When people start thinking about SEO for their business, they often think about having to make it to the top of the SERPs everywhere. But, in most cases, you don’t need to beat the nationwide crowd: by focusing on local SEO, you can stop competing with the whole internet for placement and just do what is necessary to give yourself a local buzz that elevates you against your local competition.

We’re at a point where brick and mortar and digital are in harmony as much as competition: in-store visits are rarer, but people are more likely to buy local after gathering information online, either at home on their laptops or on the go with their mobile phones.

Including local markers is the single most important thing you can do for your SEO.
Does your website acknowledge your local area on every page? Do you name check every local town? Have you claimed your presence on Google, Facebook and Yelp? The most important thing you can do to improve your visibility is to ensure that you are making it clear what local community you serve. Most of your competition is neglecting this. By making sure you put your local customers front and center, you can easily jump ahead.
 

Keep your site up to date

In general, the big search engines favor the companies whose information is useful. Make sure your NAP information (Name, Address and Phone Number) is always up to date and consistent across all platforms. If you move, change a number or change your operating hours, make it your first task to update every presence online. Search engines penalize companies who do not have consistent information across all platforms (which can include your website, your Facebook page, your Google My Business site and more). By always ensuring that your clients can find you when they are looking for products like yours, you can stay way ahead of competitors who neglect that.
 

Remember people search on the go

In many cases, people who want to buy a product locally will start their search once they are ready to head out and look at options. Because of this, you should have a good amount of content optimized towards people who are making a decision today. For instance, if you sell pool toys, there is a chance that people looking for businesses like yours are searching terms like “best pool toys in [city name].” By creating content that appeals specifically to their search, you can assure that you are the company that they come to.
 

Optimize for mobile

Every one of use carries a device in our pockets that can get us access to any product we might want. To make sure that your products are what searchers find, you need to engage in mobile SEO.

Whenever you create content for your online presence, ensure that your content is mobile-friendly. Make all paragraphs short. Whenever possible, use bullet points to express your point of view. Keep image sizes small so that they load quickly on mobile phones.

Google has released a series of qualities that they are looking for in mobile-friendly websites. By assuring that you stay in compliance with these, you can make sure that your brand’s website is the one that they see when they are on the go.
 

Google never stops innovating

This search engine giant has never been secretive about what they want: They want to feature websites that satisfy their searchers’ needs. Local SEO means meeting the needs of people who are searching for services of products like yours in the local market. What do you think that local buyers might want to know? When you are open and they can go shopping is just the start of it. They want to know the specs of products you offer. They want to see 360 degree views of what you sell. They want to know what this product can do and what makes it the superior choice to the others. They want to know why they, a specific local population, should choose what you have to offer. By keeping an eye on what the market wants, you can ensure that the answers on your website is what they need.
 

Keep testing

The local and mobile spheres change faster than any others. It can take some time to get it right. And, even when you get it right, you will still have to test to see that your brand’s websites continue to dominate local search. However, when you give the problem consistent attention, you will find that the results match your effort. By showing the major search engines that you understand what the local community needs, you can keep an edge on your competition.

SEO is, unfortunately, not a job you can do once and check off your list. Search engine algorithms, including ones that work with local search, are always changing. But, by taking those first steps toward local visibility, you can get an edge on the competition and make sure local clients see you when they search.