someone searches for ‘coffee shops near me,’ your shop may come up as an option. People can also find your business when using Google maps. 

You can claim your Google business listing here. 

When claiming your business listing, add as much information as possible so potential customers can find you. Start by adding your business name, phone number, and address if you have a physical shop. 

If you don’t have a shop, put your home address, but click ‘I deliver goods and services to my customers’ and hide your address. This will help you still target people in your area.

You also want to include your website URL and email address. Then, choose the business type that most closely matches your services to reach the right searchers. 

With your updated Google profile, you can start building business reviews to grow your digital presence. Try asking your customers to review your services on Google to grow your reputation. The more reviews you have, the more you’ll be suggested in searches. 

To succeed with local SEO for your small business, you’ll need to establish a brand design and quality content. This will help to optimise your digital outreach and increase your findability. You can start by thinking about your small business logo and creating social media accounts for your business. 

Most people use their smartphones to search for businesses in their area, so make sure your small business website is mobile-friendly. You can check this through Google’s mobile-friendly test. If your website isn’t appearing on Google when you search it, you may want to claim your URL to make it more accessible. 

Aside from being mobile-friendly, your website should be easy to navigate and well designed. It should have all the important information about your business, including photos and a price list. Also, add your business description to target local SEO keywords. 

Knowing local SEO for your small business will help you reach the right people nearby. But you should know how to find the right keywords to find your local target audience. SEO can help your small business appear on the first page of Google and increase traffic to your website. 

To find local SEO keywords, start by searching for your type of business in your area. Scan the Google page to see which businesses come up as the top picks and what they offer. This will help you see how to alter your SEO to become a top pick for Google. 

Then, research the similar small businesses in your area that rank higher on Google. See what keywords these businesses use and rank under. These may be keywords for you to target because you seek a similar audience.   

To do keyword research, you can use tools like Ubersuggest or Semrush. These platforms can show how many people search for these local keywords. Some useful SEO research tools require a paid subscription, so you may want to think about creating a digital marketing budget. 

After using these tools, you can compile a list of local keywords to use in your digital marketing content. To reach searchers in your area, you’ll likely want to add the location in your keywords. For example, if you offer hair styling services in Edinburgh, you may want to use a keyword like ‘hair salons in Edinburgh.’

Once you determine your local SEO keywords, you can use SEO best practices to optimise your business to local search results. First, be sure to include your local keywords into your page titles, headers, and page content. This will help Google source your content for local searchers.

When using SEO, try to avoid keyword stuffing, which is when you over-mention keywords. Google will pick up on this, and it will hurt your findability. Also, focus on quality and original page content. Each page on your website should offer new information. You can regularly update your website with articles and posts to show that the information is fresh. 

Use similar business websites to find keywords to target and source ideas, but don’t copy other site content. Try to provide your target customer with the most relevant and helpful information about your business. Using these tactics in your local SEO will help you reach the right people in your area. 

As your local SEO helps people find your business, you’ll likely bring in more customers and more money. But, financial management can be stressful and time-consuming when you’re self-employed. That’s why thousands of business owners use the Countingup app to make their financial admin easier. 

Countingup is the business current account with built-in accounting software that allows you to manage all your financial data in one place. With features like automatic expense categorisation, invoicing on the go, receipt capture tools, tax estimates, and cash flow insights, you can confidently keep on top of your business finances wherever you are. 

You can also share your bookkeeping with your accountant instantly without worrying about duplication errors, data lags or inaccuracies. Seamless, simple, and straightforward! 

Find out more here.