Tips on Getting Started with Local SEO
Around November last year, Google changed the way it presents search results. The company now considers additional factors, namely the location where the search originated, the local elements your site has and several other location-related factors. This sparked new changes in local SEO. Here are a few things you can do to keep up with the latest local SEO challenges and get started with your own campaign.
Optimize Your Title Tags
In order for search engine crawlers to recognize your site’s main market segment – in terms of location – you need to add a location to your Title tags. Add the city, state or country you are based on to get started.
You can then fine-tune the Title tags to represent better the market segment you are trying to reach. For instance, if you are operating in multiple cities in Canada, you can have different pages pointing at those cities. This will help Google and other search engines recognize the scope of your market.
Local-Intensive Articles
As you progress through optimizing your site for local SEO, you also need to think about the content you are posting. Instead of posting generic content filled with useful information, it is now time to start adding city- or country-specific content to your site.
A good way of doing this is by mentioning the city’s name in the H1 heading and subheading. Don’t forget to add a section about how local visitors can apply the resources you share through the articles.
Avoid stuffing the articles with local keywords. Just like keyword spamming on other articles, this type of practice will only make your site’s SEO performance drop substantially.
Tag Your Images
Images and illustrations should be added to make articles appear more interesting or appealing in the eyes of users. When you post images on your site, tag where the picture was taken – if it is a photo – and add a location-based ALT tag to the images.
It is much better to share city- or country-specific images when you are writing for local SEO purposes. This way, you can also add a more specific set of metadata to the image, including details about the location shown in the picture. Google Images and Google Maps now index this type of images much faster, which means you can get exposure on both platforms as well.
Local Domain and Hosting
To optimize the site even further, try using a country-specific domain name and host your site on a server in the same country. There are a lot of Canadian hosting companies that offer quality hosting services as well as .ca domain names at affordable rates.
You can also connect with Oshim Tara if you need help managing your local SEO campaign. He is a well-known SEO Specialist in Bangladesh. His ability to tweak SEO strategies to suit local challenges better, particularly for businesses and professionals. You will be surprised by just how effective local SEO can be.
