Local SEO is the process of optimizing a website to rank higher in local search results. It can be done through on-page optimization, off-page optimization, or both. Local SEO packages help businesses gain more visibility in their area – which means more people will find them when looking for nearby services and products.
Have you ever considered how your business might rank in the search engines? If not, it’s time you did. Local SEO for eCommerce is important to have a successful online store because if customers can’t find your products, they won’t buy them. Implementing the right strategies will bring more traffic to your site and help build an accurate representation of what you offer for sale. With the local SEO packages, more customers will be able to access your site and potentially buy from you.
Local SEO for eCommerce is part of the bigger picture when running an online business. Once you know about this type of marketing strategy, it becomes easier to figure out where to start with getting results that will be beneficial in generating revenue from organic search traffic over time.
SEO is one of the best ways to grow your business online because it’s affordable and easy to do. If you’re not familiar with SEO yet, don’t worry. This post will cover what you need to know about getting started with local SEO so that you can start ranking high for your service or product keywords today.
Where does Local SEO fit into the bigger picture of your eCommerce business?
Google and other search engines are always updating their algorithms to provide better results. This means that businesses should be working harder than ever before to provide a great user experience for local customers looking for products or services in their area. For example, someone looking for a “locksmith near me” on Google will want to find an experienced locksmith nearby that can help them with whatever they might need. They’ll likely look at reviews from past clients and call the first one at the top of the list if it looks helpful.
By ranking high in Google, you’ll get more clicks – which means more potential customers for your online store. Gaining visibility in your area should be part of your overall online marketing strategy because it’s another way to reach out to people who would never have otherwise discovered you. Ranking high for local keywords is great, but ranking for non-local ones is even better because this gives you a competitive advantage over the other businesses in your industry with similar products and services.
This guide will show you everything you need to know about getting started with local SEO so that you can rank higher and get more traffic to your eCommerce website while driving sales. Follow these basic rules along with implementing any of the advanced strategies that we’ve mentioned below, and your business should start seeing an increase in revenue from organic search traffic month after month once results are achieved.
To help you get started with your local SEO efforts, we’ve compiled a list of all the strategies below.
Basic Local SEO Strategies for eCommerce Websites
- Give your site a unique title and meta description:
First, come up with a short and descriptive title that contains keywords related to what you specialize in. For example, “Locksmiths Near Me” is better than just “locksmith.” Next, write out an original meta description that outlines what your business specializes in while also including important keywords, as this will show up when someone searches on Google. As mentioned above, if you’re ranking high for local search results, there are more chances people will find you and click through to your website, which means more potential customers for your online store.
- Optimize your images with relevant and descriptive file names:
When uploading images to your website, it’s important to give them a file name that includes the main keywords you’re targeting as well as related ones. This will tell search engines what each photo is about without adding extra words in the description or alt tag fields. Your Google+ Local listing should always reference your local area, so make sure this gets added to all of the photos, too, when you’re filling out details about yourself on this social platform.
- Use NAP everywhere:
Always start by entering your name, address and phone number (NAP) into Google My Business which makes up part of Google Places. This will help you get indexed on Google’s first page under the local listings. When filling out the information about your business, make sure to use the same name, address and phone number everywhere.
Once this is done, it’s a good idea to check your NAP across all of your online profiles and directories since consistency will help you build authority with search engines over time. You can find all of these platforms by using our full Local SEO Pro audit, which provides a detailed review of each of your online listings.
- Use local keywords in the page title and meta description:
You can also add a couple of local keywords to your page title and meta description as this is another way to tell Google specifically what your website is about, which helps it rank higher for searches specific to your location. Make sure these phrases aren’t too spammy, or you could risk getting penalized by Google’s algorithm if they determine that users aren’t finding what they’re searching for on your site. You want the titles to be engaging but not misleading, so include a few carefully chosen keywords without going overboard with content that doesn’t relate to anything being sold from your site.
- Create local landing pages:
When you’re driving in new traffic from Google’s local listings, it’s a good idea to send them all directly to custom landing pages optimized for the keywords people searched on. This keeps your main website clean and helps to convert visitors into customers more effectively than if they were sent somewhere else with less relevant content. Plus, each unique page is another chance at ranking higher for various search terms, which means more targeted traffic over time.
- Optimize your website navigation:
The navigation menu on your eCommerce website also needs to be set up properly when it comes to local SEO efforts since you want links leading back to your store’s location and products that users can buy online such as accessories, clothing or anything else you sell from your site. Avoid creating too many menu items that don’t get a lot of clicks and keep the ones you do include short, sweet, and to the point, as overcomplicating things can also negatively impact search engine optimization efforts.
- Add reviews:
Add in some review signals using Google’s Rich Snippets tool, which helps to show ratings and links back to your website the next time someone searches for a business like yours within proximity on Google Maps or another location-based search engine. If you’re just starting, then make sure to ask customers for their feedback once they’ve received their purchases, so they feel more inclined to leave positive testimonials about your services online rather than wait until they’ve moved on to a competitor.
- Utilize social media:
Make sure to utilize Google+, Facebook and other local business platforms to connect with new customers near your location who are interested in similar businesses that you can offer services for, such as wedding planning, automotive repair or chiropractic work. You’ll eventually have the opportunity to build some backlinks that help search engines better understand where your website is getting its authority, which will boost rankings even further over time if implemented correctly and consistently throughout each platform.
These are just some of the many things you can do to improve your local SEO for eCommerce, which will help increase conversions over time and build some much-needed authority for your business.