Local SEO: Step by step guide

In this article, you will learn what you need to do to improve your local business’s Google ranking. With these instructions, you will be able to optimise your entire online presence so that your business can be found more easily by potential customers in your city.

What is local SEO?

Local SEO is a special form of search engine optimisation that is particularly relevant for local companies. Like “normal” search engine optimisation, local SEO aims to optimise your website so that it ranks in the top positions on Google.

In contrast to normal search engine optimisation, the Google My Business entry is also relevant for local SEO. You can find out more about the differences between local SEO and SEO below.

Who is local SEO relevant for?

Local SEO is particularly relevant for local businesses and local freelancers. Local businesses are all companies that have customers from a specific city. In other words: All companies that are not active throughout Germany. Here is a list of local businesses:

• Real estate agents
• Tax consultants
• Law firms
• Craftsmen:inside
• Photographer
• Medical practices
• Pharmacies
• Restaurants
• Bars
• Car repair shops
• Massage studios
• Gardeners
• Etc.

The Google My Business entry

The Google My Business entry is an offer from Google that allows entrepreneurs to present their company online. Bing, a competitor of Google, also offers such a service. In the Google My Business listing, you can enter information for your customers and potential customers – for example, opening hours, address, etc. This information is then directly available when someone searches for your business name. This is helpful if someone wants to quickly research the opening hours of your business, make a call without knowing your number or start navigation directly via Google Maps on their mobile phone.

If you do not yet have a Google My Business entry and are a local business, you should create one. Below you will find instructions on what to look out for when creating a listing.

Types of local companies

A basic distinction can be made between three types of company:

1. Local companies with a physical location/business: This includes all companies that have a business location that customers visit. This could be an office, a restaurant or a branch, for example.
2. Service area companies: Service area companies are companies that do not have a company location that can be visited. This includes electricians or gardeners, for example. All companies that come to their customers, for example, are included. No address is displayed in the Google My Business entry for a service area business.
3. Hybrid businesses: Companies that fulfil both conditions – i.e. have a business location and customers come to visit them – are defined as hybrid businesses. This could be, for example, a property agent with an office or a craftsman with a workshop.

Depending on the type of company, different settings must be made in your Google My Business entry.

Difference between SEO and Local SEO

In contrast to “normal” search engine optimisation, local SEO is distinguished by the Google My Business entry and the different structure of the search results.

When I perform a normal search, Google Ads adverts appear at the top of some searches. This is followed by the organic search results. Here is an example without adverts:

The search results look different for a local search. Here, the so-called Local Pack appears at the top and only then the organic search results. The Local Pack shows three Google My Business entries right at the top. These three companies are placed very prominently. Above all, reviews are displayed in the Local Pack. Reviews are a very important decision-making factor for potential customers:

The Google My Business entry also appears in the Google Maps search results:

The aim is therefore to optimise the website so that it appears well in the organic search results and to optimise the Google My Business entry so that it appears in the Local Pack.

Keyword research

The first step in successful local SEO optimisation is keyword research. This step is extremely important, as a keyword analysis provides the foundation for subsequent optimisation. If you optimise for the wrong keywords, you have wasted a lot of time and effort.

I recommend the KWFinder tool as a keyword tool. In contrast to the Google Keyword Planner, KWFinder provides more precise search volumes and a precise indication of the search volume. You can also use the tool for backlink research and rank tracking.

A good keyword research deals with 3 factors:

1. The relevance: What service / product do you offer? You should also ignore keywords that are not relevant. It does your company no good to be found for irrelevant search terms.
2. Search volume: How often are these keywords searched for? You should ignore keywords with a low search volume.
3. The keyword difficulty: This is an important factor, because with the keyword difficulty you can estimate the effort required to get to the first page of Google. Keywords with a high difficulty have stronger competition than keywords with a low difficulty.

Now you should have created a list of relevant keywords, their search volume and their difficulty. You can now use the list to prioritise the most important keywords. The next step is to optimise the website and the Google My Business entry.

Overview of local SEO ranking factors

Now we come to the relevant ranking factors. Unfortunately, there is no official information on this from Google. Nevertheless, the SEO tool provider MOZ conducted a study in 2018 and determined relevant ranking factors for the organic search results and the Local Pack. The weighting may now be different, but the study provides a good overview of the factors.

Here you can find the complete study: MOZ Local Ranking Factors.

