Local Search Optimization
Your customers are local. Are you?
Gain a competitive edge by optimizing your site and content for local search.
Local searches lead to sales
When someone includes their city/neighborhood name or uses “near me” in their search, they are conducting a “local search.” People typically perform a local search when they are getting ready to buy, which makes these searches very valuable to businesses. Studies conducted by Google have found that people conducting a local search are twice as likely to make a purchase within the next day.
When a person performs a local search, Google uses a different algorithm to determine which businesses, products or services to show to the searcher. This local algorithm is different from Google's “general” search rankings in that it specifically emphasizes local results. This means that savvy local, franchise, retail, or restaurant companies are able to structure their website and content in a way that emphasizes the local aspect of their business in order to outrank competitors for these very valuable searches.
What we do
Whether your company spans multiple countries or is a stand-alone local business, our talented search team can design and implement a local search approach that works for you.
Local search assessment
Our team will review your stand-alone or multi-location website to assess how well optimized it is for local search. We will review your website’s technical setup, including your URL structure, metadata and structured data (also called “schema markup”), as well as your listings and content optimization. We will review how well your site ranks for key local terms related to your business to identify top competitors and areas of opportunity.
Local listings optimization
Your Google My Business and Bing Places listings have a significant impact on your local search ranking. Google and Bing use this information to verify your physical location(s) and understand the products and services you offer. We will work with you to take ownership of your listings to ensure the information they contain is correct and “teach” the search engines about your business by adding additional content and information specific to your location(s).
Duplicate content review
Google is interested in valuable and unique content, so it suppresses duplicated content in its search results. This is particularly problematic for multi-location businesses who use the same “base” content across their location pages. Because the content is largely the same, Google often excludes the location pages from their search results, which can have a devastating impact on your local search results. Our team will review your website content and rankings to identify if you are being impacted by duplicate content and recommend a course of action to address the issue.
Structured data
As outlined in our structured data section, it is a great idea to add schema markup to your website to aid in search indexing and visibility. Structured data is particularly important for local search optimization, as it allows you to specifically annotate your location information (such as phone number, address, lat/long, hours of operation and other business details) so the search engine has a large degree of confidence in the data. The more “certain” the search engine is that you have a location in a specific area, the more likely you are to show up for searches pertinent to that area.
Local search strategy
Your organization is unique, so you need a local search strategy tailored to your specific needs. Based on the findings from the assessment, the dynamics of your industry and your business objectives, we will work with you to develop a local search strategy customized to your company. As part of the strategy, we will identify technical improvements to your website, structured data and markup strategies, listing optimizations, and a content creation approach.
Localized content creation
As important as the technical setup is for local search optimization, content is still the most important search ranking factor. Our team of writers will create unique content for your stand-alone or multi-location business that is optimized for local searches. This is particularly important for multi-location businesses to avoid the duplicate content issues outlined above. Our team will work with you to create content that is unique to each of your locations to avoid ranking penalties.
"What can I say, we're huge fans of Reshift Media. The support from the team is second to none. They're amazing, collaborative, responsive and we couldn't do it without you guys. "
Ashly Barron
Marketing Manager, Property Guys
Multi-location businesses are made for local search
We specialize in providing local search solutions for multi-location businesses such as franchises, retailers, restaurants, and other similar companies. Local search for these types of organizations can be quite complex, but when properly implemented, it can provide a massive competitive advantage over both national and local competitors.
Due to the nature of their business structure, multi-location businesses can rank exceptionally well in local searches. Through a combination of website setup, structured data, listings optimization, and localized content we are able to create a sophisticated search “footprint” which generates SEO strength both at the national and local levels. With this approach, each location creates local search strength in its own market while simultaneously providing search authority to the organization overall. It is an extremely effective approach that we have successfully implemented many times.
