Informing the search engines of your location is such an important element of Local Search. It sounds obvious, but this can often be totally overlooked. Companies can take it for granted that people know where they are located and therefore so will the search engines.
But life isn’t that easy and unless you tell search engines where you are you’ll be relying on external links from other sites to provide them with this information, which is fine for improving your Google Places ranking but when you want your actual site to rank locally then you need to give Google a helping hand.
Here are some Local SEO tips that can be added to any site:
Page Titles
The Title tag is possibly the most important factor of a Webpage looking to rank. So it’s vital that you not only include the term you are targeting but also your location. Searchers are becoming savvier over what they search for. If they want a plumber they are more likely to search for a “Plumber in (include a town or post code)”. So help both your potential customers out and the search engines. Include the Town or City. Don’t add the whole address.
Include Your Address
Is your address on every page? Adding your address to the footer of your pages will add local information.
You may have more than one location. If this is the case then creating a separate page for each one is fine. If you have a large number of locations and creating a separate page for each one isn’t realistic, create one page that lists all locations.
Local Phone Number
Following on from your address, it is just as important to include the local phone number on each page. Some companies may use generic numbers such as 0845 or even a 0800 number (including us). This doesn’t give the search engines any local information. You will usually find that you also have a local number, include this complete with local code.
On Page Content
Including the town or city you are based in within the copy of your content will also give the search engines further information. However with any SEO don’t force this into your copy.
Create A Directions Page
Direction pages are ideal for highlighting your exact location. Simply including a map won’t really cut it here; to gain the most out of this type of page write detailed directions. Include landmarks if possible. The more information you can give both search engines and visitors the better.
You can also link to your Google Places profile.
Contact Us Page
Some companies miss the chance of including their address by simply having a “contact us” form.
Be sure to include your FULL address and phone number.
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