Local SEO, definition and SEO optimization strategies

What is local SEO?

Local SEO, or local SEO, is a digital marketing strategy focused on optimizing the visibility of a business, product, or service in online search results, specifically for searches conducted in a defined geographic area.

Local SEO: definition

Google prioritizes local search



According to SEO Expert Brad, 92% of Internet users choose a company whose website is located in first page of local SERP.

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– According to Hubspot, 86% consumers use Google Maps to find the location of a company.

Source Abundance : Why the Local SEO becomes essential?

Local SEO, how does it work?

Local SEO, or local SEO, is a set of natural referencing techniques that aim to improve the visibility of a business in local search results.

These search results appear when the user enters a query including geographic information, such as "restaurant in Paris 8th" or "hotel in Nice". But not only that.

In fact, if the search engine thinks that your search intent is local, this will also offer you results with local displays even if your query does not contain a geographic indication.

Local SEO allows you to appear in Google results thanks to your business profile, to appear in directories and to appear in organic search thanks to the creation of local web pages.
This form of geolocalized natural referencing, in addition to making you appear on Google Maps, also helps you gain places in your positioning at the national level.

To appear in local search results on Google Search and Google Maps, you must create a Google My Business listing.

This listing allows you to provide information about your business, including your name, address, hours of operation, products or services, and photos.

You can also use your Google My Business listing to respond to reviews and promote your products or services.

Creating a Google Business Profile

To be visible locally, it is essential to create a Google My Business listing. To do this, nothing could be simpler.
Go to the Google search engine and type in “Create a Google My Business listing”. All you need is a Google account, a mobile number and a postal address.

Essential, the creation of this file offers you an incredible gain in local visibility if it is well completed and correctly optimized.

Effective positioning in Google's local pack

A local SEO effective, with a choice of relevant keywords, allows you to respond to queries requested by Internet users. To appear in Google's local pack, the creation and optimization of your Google My Business file remains the key to your visibility.
However, also know that your listing and its ranking work in pairs with on-page SEO.

Google local pack and local finder

Google's algorithm displays, according to your query, the first three results in a box located in the local SERP, that is to say the first page of Google. This is called Google's local pack.

If you press "show all" to see the other results offered by the search engine, you are in Google's local finder.

So, depending on the keywords or expressions contained in your main query, you get a response and a local presentation of these results.

For appear in the top 3 of Google, you must create (or claim) a Google My Business listing.
Having become Google Business Profile in 2021, this establishment profile is free.
Easy to use, the Google My Business profile improves your online presence.

Additionally, it tells Internet users all the information they need to find you:

• name and geographic address of your establishment, telephone number. We are talking about NAP (Name, Address, Phone number);
• main category;
• secondary categories;
• available services;
• website ;
• itinerary ;
• attributes;
• photos and videos;
• hours of operation ;
• appointment making;
• social networks;
• products.
  
  

There Google My Business listing is the business card of your company "Google version".

To appear on Google Search, in organic search, you must have a website.

Optimizing your website for local search

There content writing, just like for natural referencing, allows you to boost your local SEO. By optimizing your web pages and using geo-specific keywords, you give yourself the opportunity to play even more with keywords and respond to the local search intentions of your customers.

You maximize your chances of appearing where you want.

Working on On-page SEO

This optimization process is called "On-page SEO" suppose :

• Keyword mapping (SEO strategy which consists of linking each keyword to a specific page or search intention).
• Optimizing your titles, HTML tags and meta descriptions.
• Creating content with local and informative keywords.
• A good internal mesh.
• Images optimized and referenced on Google Images.
• Structured URLs with local keywords.
• Coding in JSON-LD (structured data).

Guest posting is a common and effective content strategy to generate links and traffic to your website.

Also consider publishing articles on social networks. As for the blog (and its links to your Google Business profile) or Google Posts and links to your website, this strategy is a hit.

All of these little extras and actions can also help your local SEO efforts and set you apart from your competitors.

How to appear on Google Maps for a business ?

To appear on Google Maps:

The first step is to create a Google My Business listing for your business and fill it out properly. The free Google My Business site allows you to easily register your business on Google and have it appear on Google Maps.

THE Local SEO allows you to display your business in your area of activity, in the geographic location where it has a physical location.

The Google My Business (GMB) listing allows Google to respond to Internet users by showing them your business near where they are when they perform an Internet search.

How to get listed on Google Maps?

To list your business on Google Maps, you need to create a Google Business Listing.

To obtain a positioning in the top 3 of Google Maps, you must optimize your establishment profile and reference the pages of your website locally. Use the services of a SEO consultant, local SEO expert remains wise.

In order for Google's relevance criteria to send Internet users to your site and your establishment profile, it is necessary to:

• Create aGoogle My Business listing by establishment.
• Register in directories specific to your activity to promote netlinking and inbound links (Yelp, Foursquare, yellow pages).
  
• Being on websites or mobile apps that send GPS signals back to your smartphone and Google robots.

