Local SEO is essential for smaller enterprises operating at the regional level, as opposed to national. While the national SEO focuses more on search ranking across the country, local SEO prioritizes appearing in your local area search engine results. This strategy is focused on promoting your brand, goods, and services to local customers and leads.
For those of you with just one location, this makes a lot of sense. Why waste time and money on promoting to Customers in Seattle when your healthcare practice is based in Portland, Oregon?
Think of this oriented approach as a way to help you compete against larger national brands that have more resources to invest more effectively. By concentrating on unique local-SEO, you will neutralize the advantage of larger brands that generally focus on more national keywords.
Also, according to an estimate in a report by Review Tracker in 2017, 35 percent of all search traffic is local. Without local SEO, your company may be missing out on a substantial traffic volume.
The pinnacle of local SEO is being displayed at the top of the search results, above the daily organic listings on Google’s search results, also known as the “local pack” or “3 pack.”
How does Google determine who to put there? There are three factors:
- Relevance: how important your business is to the search query.
- Distance: how far the searcher is from your business.
- Prominence: how well established your business is.
How to Get Your Hearing Practice in the Local Search Results
1. Reclaim and update your Google My Business profile
One of Google Search’s most essential aspects is using Google My Business to push web and foot traffic to your company. Google My Business helps you to track and correct necessary business details such as your phone number, address, and name. A study has found that companies that verify their information are twice as likely to be considered by consumers to be reputable.
The rating status for your company in Google Maps is directly associated with the completeness and accuracy of your Google My Business page. This is because Google needs to be able to show to customers as much information as possible about a company. The more knowledge you give to Google, the higher the skill Google will offer its searchers, and the more confident it can rate you higher in results.
That’s why it is imperative to have a clear Name / Address / Phone Number (NAP). If you have consistent on several different online sources, then you’ll rank higher because Google can be sure it lists the correct contact details for your company.
One of the most significant factors in the local ranking is the collection of categories applicable to your listing. In essence, these categories are tags that you associate with your company. You want to make sure you pick only those categories that define your market: be as specific as you can.
2. Respond to all feedback
Google rewards companies with a higher number of good reviews on Google Maps. Bear in mind that there is no going back when you open your company to feedback. As with other review sites like Yelp, you’re not going to influence what people are thinking, so your reviews may be positive or negative.
Statistically speaking, negative reviews appear to be few and few between unless your company has some real problems with your quality of service. At some point, any business will acquire a negative review. But by responding promptly and with care, you can mitigate and even reverse the damage. Regularly replying to reviews will also improve your GMB listing and increase the chances of ranking in local packs.
3. Create a Good Local Backlink Profile
Links from other websites that lead to yours (also known as backlinks) are one of the most powerful ranking indicators. The better your backlink profile, the higher will be the credibility of your website/page. That tells search engines that you are reliable and trustworthy.
A’ good’ backlink is a link from a reputable website (usually with a high Page or Domain Authority), which is relevant to the page to which it is linking. The aim is to get other sites to connect to yours within the healthcare industry. If you do this, you should expect to see a significant rise in your search rating.
Local search is essential, especially for any brick and mortar company. The tips above will help your healthcare practice be found locally. Use these tips for your local SEO and watch your local business expand.