As you can see from the study, the ranking factors for the Local Pack and the organic search results are the same, but weighted differently. The percentages are of course no longer super accurate, as Google has made further updates to the search algorithm since 2018.

On-page local SEO factors

In the following section, I will explain the relevant on-page factors and what you should pay attention to when optimising your website:

Page structure: Each page should be assigned a keyword. It is very difficult to rank with several different keywords for one page.

URL: The URL of the page should be as short as possible and ideally contain the keyword.

Title tag: The title should fulfil two things: 1. encourage users to click on your page, as this increases the click-through rate and is a positive signal for Google. 2. contain the keyword.

Meta description: The meta description is not a direct ranking factor. However, the meta description does play a role in the click-through rate. Therefore, every page should have an individual meta description that motivates searchers to click on your website.

Headings: The heading structure is not correct for most companies that design their website themselves. A correct heading structure consists of an h1 heading, several h2 headings, each of which is subordinated to several h3 headings. Ideally, the h1 heading should also contain the keyword, a synonym of the keyword or a related word of the keyword. You should also use the keyword once or twice in the h2 headings. However, make sure that the headline sounds natural to visitors to your site.

Text length: Text length is not a direct ranking factor, but there is a study from 2020 that shows that a result on the first page has an average of 1447 words. In general, it is important from the perspective of the person searching to find enough information about the topic/keyword. It is also important that the words are not built into a continuous text. The corresponding number of words can be achieved via texts, info boxes, FAQs etc. To determine the appropriate text length, you should look at the word count of your main competitors.

Loading speed: Loading speed is also an important ranking factor. Long loading times lead to users leaving your site immediately after a short time. Google will then penalise the page with a lower ranking. The loading speed can be reduced, for example, by optimisation measures such as reducing image sizes. Of course, the biggest delays in loading time must be determined individually in each case. Tools such as Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix are ideal for this.

NAP in the footer: NAP stands for “Name Address Phone”. The name of your company, the address and your telephone number should be in the footer of your website. This makes it easier for Google to match your company with the business listings and the Google My Business entry. The use of NAP in the footer also creates local relevance.

Location descriptions: The contact page should include directions from a central point, such as a motorway exit or railway station. This gives the website even more local relevance.

Optimise Google My Business

The Google My Business entry is an enormously important entry for your local business. In addition to optimisation, you should also make sure that you do not violate Google guidelines. Otherwise this can lead to problems.

Not all of the entries listed here in Google My Business are directly relevant for your ranking. However, a completed Google My Business entry is important for users and results in a better interaction rate. A high interaction rate leads to a higher ranking. It is therefore important for you to enter as much information as possible about your company in the Google My Business entry.

The company name: The Google My Business name is often misused by using keywords in the name. The company name is an important ranking factor. If the company name contains the keyword, this is an advantage over other companies that cannot do this.

Many companies take advantage of this and add additional keywords to their company name. However, this is against Google’s guidelines and can lead to the Google My Business entry being blocked. Competitors who do this can be reported directly via the respective entry under “Suggest changes” and “Change name”. Alternatively, you can use this form.

Category: The selected categories are also important ranking factors. For your entry, you should use the 2-3 categories that competitors use that rank particularly well.

Reviews: Since reviews are a very important ranking factor, I have written a separate section on this below.

Photos: In the Google My Business profile, not only you can upload pictures, but also your customers. Feel free to encourage customers to upload pictures of your services or business premises. This also helps other potential customers to decide in your favour.

Posts: Google gives companies the opportunity to post news or offers in the company listing. There are different types of posts: Covid updates, offers, events and other updates. According to a study by Sterling Sky, posts with Covid updates and offers are clicked on most frequently.

Opening hours: In addition to the normal opening hours, you can also enter special opening hours for public holidays in the Google My Business entry. It is definitely advisable to enter these opening hours, as this lets users know exactly when you are available.

Website + link: You can set two links to your website in your Google My Business profile. Firstly, you can link to your website. You can also set a link to a page where you can make an appointment.

Service Area: In your Google My Business profile, you have the option of defining a Service Area. This function is intended for a service area business or a hybrid business. Add the neighbourhoods or villages in which you offer your service.

Questions and answers: In the Google My Business profile, users can ask questions about your company and you can then answer them. As the owner, you can also ask questions in your own business listing and answer them directly. This way, potential customers’ questions can be answered directly in your Google My Business profile.

Services / Products: Depending on the company type, you can enter your products or services. Services can be assigned to specific company categories. Services can be used to inform customers.

