What is local SEO?
Local search engine optimisation aims to optimise your company's visibility in local Google searches. Local searches can be searches that contain a place name (for example, "SEO agency Copenhagen"), but it can also be searches without a place name (for example "SEO agency"), where Google shows local results based on the user's IP address.
A local SEO effort is therefore especially important for those who have a physical presence (or several) and want potential customers in your local area to easily find you when searching locally for your products or services. If you have a business based solely on an online webshop, local search engine optimisation is not relevant for you in the first place.
Local searches have increased exponentially in recent years with the rise of mobile devices. Several studies indicate that local searches are mainly conducted while users are on the move. According to Google, 30 % of all mobile searches related to locations, and 76 % of all users visit the businesses they have found through local searches on the same day.
In other words, local searches have a high conversion to customer. That's why it's more important than ever to incorporate local SEO into your overall SEO efforts - if you have a business with a geographically defined target group in one or more local areas.
How to get found on local keywords
All of the areas of SEO effort that are part of a regular SEO effort also apply to local SEO work. Your overall SEO efforts will therefore have a positive impact on your local SEO results in the long run. However, there are a number of elements you need to pay particular attention to in order to get ahead of your competitors on local searches:
Content optimization by place names
Do a keyword analysis, mapping all relevant keywords with place names from your local area. This could include towns, roads, districts, municipalities and places of interest. Then make sure that relevant pages on your website are optimised for these keywords. If you have multiple physical locations, it is often beneficial to have a sub-page for each physical location that is optimised for the place name keywords associated with that location. Read more about content optimization.
NAP information
NAP is an abbreviation for name, address and phone. The information gives Google an indication of where your business is located and how to get in touch with it. To avoid confusing Google (and users), it is important that the information is as identical as possible across all platforms, including your website, Trustpilot, CVR, Krak, Google My Business and similar.
Google My Business
Create a Google My Business business profile (free) to make information about your business more accessible on Google. With a business profile, your business can also appear in the map feature that Google is increasingly showing on local searches. The benefits of Google My Business are detailed in the following section. Read more about Google My Business.
Frequently asked questions about local SEO
What is local SEO?
Local SEO is about optimising your business's visibility in local Google searches. Local searches are searches that contain a place name (e.g. "garden furniture odense"), but they can also be searches without a place name (e.g. "burger bar"), where Google shows local results based on the user's IP address.
Why is local SEO important?
According to Google, 30 % of all mobile searches are related to locations, and 76 % of all users visit the businesses they found through local searches on the same day.
How do I work with local SEO?
In the text above are a few tips for action specifically related to local SEO. But it is important to say that most of the areas of action that are part of a normal SEO effort also apply to local SEO. Read more about SEO here.
