5 ways to improve your website rankings.
April 11, 2016
It’s not only the smaller companies that struggle to rank well for SEO on the Web. There are many factors that influence and effect your website ranking. People search to find what they need and location can effect their decisions, when they’re looking for a local business for their needs.
Residents in Johannesburg looking for an architect want to find one in Johannesburg, not Cape Town. If you’re a start-up or medium sized business looking for customers in your location, you need to factor location into your website content so that you can attract the local customers you want and rank higher in local search engine results. Local ranking matters because people searching for a business or service online will include location in their search.
There is also a higher chance of potential customers trusting a local business over an established brand. Search engines also factor in location when they display the search results.
Search engines like Google are trying to understand local searches and they keep adapting their local SEO to display the results that users want. The introduction of Local Carousels to their SERPs, Google My Business, and the new Google Maps all affected local rankings and continue to do so. How can you optimise your site to ensure you rank well locally?
Up to 50% of searches are local, and most of these are done on mobile devices. It is important to factor in the changes related to SEO local rankings and Google’s updated algorithm for local searches compared to national searches. It’s important to optimise your business’ local ranking.
Improve your local SEO ranking with these five easy steps:
1. Claim and Verify Your Business Listing on Google Maps.
After your page has been created it’s important to verify your business listing. Google will provide you with a PIN to complete the process. This will improve your local SEO ranking tremendously and increase your visibility.
2. Get Your Business Listed in Other Directories.
Google Maps is a good place to start, but invest the time and get your business listed on other local directories like Facebook, SA Yellow, Ananzi, Hotfrog and Cylex. This increases your local online presence.
3. Build Links on Other Local Websites.
Outbound and inbound linking is important for any business. Many local business sites are keen to trade links. Try your local newspaper or local community groups, and local blogs. This is a great way to improve your local web presence.
4. Be Consistent With Your Contact Details.
Ensure that all your business contact information (name, address and telephone numbers), is the same across all directories, including your website. You’ll be surprised how the smallest difference can damage your ranking.
5. Client Reviews and Testimonials Matter.
Business reviews are important for SEO, especially on Google. Request for your clients and customers to give you testimonials for your website. You can always update your client reviews over time, so keep some for later. Use the best ones first and include a variety of responses. Good quality testimonials can help to improve your rankings.
These are just a few ways to improve your website rankings and help potential customers to find your business locally. It’s always good to create working relationships with clients in your city and build your brand one step at a time.