Consistently producing quality content is an effective way to improve your ranking results for local keywords that are less competitive. local SEO ranking factors you can use to be a straightforward process. Businesses simply had to add their NAP to the footer, build a few directory links, and you were on the way to the local 7-pack!
As local SEO changed, the 7-pack was reduced to the top 3, and a few local directory links are no longer enough to get you any results at all. To move up in the local SEO business ranks today, what you really need is content! Producing consistent, high-quality content is a super-effective way to get your business to rank for the less competitive, local keywords. Despite what you may think, the truth is that ranking for these types of keywords is incredibly useful in boosting your local presence online. Since small to medium-sized businesses just can’t keep up with big chains’ marketing budgets, focusing on local SEO is a great alternative. Focusing on improving your content can boost your online traffic by as much as 300%. The key to achieving these fantastic results is knowing what types of the content impact local SEO. Let’s explore!
9 Examples of Content for Local SEO
For some customers, content creation is a challenge. Either it’s not their cup of tea, or they have multiple locations and can’t imagine creating separate content for each. The problem is that not creating content closes the door to countless opportunities to grow your business. And not creating content that is specific to each of your locations is even worse. Let’s face it, no one is going to show up to your party if they don’t have an invitation! The same is true for your business. If you aren’t meeting customers where they’re searching in today’s technology-driven society, you’re missing out! So, while you might not like this next statement, it’s in the best interest of your business to find a way to love it. You need to become a local content machine. It’s simply not enough to create excellent content today if you want to get ahead. Instead, you need to be local. Focusing on local content that’s relevant and useful is a great strategy to enhance your business. As you take some time to get used to this new idea, let’s talk about what types of content you need to get excellent local SEO results.
City-Specific Landing Page
A great way to rank higher for local keywords is to create a location page that helps boost your presence in the local SERPs. This is particularly important if you have a multi-location business. While you don’t need to create a separate website for each location, having a separate landing page is critical. In fact, because ‘Local SEO‘ is somewhat complicated, having separate websites for each location of your small to medium-sized local business can dilute your authority. It can also become overwhelming for you, so keep it simple. One page per location is a perfect strategy.
State or Regional Landing Page
When it comes to competing in the local SEO space, the content will make or break your SERP results. It’s the difference between being buried on page 3 and being featured at the top of page 1.
So, if creating separate landing pages for each of your locations seems like a daunting task, start by building a landing page that’s specific to your city or region. As you watch these landing pages improve your local results and bring in new customers, it might give you the drive to get to work on city-specific location pages.
Before you start building state location pages, take a deep dive into the buyer personas for your state. They might be noticeably different from your local buyers. This strategy will help you understand your audience so you can deliver content that excites them. The better the UX experience you create for your audience, the more organic traffic and increased conversion rates you’ll get.
FAQ Pages
FAQ pages are the one-stop shop for everything local SEO content. That’s because the introduction of voice search has changed the way users operate. The industry sees a shift in how people consume content because of the increased presence of convenience in life. Since nearly ⅓ of mobile searches are related to the users’ physical location, local SEO is a significant moneymaker for businesses. According to BrightLocal, 58% of consumers have used voice search in the last 12 months to find local business information. FAQ pages are commonly a featured snippet in these results. Give it a try yourself. Do a Google search. You’ll see that optimized FAQ pages can feature snippets in the Google SERPs. If you use your phone to ask Siri the same question, you’ll see the same snippet as one of the top results in the response if that FAQ page is optimized. That’s why FAQ pages are a great way to boost local SEO.
Specials
Who doesn’t love a great special? Special and discounts are the game-changers for local business owners. In a world filled with smart shoppers, everyone is an extreme couponer today. That’s why you need to take advantage of personalized specials for residents to give your customers what they want. The hospitality industry is well known for this strategy. Local hotels offer discounts that are specific to state residents. Additionally, many entertainment-style businesses place a locals section on their website for deals and access to special events. Offering a location-specific discount is a great way to appeal to your local audience. It makes them feel special. As you race to the top of the SERPs, make sure you deliver all your discount-related content in a spot on your website where customers can find it!
Host Local Events
Local events are a great way to draw in new customers, and advertising those events can help enhance your local SEO. Just think about how popular Facebook events are today to keep residents informed about what’s happening in their area. There’s always some sort of local event flashing across the social media notifications. Why not make it yours? Hosting local events is a great way to drive awareness to your business. Just make sure you post your event on your website as well. If you’re hosting a local event and only talking about it on social media, you’re missing out on some powerful local SEO ammunition. If hosting an event isn’t your cup of tea, we got you covered. Check out an alternate option in the next section. Partner with Local Events. If the idea of hosting a local event is too overwhelming for you, consider partnering with a local event. Maybe you don’t want to add the added work to your plate by creating your own event, but you can still leverage local events for your SEO results. Check out some local businesses that have upcoming events. Reach out to them to see if you can be a sponsor or support the event somehow. If they say yes, make sure they backlink to your website. This is a great way to build your local SEO. If you don’t have the budget necessary to sponsor one of these events, pick a good one and talk about it. For example, find a larger event that everyone is talking about in your area. Then use your website to talk about the event in some way with positive content. When online users search for information about that event, your website will come up in the local results.
Blog Content
This is probably an obvious one, but blog content is where the magic happens. Consistent, updated, and relevant blog content is the golden ticket to better local SEO results. If you’re a local business looking to compete in the SERPs, having an active blog will improve your rankings. So, what should you write about? Here are a few ideas that can get you started:
New Location Announcement
If you open up a new location, make an article that talks about all the details. You can even interview local community leaders from that location to get more traffic and make your content more inviting.
Pricing
If you own a local business that offers a service, talk about how customers can find the best prices for the type of services you offer. End it with a hook-line that assures them that you provide the most affordable pricing, and they’ll be paying customers before you know it.
Product Announcements
Nothing gets customers excited like new product announcements. Americans are consumer-driven. That means that can’t resist the hottest, new products on the market. They’ll want to get their hands on them before they sell out, so make sure to use this opportunity to create a sense of urgency.
Interviews and Testimonials
Interviews and testimonials are a great way to drive local traffic to your website. Not only do interviews interest online users, but they open the door to word-of-mouth advertising as the interviewee and all their friends and family share your post across social media.
Best of Guides
“Best of” guides are excellent because you can write about whatever you want. Just spend some time brainstorming about what your products and services bring to your customers, and you’re halfway there. For example, if you own an eCommerce grocery shop, you can talk about the best of skincare or health foods.
Press Pages
Press pages are an excellent resource because they show up on your local results and give customers a behind-the-scenes look at your business. You can also partner with the local press on a press release. Not only will this create some authority for your website, but it’ll also drive more traffic.
Get to Work Creating Content that Enhances Your Local SEO
Not that you know all about what types of content you need, it’s time to get to work. Don’t put too much thought into the process. For years, local business owners agonized over creating content. Today, it’s a much simpler process. In fact, online users love when you keep it casual and conversational.
The bottom line is that content is crucial if you want people to find your local business online. The best search engines have upped the ante on everything local, and you need to get in the game if you’re going to match your competition. Of course, you still need to build citations and make sure your NAP is correct, but you also need to create hyperlocal content.
For more information on the importance of local SEO, check out this article.