In the world of online marketing, there’s really nothing better than search engine optimization (SEO). Not only is it cost effective, but it’s been proven to be more beneficial in terms of both traffic and conversions than social media, paid ads, and other forms of digital marketing again and again. It’s THAT GOOD.
If you’ve had an online business or blog for a while, you’ve probably heard the term “SEO” thrown around a lot. But, what is it? Search engine optimization refers to the method of strategically curating, writing, formatting, and uploading content to rank high on search engine results pages.
So, if you sell one-of-a-kind embroidered belt bags or share content about living with a specific health condition, and someone searches for anything similar to those topics, SEO will ensure your website pops up near the top of the search engine results pages. It’s easy to see how that leads to more traffic and conversions!
But, this type of SEO is all driven by topical searches. You’ll draw your traffic from all over the world, which is great for some brands! However, for brands that benefit from customers and followers around their area, SEO localization is key. This is where you optimize your website and content to populate at the top of search results, not just based on topic, but based on location, too!
Does this sound important to your brand? If so, keep reading, because we’re going to dive into the benefits of SEO localization and give you some tips for ranking in your area.
Here’s what you need to know:
What Is SEO Localization?
Let’s break this down. SEO localization is the practice of tweaking your search engine optimization strategy to match the search habits and preferences of users in a specific geographical region. And when we say region, we’re not just talking about countries we’re talking about cities, neighborhoods, or even dialects!
Think about it: people in the UK don’t search the same way as people in the US. And, even within the same country, people from New York and people from Texas may use entirely different search terms to find the exact same product. SEO localization takes all of this into account, adapting your website so it appears for your target audience in a fully optimized and culturally relevant way!
Simply put, SEO localization means tailoring your content to ensure it ranks well for local searches in your target region using the relevant keywords, phrases, and user behaviors unique to that area.
Why Is SEO Localization Strategy Important?
An SEO localization strategy isn’t going to be super important for every content creator or small business. Of course, if you write in the English language or something generally geared toward a Western audience or target market, you don’t want your content popping up for foreign searches who wouldn’t understand your POV. However, by nature, search engines sort and filter content to match the right web pages with the right users based on their location and language.
When we’re talking about SEO localization, we’re talking about focusing on a much smaller region! So, if you’re a food blogger reviewing restaurants in Chicago, you want to draw as much traffic from Chicago as possible. Why? Because people living or visiting the Chicago area are the ones that want your content.
And, if you’re a small business owner selling organizational services in the Houston area, it’s good for your helpful decluttering and cleaning blog posts and resources to pop up on search on a global scale. However, in order to convert readers into buyers of your organizational services, you need to rank well for local SEO too in order to draw in that Houston crowd of paying customers!
See how helpful local SEO can be to your brand? It can be a total game-changer! It’ll drive more relevant traffic to your site, and these followers or customers will be more engaged, more loyal, and way more willing to respond to your call-to-action. Plus, if your brand comes up for local search results over a competitor, you can bet that you’re getting that lead over the other guy (or gal)!
Helpful Tips on How to Build an Effective SEO Localization Strategy
Now that we’re all on the same page about how important SEO localization is for certain brands, let’s talk about how you can actually start implementing it. Grab your notepad, because we’re I’m about to drop some seriously effective strategies that will transform your SEO game!
Tip 1: Conduct local keyword research and use those search terms.
If you want to rank for local searches, you’ll need to do some research! For instance, if you’re a wedding photographer in Orange County, you’ll probably want to rank for phrases like:
- Wedding photographers in Orange County
- Affordable wedding photographers in Orange County
- Best wedding photographers in Orange County
- Orange County wedding photographers
See what we’re saying? Getting people to look at your portfolio is great for ad revenue and future brand collabs, but if you want people to actually book your photography services, you need to get in front of people in your area!
You can probably figure some keywords out on your own, but you can do more expert keyword research using tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMrush! Once you have a list of keywords for your area (a lot of them are going to be location names), utilize those keywords in your blog posts, website copy, meta descriptions, title tags, alt text, and anywhere else with text! Just make sure you don’t keyword stuff, and you only utilize keywords where it’s natural.
For more on this, here’s: How Many Keywords Should I Use for SEO?
Tip 2: Optimize your Google My Business listing.
If you’re a small business, make sure your Google My Business listing is totally filled out and accurate. You’ll have information like your business name, address, phone number, and more that helps Google link your content to local audiences and searchers. And, yes, this is even important if you don’t have a brick-and-mortar part of your business! The easy-access to your online business info will improve your user experience, further boosting your SEO.
You can improve your local search engine ranking even more with Google My Business by getting lots of reviews from past clients and customers! So, do what you can to encourage those reviews. It’ll help you rank high for lots of local searches related to your business.
Tip 3: Attract local backlinks.
If there are websites already associated with your local area like local news sites, business directors, or other local blogs, being connected to them via backlinks can improve your local SEO! Basically, if you create high-quality content or offer a great service and build good relationships with local sites, hopefully they’ll externally link to your content! When they do this, their high local search ranking boosts your ranking too.
Use SEO to boost your brand locally and better reach your target audience!
For some of you out there, your regional audience is EV-ERY-THING. Whether your content is super location-specific or your in-person services are the heart of your brand, SEO localization can be key to taking your blog or business to the next level. To learn more about SEO ranking and SEO best practices, definitely check out the InfluencerSEO blog! We’ve got tons of expert advice and free resources!
But, if this is all a bit overwhelming or you’re just too booked up to spend time on your site optimization, then let us help you! Our individualized SEO services take your brand goals and make them a reality. That includes your dreams of becoming the #1 trusted professional for whatever it is you do in your area. Let’s do this!
Jordan Becerra, founder and Lead SEO Strategist at InfluencerSEO, has spent almost 15 years in the creator internet space, the last nine building InfluencerSEO into the go-to SEO partner for content creators, with 500+ creators served from pre-launch to massive publication. She learned creator monetization and community building strategy from the inside working for Lauryn Bosstick of The Skinny Confidential prior to founding InfluencerSEO, so she understands both halves of the game: how search actually works AND how creators actually build a strong community online and make money. Her job now is to stay ahead of where search engine optimization is going, especially as AI rewrites the rules, and to make sure the creators she works with get there first.
Leave a Reply