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Recently the scramble to add Local Keywords (location-based search terms for Google) and Alt Text to pages, posts and content in order to Rank with Google’s New Focus on Local Search Ranking is Killing Business’s Online Presence.

When you are designing your site in Showit, it can be really overwhelming to create pages that will rank for specific locations or a specific niche in multiple locations.

Leveraging local keywords and crafting optimized alt text can significantly enhance your local search ranking on Google.

Start by identifying relevant local keywords that are specific to your business and its geographical area. For instance, if you own a photo studio in Brooklyn, terms like “Brooklyn Photo Studio,” “best photo studio in Brooklyn,” and “Brooklyn Studio Photography” should be integrated into your website content, meta descriptions, and headers.

Moreover, alt text for images should not be overlooked. Alt text serves two primary purposes: it aids visually impaired users by describing images, and it helps search engines understand the content of the images. Make sure your alt text includes location-based keywords naturally. For example, instead of just “portrait studio photos,” use “amazing portrait photography at our Brooklyn Studio.” This not only makes your website more accessible but also boosts your local SEO efforts.

Additionally, ensure your Google My Business profile is complete and up-to-date with accurate location information, operating hours (if applicable), and high-quality images. Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews, as positive feedback can enhance your local keyword ranking.

By thoughtfully integrating location-based keywords and alt text, and maintaining an active and accurate online presence, you can effectively improve your visibility in local search results, driving more traffic and potential customers to your business.

Use Local Keywords for Higher Search Rankings

Choosing keywords related to your products or services and combining them with your location’s name can help improve your rankings in search queries. Including this combination of your keywords on your website’s landing page will allow search engines to find that information and recognize that you offer a particular product or service in that specific area. I recommend a spreadsheet to track both the terms you want to promote and the SEO meta title and description of each page to get a better view on what you are trying to rank on Google both overall and per page/post.

Additionally, it’s beneficial to create high-quality content that incorporates these keywords naturally. This could include blog posts, articles, or customer testimonials that highlight your expertise and presence in the local market. Engaging content not only attracts visitors but also encourages them to spend more time on your site, which can positively impact your search rankings.

Regularly updating your website with fresh content keeps it relevant and signals to search engines that your site is active and authoritative. Don’t forget to optimize your meta descriptions, title tags, and header tags with your chosen keywords to further enhance your SEO strategy.

Moreover, consider leveraging local business directories and social media platforms to boost your online presence. Listing your business on Google My Business, Yelp, and other local directories can enhance your visibility and credibility – consider also submitting your site map to other search engines like Bing and Yahoo!.

The key for social media is currently trending to video content that is over 7 seconds long to about 60 seconds – depending on the type of video created, as well as carousel posts (IG and TikTok) that show multiple images or a few images with text spliced in, rather than making them read the caption for that information. Engaging with your audience on social media can also drive traffic to your website and improve your search engine rankings.

Lastly, ensure that your website is mobile-friendly and has a fast loading speed, as these factors are crucial for user experience and are considered by search engines when ranking websites. By implementing these strategies, you can effectively improve your local SEO and attract more customers to your business.

Improve On-Page Optimization for All Your Locations

If your business has multiple locations (or you service multiple areas), creating different pages for each is essential for ultimate “near me” optimization. For example, if your a photographer who has travels to locations in New York, Cleveland, and Charlotte for photography, you must have three web pages, one for each location. This can be done as a a WordPress templated page of your home page and just making a city/region specific section for text to be added at the top with your h1 and h2, or a designed page custom to each location.

Here are some tips for how to make this process as simple as possible:

• Make each URL user-friendly and structured similarly. For example, your landing page may be www.yourphotobusiness.com, so you can make your Charlotte page’s URL www.yourphotobusiness.com/Charlotte. If you are a niche business, doing a city specific page and a city+niche page are perfect.
• Optimize each page’s title tags and meta tags with your target keyword and location. Example: Charlotte Portrait Photography | Your Photo Business
• Add proper alt tags to the featured images on each web page, such as location keywords in the alt text for photos of your business. This can be just updated on the backend with alt text and meta tag overrides in WordPress.
• Add a description for each location, including the hours of operation, services or products offered, directions, and other location-specific information.
• Use internal links and anchor text wisely. For example, provide links to location-specific pages in the footer of your website’s landing page.

In the end, sadly Google is moving away from just the page titles and meta descriptions of you pages, making business owners work harder to rank or see their ranking change dramatically.

Why Do Search Results Vary By Location?

Google prioritizes local relevance in its search results to provide users with the most helpful information based on their location.

The search engine uses various factors to determine a user’s location, including:

• Device location (via Wi-Fi, cell phone triangulation, or GPS).
• Labeled places on Google Maps.
• Home address linked to the user’s Google account.
• Previous activity across Google products.
• IP address.

Google uses these factors to determine your location and provide search results that are relevant to your area. This means you and your neighbor might see different search results even if you search for the same thing.

In the end, you need to Focus Your Content Creation and SEO Tailoring to 3 Key Aspects of Local Keywords to be effective with your traffic and reach on Google and with your ideal clients.

Focus #1: Creating High-Quality Content for Leads with Local Keywords

(which is ranked on Google by the following criteria)

• Experience.
• Expertise.
• Authoritativeness.
• Trustworthiness.

Google has introduced machine learning that is applied on top of the foundations so that they can provide results that take into account far more nuanced intents for queries.

Google is Focused on Elevating Helpful Content (especially with the new AI summary options and Google Map based IP Address focused push).

This means that content creators must focus on producing material that not only meets Google’s criteria but also genuinely serves the needs of their audience. By honing in on user intent and delivering precise, valuable information, websites can improve their rankings and build a loyal visitor base.