Recent statistics have shown that Internet users and mobile users mainly click on the first 5 organic results displayed in Google SERP 1.

The same goes for local SEO. People click on the first 3 results in the local pack. The stronger your indexing by Google, the better your local presence online. The more potential customers you attract.


The more you work on a site's SEO, Local SEO, the more you meet Google's ranking criteria.

Your local SEO becomes the best weapon for your natural referencing and your online visibility.

The Vicinity local ranking algorithm

Google's local ranking algorithm is a complex algorithm that takes into account many factors to determine the order of local search results. These factors include:

• Relevance : Google strives to provide the most relevant results for users’ search queries, so relevance is an important factor in local ranking. To be relevant, a Google My Business listing must contain complete and accurate information, including the business name, address, hours of operation, products or services, and photos.
  
  
• Proximity : Google wants to provide local results that are relevant to the user's location. Therefore, proximity is an important factor in local ranking. Google uses the user's geolocation to determine the distance between the user and the businesses that appear in search results.
  
  
• Popularity : Google wants to provide local results that are important to users, so popularity is an important factor in local ranking. Google uses a number of factors to determine the importance of a business, including the number and quality of reviews, the business's popularity on social media, and user engagement with the business.

Tips to improve your ranking in the results

Here are some tips to improve your ranking in local search results:

• Complete your Google My Business profile : Be sure to fill out all requested information, including business name, address, hours of operation, products or services, and photos.
  
  
• Use local keywords : in your content and meta tags, use keywords that are relevant to your business and your catchment area.
  
  
• Get positive reviews : Positive reviews are a sign of importance to Google. Encourage your customers to leave reviews on your Google My Business listing and other online review platforms (Facebook, Yelp, Yellow Pages, etc.).
  
  
• Be active on social media : Social media presence is a sign of importance to Google. Post quality content on your social networks and interact with your followers.

To obtain a positioning in the top 3 of Google and Google Maps, it is essential to:

1. Reference you locally with your establishment file.
   
   
2. Optimize your website (HTML tags, URLs, local keywords, structured data tags, geolocated images).
   
   
3. Create local web pages with SEO optimized content.

More information about Google's local pack:

➡️ Local SEO: 7 practices to appear in Google’s Local pack

Local SEO Strategies

Local SEO strategies are techniques used to improve the visibility of a business in local search results.

These strategies aim to meet the needs of consumers who are looking for information about local businesses or services.

Reach a local audience

Local SEO is therefore essential for businesses that rely on local traffic, such as physical stores, restaurants, hair salons, medical offices, etc.

It allows these businesses to reach a relevant local audience and increase their online visibility, which can have a significant impact on their business success.

Work on your visibility

Local SEO focuses on optimizing various online elements for increased visibility in local searches, including:

- Google My Business Listings: Optimizing and managing business listings on platforms such as Google My Business, Bing Places, and Yelp, which provide essential business information such as address, hours of operation. opening, telephone number, customer reviews, and more.

- Local Keywords: Incorporating location-related keywords into website content, business listings, and landing pages to target searches in a specific region.

- On-page SEO and Geo-targeted content creation: producing relevant content for local audiences, such as creating local pages, blog posts about local events, neighborhood news related to your business or promotions specific to your local business.

- Managing online reviews: soliciting customer reviews, responding to positive and negative reviews in a professional manner, and maintaining a positive online reputation.

- Local link building: building links from high-quality local websites, such as local blogs, local business directories, and local organizations (town halls, CCI, etc.).

- Mobile optimization: Many local searches are performed on smartphones.

- Local performance tracking: the use of analytics tools to monitor local SEO performance, including tracking ranking in local search results, monitoring local web traffic, and evaluating effectiveness local SEO strategies.

The main strategies in local SEO are as follows:

• Google My Business listing optimization : Google My Business listing is a free tool provided by Google that allows businesses to create a local online presence. Google My Business listing is an essential part of local SEO because it is displayed at the top of local search results. Optimizing Google My Business listing involves filling out all the required information, using relevant keywords, and getting positive reviews.
  
  
• Website optimization : A business website should be optimized for local searches. This means using relevant keywords in the site's content, as well as in meta tags and the domain name.
  The website must also be responsive, meaning it must display correctly on all devices, including smartphones and tablets.
  
  
• Backlink generation: Backlinks are links from other websites to your business website. Backlinks are an important signal to search engines because they indicate that your website is relevant and trustworthy. To generate backlinks, you can create quality content, participate in forums and blogs, or contact other websites to ask them to link to your site.
  

• Local citations and directories: The local citations are mentions of your business on websites or apps. These mentions may include your name, address, phone number, products or services, and reviews.
  
  
• THE local directories are websites or apps that list local businesses. These directories are often used by users to search for businesses in their area. Having your business listed on local directories is a great way to improve your local visibility and drive traffic to your website or Google My Business listing.
  
  
• Local marketing : Local marketing is about promoting your business to your local audience. This can be done through online advertising campaigns, public relations, influencer marketing, or participating in local events.