Company description: The company description is a text of up to 750 characters that you can use to describe your company.

Google Reviews

Reviews in the Google My Business profile are an important ranking factor, which is why I would like to dedicate an extra section to them. Quantity and quality play a role in reviews. So it’s not just the number that plays an important role, but also what customers write in the review text.

But you should refrain from doing so: Buying reviews. It may sound tempting at first, but the reviews will probably be filtered out anyway. This can also lead to your Google My Business account being blocked.

Reviews are one of the strongest ranking factors because, as with backlinks, you can beat the competition through quality and quantity. There is a strong correlation between the number of reviews and a high Google My Business listing ranking. Many companies miss out on potential here and do not actively ask customers for reviews.

Once a customer has submitted a review, the work is not done. You should now comment on the review. On the one hand, this is a signal to Google that the Google My Business entry is being taken care of. On the other hand, you can also turn negative reviews into something positive with your response:

• If the criticism is justified: Take it seriously as feedback and ideally improve it. You should also apologise for the negative customer experience.
• For negative reviews: If you have received a negative review that is unjustified, you can use the comment function to explain why the review is unjustified. For example, because the person who rated you was not a customer of yours.

Ideally, you should have a system for generating reviews. This means that you don’t hope for random reviews, but remind your customers to leave a review by repeatedly asking them to do so. Gifts as an incentive for reviews are not allowed according to Google’s guidelines. One option is to give your customers a gift anyway – without any further request or condition. This is how you utilise the psychological law of reciprocity. It simply means that a person is more likely to do you a favour if you have done something for them.

Industry entries

Business listings are important for local businesses. On the one hand, many business listings provide a backlink to your website. Secondly, the entries build trust, as Google knows that it is a real, existing company.

You need to pay attention to one important thing with the industry entries: NAP consistency. This means that the company name, address and telephone number should be the same for every entry. Irregularities here can lead to a loss of rankings. It is important for Google that the company data is consistent everywhere.

Here you will find a list of the 10 industry entries. Of course you can also register in other portals. Industry-specific business portals are especially great. You should definitely be listed here:

• https://www.gelbeseiten.de
• https://www.telefonbuch.de
• https://www.11880.com
• https://www.dasoertliche.de
• https://www.unternehmensverzeichnis.org/info/firmeneintrag2/
• https://www.branchenverzeichnis.org
• https://www.kennstdueinen.de
• https://web2.cylex.de
• https://www.marktplatz-mittelstand.de/Firmeneintrag
• https://www.golocal.de/unternehmen/

Backlinks

Backlinks, i.e. links from other websites to your website, are still an important ranking factor in 2021. It is not only the quantity that is important here, but above all the quality of the backlinks. Getting high-quality backlinks is not easy. Three possibilities for your local business are guest posts on large websites, sponsorships of events or associations or cooperations with other companies.

With the KWFinder tool, which you used for the keyword research, you can also research the backlinks of your competitors. This allows you to generate backlinks from the same link sources as your competitors.

With backlinks, you should also pay attention to the so-called anchor text. The anchor text is the text on which your backlink “lies”. The anchor text tells Google what the linked page is about. Ideally, the anchor text is a keyword that is relevant to your linked page or your company name.

Proximity

Another important ranking factor is the proximity of the searcher to the company location. It makes sense for Google to include this factor. Someone searching for a restaurant on their mobile phone should also be shown restaurants nearby.

You can’t really optimise the proximity factor. Nevertheless, it is an important ranking factor. So if you are thinking about moving to a new office or branch, you can consider moving to a more central location.

Rank Tracking

Once you have optimised your website and your Google My Business entry, you should still regularly keep an eye on your rankings. You can use Google’s free tools to do this. The Google Search Console and the statistics in the Google My Business entry are suitable here.

You can track your ranking and your position in the search results in the Search Console. You can also track the improvement of your rankings here and be notified by Google about problems with the mobile view. Another important function of the Search Console is the submission of the sitemap. Here you can find instructions on how to create a sitemap in WordPress.

You can see the statistics for your listing in the Google My Business dashboard. You should also always keep an eye on change suggestions from users and reviews from customers.

If your rankings in the Search Console fall at the same time and your statistics in the Google My Business dashboard develop negatively, then you need to look for a problem. Perhaps a competitor has optimised their website and overtaken you? Has something changed on your website?

Conclusion

In this article, you have learned the basics of local search engine optimisation for your website. Now it’s up to you to implement the individual points for your business. Have fun optimising!