4 Foolproof Tips to Improve Your Local SEO

This article was originally published by Click & Mortar, which has since become part of Tink.

Did you know that Google's algorithm changes 500 to 600 times per year? That's more than once a day! Indeed, with the rising popularity of blogs and the Web in general, the company must constantly update its search engine to ensure it continues to deliver search results that are most relevant to our queries. For example, a search for "SEO" returns over 530,000,000 results… It's no surprise that it's becoming increasingly difficult to make your mark!

Fortunately, there are still a few simple practices you can implement that yield results relatively quickly. In this article, I present a technique that is too often overlooked by SMBs and regional businesses: local SEO. To that end, I'm sharing 4 tips that will help you increase your visibility on search engines among customers in your area.

1. Use Google My Business and Bing Places for Business

Your two greatest allies, Google and Bing, have each set up a system that allows you to list your business across their networks, such as Google Maps, Bing Places, YouTube, and many others. Google My Business, for instance, lets you provide Google with your address, contact information, and website so it can feature them prominently across its platforms. What better way to "put yourself on the map"!

In fact, this is a crucial step for any business operating on the Web. Once you've registered, it will be much easier for search engines to understand that you are a business, that you operate in a specific industry, and that you want to be visible in specific regions.

Moreover, there's a strong chance Google will reward your effort by displaying your business to customers searching near your address. For example, when someone searches for "renovation", Google understands very well that they're looking for a construction/renovation company. On the other hand, the engine also knows it would be highly irrelevant to suggest a company based in Ottawa when the user is in Montreal. For that reason, the algorithm suggests a few nearby businesses.

That said, nothing guarantees clicks, let alone being first on the list (above your competitors). However, you can stack the odds in your favour by following my second tip.

2. Encourage Testimonials and Positive Reviews

To illustrate this second technique, let's use an even more concrete example. Looking for the best cake in town, I type "pastry shop" into the search engine.

As you can see, several nearby options are suggested. I don't know about you, but the second pastry shop seems much more appealing to me. Indeed, in addition to its 550 positive reviews, even its description is more enticing.

In this situation, the click-through rate (better known as CTR) would likely be much higher for Boulangerie Les Co'Pains d'Abord. You should know that in addition to having a positive effect on users' choices, this relationship also helps Google rank its results. In fact, even though Google is getting smarter at producing an objective ranking, the engine must rely on a variety of indicators, and—surprise—CTR is one of the most important factors.

In short, the more positive reviews you have, the more users will tend to click on your link rather than your competitors'. The higher your click-through rate, the more Google will tend to feature you prominently, and the more prominently you're featured, the more clicks you'll get!

Now, how do you get more positive reviews? You should know that Google has a very strict policy on this matter. I can already see you thinking: "Easy—we'll give away $250 among everyone who gives us 5 stars." That's a great idea… if you want to get penalized! Indeed, it's perfectly legitimate to hold a contest encouraging testimonials. However, according to Google's rules, you cannot force your customers to leave a positive review.

For that reason, I suggest these few tips instead:

• Add links to your invoices, receipts, and emails using tools like Grade.us. A simple call to action like "share your experience with us" can help you generate reviews—just be creative!
• Send a follow-up email or make a call a few days after the purchase, and take the opportunity to politely ask your customers to share their experience on the platform of their choice (Facebook, Bing, Google, etc.).
• Create a satisfaction survey and send it to all your customers. Offer them a discount in exchange for their help to increase the response rate. At the end of each survey, ask for the respondent's email to send them the discount. When sending the discount, seize this opportunity to ask the most satisfied respondents (90% and above) to leave a positive review on one of the platforms mentioned in this article. This way, you'll boost your reviews—and more importantly, your positive reviews!

3. Prioritize Regional Directories (Over General Ones)

Inbound links from directories are less and less credible in Google's eyes. It is therefore very unlikely that you'll increase your visibility by registering on every possible directory—in fact, there's a good chance it will penalize you.

However, from a local standpoint, there are some excellent, highly authoritative directories on which it would be worthwhile to position yourself. I therefore suggest you find the hidden gem of your industry, make sure you're listed there, and above all, optimize your listing (photos, descriptions, titles, etc.).

For example, for construction contractors, the directory of the Association des professionnels de la construction et de l'habitation du Québec (APCHQ) is a must. More generally, Yellow Pages is a directory that, even today, delivers concrete results. In all cases, make sure to add your address, contact information, and any other relevant details that could help platforms like Google understand your local positioning.

4. Add Local Indicators to Your Titles, Descriptions, and Footers

It's often very beneficial to add indicators directly in your titles and descriptions to help search engines understand your geographic location and be more consistent with users' local searches. Indeed, during the search process, to refine their queries, some people will add indicators such as "in Montreal," "in Gatineau," "in the Outaouais region," etc. By adding these markers yourself, you not only increase your chances of appearing for such queries, but also the likelihood that people will click on your link.

For example, for a search like "computer repair Montreal," what better way to catch my attention than to show me exactly the title of my search?

It is relatively easy to adjust your site's titles and descriptions. Whether by modifying the meta tags in your site's HTML, or by using plugins like Yoast SEO if you're on WordPress.

On the other hand, for your footers, make sure to add your address and phone number on every page of your site using schema.org semantic markup. This way, it will be much easier for indexing bots to understand that your business is local and to optimize its visibility in the right geographic area.

As you've seen in this article, local SEO is no rocket science. You simply need to implement these few best practices to secure your spot in the results when someone performs a local search.

With that, happy selling!