To achieve this, it’s important to:

1. Understand Your Audience: Conduct thorough research to grasp the needs, interests, and pain points of your target audience. This knowledge will guide your content creation process.
2. Create Comprehensive Content: Develop in-depth articles, guides, and resources that cover topics extensively. Ensure your content is well-structured, easy to read, and enriched with relevant keywords.
3. Establish Authority: Showcase your expertise by publishing original research, case studies, and informative blog posts. Engage with your audience through comments, social media, and forums to build trust and authority in your niche.
4. Optimize for Search Engines: Implement on-page SEO best practices, such as using appropriate headers, meta descriptions, and alt text for images. Ensure your website is mobile-friendly and has fast loading times.
5. Encourage Engagement: Foster interaction by including calls to action, asking questions, and prompting discussions. User-generated content, such as reviews and testimonials, can also enhance your site’s credibility and engagement levels – as well as displaying certifications, badges and awards for authority in your business niche.

By focusing on these strategies, you can create high-quality content that not only ranks well on Google but also provides genuine value to your audience. This dual approach will help you achieve sustained growth and a strong online presence in an increasingly competitive digital landscape.

Focus #2: Your Client Page Experience & Local Keywords

A growing push for relevant and location specific alt text is huge right now with Google, at times the search will pull the alt text information over the meta image title or page descriptions.

This shift emphasizes the importance of providing detailed and contextually appropriate alt text for images on your web pages. Not only does this enhance accessibility for users with visual impairments, but it also improves your site’s search engine optimization (SEO) by giving search engines more accurate information about the content of your images.

To optimize your page experience further, consider the following tips:

• Focus on User Intent: Ensure that your content, including alt text, aligns with what users are searching for. Think about the questions they might have and how your content can answer them directly.
• Mobile Friendliness: With an increasing number of users accessing the internet via mobile devices, it’s crucial that your site is responsive and looks great on smaller screens. This includes optimizing images and ensuring that your layout adjusts seamlessly.
• Page Speed: Slow loading times can significantly detract from the user experience. Optimize images, leverage browser caching, and minimize the use of heavy scripts to ensure your pages load quickly. I recommend the website Short Pixel to compress images, as the best and fastest option – Glossy Image setting for Photographer for the best balance of quality and small size.
• Engaging Content: High-quality, informative, and engaging content keeps users on your site longer and encourages them to explore further. This reduces bounce rates and signals to search engines that your site is valuable.
• Easy Navigation: A well-structured site with intuitive navigation helps users find what they’re looking for quickly. Use clear headings, logical menu structures, and a search function to enhance usability.
• Secure Connections: Ensure your site uses HTTPS to protect user data and build trust. Google also considers security when ranking pages, so this can positively impact your SEO.

By integrating these practices, you can create a more user-friendly and search engine optimized website that meets the evolving expectations of both users and search engines.

Focus #3: Your Links & Local Keywords

We covered creating location and niche specific pages above, and that is the best option right now to spreading the net of your business as wide as possible with online searches today. Having location pages, niche + location pages and tagging your posts with good searchable terms is the best factor for Google pushing your content over another business.

Final thoughts to remember about this is that links can be categorized into two main types: internal and external links.

Internal Links

Internal links are hyperlinks that connect one page of your website to another page on the same site. These links are vital for several reasons:

• Improving Navigation: They help users easily navigate your site, finding related content or additional resources that keep them engaged.
• Spreading Link Equity: They distribute the ranking power of your site across various pages, ensuring that important pages receive the visibility they deserve.
• Enhancing User Experience: By guiding visitors to relevant content, you can improve their overall experience and keep them on your site longer, which can reduce bounce rates.

External Links

External links, on the other hand, are hyperlinks that point from your website to another site. While it might seem counterintuitive to direct traffic away from your own site, external links can be incredibly beneficial:

• Building Credibility: Linking to high-authority sites can enhance the credibility of your own content. It shows that you have done your research and are providing valuable, trustworthy information.
• Networking Opportunities: External links can open doors for collaborations and partnerships with other businesses or influencers in your industry.
• Improving SEO: Google views external links as a sign of a healthy, connected website. When you link out to reputable sources, it can positively impact your own rankings.

Best Practices for Using Links

• Choose Relevant Anchor Text: The clickable text of a link should be descriptive and relevant to the content it leads to. Avoid generic terms like “click here” and opt for something more specific – be engaging and use your business voice to create unique and fun ways to interact and enccurge that click.
• Don’t Overdo It: While links are important, too many can overwhelm users and dilute the value of each link. Aim for a balanced approach. Yoast in WordPress will help you rank your blog posts and pages when created there,
• Regularly Update Links: Ensure that all your links are working and lead to current, reputable content. Broken links can harm user experience and your SEO efforts.

Incorporating a thoughtful linking strategy into your SEO efforts can significantly enhance your online presence and drive more traffic to your site. By combining well-structured internal links, strategic external links, and relevant content, you’ll be well on your way to improving your search engine ranking and growing your business.

Tracking Your Ranking

In the ever-evolving world of digital marketing, staying on top of your website’s SEO rankings is crucial for maintaining a competitive edge. Instead of the often frustrating and time-consuming task of manually deciphering Google’s algorithms and updates, consider using SEO Edge (on Apple) or SEO SERP mojo – Rank Tracker (on Android) – both are innovative apps designed to streamline this process.

These apps allows you to efficiently track your page’s SEO rankings for specific keywords, offering a comprehensive and user-friendly interface that provides real-time analytics and insights. By leveraging a mobile SEO tracking app, you can make data-driven decisions to optimize your content strategy, improve your search engine visibility, and ultimately drive more traffic to your site. This tool not only saves you valuable time but also enhances your ability to stay ahead in the competitive digital landscape.