Claim & Optimize Your Google Business Profile

claim your business listing

1. Claim your Google Business Profile:

  • Go to Google Business Profile and click “Get on Google”
  • Enter your business name, address, and phone number
  • Select the appropriate business type
  • Confirm your business location
  • Verify your ownership by postcard, phone, or email

2. Optimize Your Google  Business Profile:

  • Upload Photos: Add photos of your business to help your potential customers visualize the location and offerings.
  • Add Business Details: Fill in the business description, hours of operation, and other contact info.
  • Promote Events & Specials: Mention upcoming events or share a special offer that your customers can redeem at your location.
  • Respond to Reviews: Monitor and respond to customer reviews to show your customers that you value their feedback.
  • Use Posts & Ads: Create posts and ads to keep customers up-to-date on news and changes.
Optimize Your Google Business Profile

Optimize Your Website for Local Search

  • Include keyword-rich descriptions of your business services and location on all relevant pages.
  • Properly structure your website with location-based URLs and tags.
  • Optimize your website's title tags and meta descriptions with location-specific keywords.
  • List your address, phone number, and other contact information on all relevant pages of your website.
  • Participate in local business directories such as Google Business Profile, Yelp, and Bing Places For Business.
  • Add location-specific keywords to your images and videos.
  • Create local content related to your services, products, and city to include in blog posts and other web page content.
  • Create location-specific structured data markup for all relevant content on your website.
  • Utilize local link building to build relationships with high-quality websites in your location.
  • Promote your business on social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Utilize Schema Markup

Schema markup is a code that you add to your website in order to help search engines better understand and interpret what your website content is about. It helps search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo understand the content on your webpages, which can lead to improved visibility within the search engine’s local results. Using schema markup can help optimize webpages and content for local SEO by providing more specific information to search engines. 

This information could include location details, ratings and reviews, services offered, contact information and more. Adding schema markup to your website can be a great way of improving your local SEO efforts.

Utilize Schema Markup

  • Claim and optimize your local business listings on Google Business Profile, Bing Places for Business, and Facebook. Make sure to include accurate business information and keywords, descriptions, and photos.
  • Submit your business to local and industry-specific directories. Start with city and local listings, like those offered by your Chamber of Commerce, and include national and industry-specific listings.
  • List your business in online maps, such as Google Maps, Apple Maps, and Waze.
  • Submit customer reviews of your business to local directory sites (e.g. Yelp, Angie’s List).
  • Add your business to Yellow Pages and Yellowbook.
  • Participate in local events and create listings for them.
  • Post your business’s services to classifieds such as Craigslist and Kijiji.
  • Maintain an active presence on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.), keeping your profile info up to date and localizing your content.
  • Connect with local bloggers and influencers to build your presence through guest-blogging, taking part in interviews and blog giveaways, and sharing their content.
how-to-add-local-business-schema-to-your-website

Manage Online Reviews

  • Respond to all online reviews: Monitor online review sites and respond promptly to all reviews – positive or negative. Respond to both types with respect and appreciation, and don’t be afraid to provide an explanation for any negative reviews. Showing that you take customer feedback seriously can have a positive impact on your business.
  • Invite customers to review: Reach out to your customers and encourage them to leave reviews on Google Business Profile, Yelp, and other review sites. Make sure your customers are familiar with the process of leaving reviews so they know exactly how to do it.
  • Monitor your competitors’ reviews: Keep an eye on what your competitors’ customers are saying about them. This can help you to develop your own strategies to stand out from the competition.
  • Use structured data to display star ratings: Structured data allows Google to recognize that a website is a business and to display star ratings in the search listing. It can give customers a better idea of what they can expect from your services and can help to increase your click-through rates.
  • Optimize reviews for local SEO: Optimize reviews for local SEO by adding keywords related to your location.

Make Use of Social Media

  • Claim and Manage Your Social Media Profiles: Claiming and setting up accurate profile information for all your business’s social media accounts (e.g. Yelp, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) is absolutely critical to local SEO. This helps search engines link your business to the location associated with it and rank it higher in local search engine results.
  • Incorporate Location into Your Posts: Make sure you include your city, state or area within your social media posts whenever possible. This will help Google and other search engines link the post to your location. You should also make sure to include local hashtags (e.g. #NewYorkCity, #LosAngeles, etc).
  • Encourage Reviews: Encourage customers to post reviews about your business on social media sites such as Yelp, Google+, and Facebook. These reviews are an important factor in local SEO since it derives credibility to your business.
  • Engage in Local Communities: Engage with local business networks, organizations, and other groups in your niche. Interact with social media users in your area, respond to their questions and comments, and join conversations with other businesses in your city or region. This helps build a reputation as a local business as well as increases visibility in local search engine results.
  • Utilize Localized Hashtags: Hashtags are a great way to target specific audiences. When used correctly, they can help you reach local customers and drive more relevant traffic to your business. Make sure to research and use location-specific hashtags to get the most out of your social media campaigns.

Use Local Keywords

  • Start by researching local keywords. You can use keyword research tools such as Google Keyword Planner or Moz Keyword Explorer to find local terms related to your business. Be sure to include your city, state, and other local terms in your search.
  • Incorporate local keywords into your website’s content. Make sure to use local keywords in your titles, headings, and meta tags.
  • Optimize local landing pages. Create separate pages for each location, and optimize them with local keywords.
  • Create local content. Write content related to your local area and include relevant local keywords.
  • Get listed in local directories. Add your business to local directories and include local keywords in your descriptions.
  • Use local social media accounts. Create separate accounts for each location and make sure to use local keywords in your posts.
  • Monitor local keyword rankings. Track your keywords and adjust your strategy as needed.

Monitor & Track Your Progress

  • Track Your Rankings: Track your GBP and website’s rankings for local keywords using a tool like Rank Tracker and BrightLocal. This will help you determine which keywords are performing best and which ones need more attention.
  • Monitor Your Reviews: Monitor your online reviews and respond to any negative ones quickly and politely. This will help to retain customers and improve your local SEO ranking.
  • Monitor Your Competitors: Monitor your competitors’ local SEO strategies and see what they are doing differently. This will help you stay ahead of the competition.
  • Track Your Backlinks: Track your backlinks to see which websites are linking to your website and how much authority they have.
  • Track Your Traffic: Track your website traffic to see how much of it is coming from local searches. This will help you determine if your local SEO efforts are paying off.
  • Analyze Your Citations: Analyze your business citations to make sure that all of your information is correct and up-to-date.
  • Track Your Conversions: Track your conversions to see how many leads you’re getting from local SEO efforts. This will help you determine if the money you’re investing in local SEO is worth it.

In the end I just say that contact some local SEO services providers and take advantage of local SEO to reach your local customers and make sure your business stands out from the competition. With the right strategies in place, you can increase visibility, attract more customers, and build a successful business.