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Improve local findability through local SEO

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Reading Time 6 minutes
By Guido Sombroek

Local SEO, literally translated "local seo," targets keywords with local search intent. An example might be 'online marketing agency Purmerend'. But the keyword 'gas station' also has a local search intent. Do you want to be visible when someone does this search? Then you will need to implement all SEO techniques, and more, to perfection. Think about your organization's N.A.P. data and posting Google reviews. But! How do you know when to apply the techniques of local SEO and when not to?

Take the "Google Map Pack" test.

For whether to use local SEO or "normal" SEO techniques you can test very easily. By performing a search with the keyword you want to focus on. If a Google Map Pack appears, then in order to get the best results you will have to optimize your page using local SEO techniques.

Optimize your Google My Business.

First things first. Are you already registered with Google My Company? And is this profile already fully SEO optimized? If not, this is low-hanging fruit through which you can increase your local findability. Based on this profile, you are telling Google about your business. So do this! It is important to first register your business with Google My Business for better local visibility and positioning on Google Maps. Enter all your business information, such as NAP data, opening hours, website and business category, as accurately as possible. And does your organization have multiple branches? If so, each branch will get a separate Google My Business.

Google also looks at that 5-star rating

Within your Google My Business account, you can collect customer reviews. The better your score, the more seriously you will be taken by Google's algorithm. The higher the rating, the more trust, the better the findability of your business. And it doesn't just look at the positive feedback. Because how you handle the bad reviews also has value to Google. If you want to rank well, get active about it!

And did you know....

Many users, more than 80%, do not look beyond the location on the map. So enter your information correctly! That includes a concise description and attractive photo of your business. Encourage customers to leave reviews; a higher score leads to better placement in search results. And keep your Google My Business page up-to-date. Regularly posting unique relevant content on your Google My Business account plays an important role in your company's findability.

people don't scroll beyond google map-pack
Less organic competition on local searches

AND that a visitor who enters a local search is further along in the customer journey.

Mirror it with your own behavior. You live in Amsterdam and are looking for someone to tile your bathroom. What will be your search?

  • A Bathroom tiling
  • B Bathroom tiling North Holland
  • C Bathroom tiling Amsterdam

Are you searching for "Bathroom tiling? If so, you may be searching for different ways of tiling or inspiration. And 'bathroom tiling North Holland' is a search that leads to different tiling providers. But 'bathroom tiling Amsterdam' is a direct search from someone who knows what they want. You have and bathroom and you are looking for a tiler. And which page will be displayed at the first position? Right. Your page that is purely about 'bathroom tiling Amsterdam'. Because that content best matches the search query.

Local searches are more likely to show up on mobile

Because when you search mobile, you are often looking for vendors, service providers or suppliers nearby. And a search engine almost always knows where you are. Results are adjusted based on your location. Search engines today even adjust generic searches entered on mobile devices. Because on average, smartphone users are more likely to search for a quick solution nearby. Do you urgently need a plumber or locksmith? Then everyone immediately grabs their mobile these days.

Mobile search you are more likely to get local search results

A local search has less competition than a generic keyword.

Why? That's actually simple. People search less for a local keyword such as 'online marketing agency Purmerend' than for the generic keyword 'online marketing agency'. So that's where you want to be found as a marketing agency. Because would you rather invest time in content for a search where you can be found?

  • is searched for 2400 times a month
  • is searched for 20 times a month

I thought so. So did we. So did the competition. After all, why invest time for 20 visitors a month at the risk of someone else scoring better than you? Stop. Read back. No one pays attention to a local search with low volume. And that is precisely what offers opportunities. After all, there are 2,500 cities and towns in the Netherlands. Now suppose on average one local search is done per city or village in the month... That means more local than generic search! And that's one reason to automate local SEO.

Local backlinks, for local findability

To improve your local findability, regional backlinks are very important. It is therefore important that you actively collect local backlinks. You can get these for example from the sports association, the municipality or another local association. One way to do this is through press releases and/or blogs. Writing to as many local associations and agencies as possible and writing posts or blogs. And where with "normal" SEO it is the case that it must be a "follow" backlink, this is not the case with local SEO. This is according to research by Local SEO specialist 'Greg Gifford'.

The basics of SEO must also be right to improve local findability

But SEO basics must also be right....

You can go through all the steps in terms of local SEO, but if you haven't incorporated the basics of SEO like a house on your website, you won't be found better locally anytime soon either. Check out our SEO guide to make sure you've gone through all the steps to improve your website's online findability.

Finally, the combination between Google Ads and local SEO....

But SEO and Google Ads are two different things, right? You might say so. But because SEO is so time-intensive, many companies have switched to SEA. And that's why there is so much competition and clicks are getting more and more expensive. How do local SEO pages reduce advertising costs? That has to do with ad quality score. The better the page matches the ad and the search query, the better the quality score.

The higher the quality score the cheaper the clicks.

And the quality score consists of three characteristics. They are:

  • Experience on the landing page
  • Advertising relevance
  • Expected click rate

Google independently gives each attribute points. The total of these points makes the quality score. We start with the landing page experience. How many points do you think "the landing page experience" gets when someone searches for "marketing agency Purmerend," clicks and lands on a page written targeting the keyword "marketing agency Purmerend"? Our experience shows: 10/10!

On to ad relevance and expected click rate. We leave that to Google's algorithm. This is where we use a Dynamic Search Ad. With a Dynamic Search Ad, Google determines which user is presented with an ad based on previous behavior. Does your behavior as a user seamlessly match the behavior of a user who recently converted? And do you happen to search on "marketing agency Purmerend? Then, based on Google's algorithm, you will be served an advertisement. Our ad. That way, the expected click frequency and ad relevance also both score 10/10 points. So a total score of 100%. And so we ensure a reduction in advertising costs.

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Guido Sombroek
Guido Sombroek

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