10 conseils pour améliorer votre référencement local

Introduced in 2006, local SEO is an optimization technique that involves creating a business listing in the search engine map section. In this way, you benefit from optimized display in Google's results, ensuring greater visibility.

Local SEO is of great importance for businesses, restaurants, hotels, as well as for any company looking to attract customers to their premises or indicate their location. As search engines are programmed to display results based on their relevance, it is essential not to neglect this aspect to gain places in Google's ranking.

In 2014, Google launched Pigeon, a major algorithm update that shook the world of local SEO. Now, even if internet users' queries are implicitly associated with a given place, the search results will appear based on the internet user's geolocation. This is another hurdle for businesses that have had to modify their SEO strategy accordingly. It's clear that on the web, changes are constant, and it's essential to continually adapt.

If you're still hesitant to integrate geolocalized SEO into your online marketing strategy, this article should definitely convince you!

Here are 10 tips to improve your local SEO

1. Optimize your Google My Business listing to improve your local SEO

The first step before tackling local SEO would be to create a listing on Google My Business. Afterward, you'll need to provide as much information as possible to optimize your profile. Since Google Maps appears at the top of the results, geolocalized SEO represents a unique and free opportunity to get ahead of competing businesses that have put in less effort in optimization. Therefore, you should:

• Complete your business profile with relevant information that matches internet users' searches;

• Choose the business categories that apply to you (Google recommends selecting as few as possible);

• Upload your logo and one or more representative images;

• Enable the option that allows users to rate you (Google favors businesses with the best ratings).

As many internet users utilize Google in their searches, most of the traffic on your site will certainly come from this platform. However, there are other search engines such as Bing (Bing Places for Business) or Apple (Apple Maps Connect) on which it would be interesting to have a business listing.

2. Register on online directories

Although paper directories are definitely dead, online directories are popular. You've probably already used Yellow Pages, Yelp, or Bing to find a shop or a restaurant for delivery. These directories are very well indexed on Google and ensure great visibility.

This form of promotion is particularly important for commerce and service providers. Yellow Pages is one of the most used directories and allows businesses to create a free listing with various information, photos, including a link to the business's website, and the possibility for customers to leave comments.

In addition to general directories, there are specialized directories related to a well-defined sector. You can thus register your business with certain e-commerce directories and editorial sites to feature your contact details.

3. Optimize your website content

It's completely false to think that SEO stops at natural referencing. In reality, all the actions that make up your online marketing strategy are complementary and overlap with the goal of increasing your visibility. Thus, optimizing online content is one aspect to work on to improve your local SEO. You may have created a beautiful listing on Google My Business, but the search engine will never highlight you if your website is not relevant.

Whether in titles (H1, H2, H3), meta-descriptions, or editorial content, make sure your business information and especially your geolocation appear on several pages of your site. Optimizing your website is one of the factors that will certainly help you gain places in Google's map section. So, if you want to appear in the top 3 and get ahead of your competitors, you know what you need to do!

4. Use keywords and think about geolocating your SEO

Keywords are an integral part of your SEO strategy, which is why it's necessary to target them well for better local SEO. In addition to defining in advance the queries of your potential customers (User Intent), it's necessary to develop keywords with geographical indicators.

The keywords will be selected meticulously and must be in coherence with the products or services you offer, as well as the geographical sector in which you operate.

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5. Developing your online reputation contributes to geolocalized SEO

To develop your online reputation locally, you generally need to go through social media, which is an effective tool for getting known at a low cost. Social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram are widely used by businesses, regardless of their size or sector of activity.

On Facebook, for example, there are several pages and various groups based on a well-defined geographical sector. This is a great opportunity to make your company's products or services known locally.

If social media seems like a task you do not wish to handle but recognize the importance of this tool in your development, be aware that there are web agencies capable of managing your social media as well as your SEO, while contributing to your local SEO.

6. Encourage internet users' reviews

By creating a profile on Google My Business, you expose yourself to internet users' reviews. However, this is not such a bad thing, since we know full well that your business perfectly meets its customers' needs.

Depending on the means of communication used to keep in touch with your clientele (Facebook posts, emails, newsletters), it would be interesting to ask your customers to rate you or even leave a comment describing their experience. Whether positive or negative, never miss an opportunity to respond to a comment.

7. Backlinking and local SEO

Did you know that the quality and quantity of backlinks pointing to a website strongly influence its ranking? In this case, it's very important to work on your backlinking to optimize your local SEO. It's then about increasing the number of external links on relevant sites or blogs operating locally.

You can achieve this in different ways, including participating in events, publishing press releases for local media, and creating partnerships with other websites for an exchange of visibility.

8. Responsive web design: adapting your site to mobiles and tablets

Did you know that 60% of local searches are performed from a mobile? In this case, if your site does not have a mobile version, then all your efforts in terms of local SEO will be moderately effective. Moreover, your natural SEO will also suffer.

9. Do not neglect voice search

Smartphones being increasingly powerful and especially more present in our modern lives make it an element not to be overlooked. Voice search SEO is a crucial challenge for companies wishing to stand out locally, hence the interest in integrating voice search into your local SEO strategy.

10. Advertising locally using Google Ads and Facebook Ads

These are the two most popular advertising tools, to be absolutely integrated into your online marketing plan. Both offer very precise geographical targeting possibilities. Even though Google Ads and Facebook Ads are primarily used to generate traffic to your website, Google appreciates businesses that make the effort to use online advertising. You'll see, your local SEO will only be better!