The most common perception about local SEO is that of a marketing tactic aimed at improving a website’s ranking against search queries coming from a specific geographic locality, and, for the most part, this definition is true. Taking this definition to the next level, there are some ways businesses can optimize their web pages to appear in search queries coming from multiple locations. But let’s first make it clear that local SEO is not any less type of SEO that might leave room for marketers to go with shady practices. It’s an SEO on its own with a different set of in’s and out’s.

Modern-day local SEO

A business must have a prominent position in SERPs, as any good business, whether or not it is local, has its audience over the web. This makes that business doing well in Google search result pages. Hence, it should go without saying that if you are a new or small business, you are going to have to work on improving your Google rankings even if your primary goal is to get local customers only.

Avoid using a virtual office

The idea of setting up a virtual office sounds great. You get an office address with a valid phone number for much less than what you would pay for a physical office. Technically, it shouldn’t be of any concern as no client will visit that office without you knowing about it. But setting up a virtual office can prove to be counterproductive when you need to establish a Google My Business profile. Very few people know about a GMB guideline saying that you should not use virtual office locations as a part of your business strategy.

Make sure your business shows up in the knowledge panel

To achieve a knowledge panel about your business in the SERPs, you are going to have to use the local data structure. For this purpose, make sure that:

• You are adding structured data properly
• The data validates in Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool
• There are no issues when the data indexes

Keeping an eye on the market and your competition

You are going to have to perform proper competition research on local content and links to determine what you need to do. In this scenario, it is necessary to keep your budget limitations in mind. It means that if you do not have a budget big enough to fuel your marketing requirements on a bigger scale, you should avoid going into larger markets.

Linking strategy

SEO is incomplete without linking. In the case of local SEO, you are going to have to pay attention to getting links that can benefit your local rankings. It has always been this way, as evident from local directories that tend to bring local traffic to local businesses.

Content strategy

Content is as necessary as the SEO itself. Your local audience needs to have a deeper understanding of your business. And for that purpose, you need to have updated and valuable content on your web pages. Make sure that the content answers the questions your local audience may have about your business.