Gone are the days when SEO kept us all awake at night. Companies were earning millions of dollars claiming SEO magic, and spammers were everywhere.
What matters to Google and almost every other search engine is local SEO. By the end of the day, we are all serving a community or a particular area. So that should make sense. But, as clear and straightforward as this might be, lots of us in the WordPress community still get this wrong.
In this guide, I hope to shed some light on the significance of local SEO for WordPress agencies, companies, and the entire community. In addition, I hope to see more people focus on organic efforts to shine in Google rather than wasting their time (and often ours) looking for fast-and-quick tips and tricks.
Table of Contents
- What Is Local SEO and Why It Matters?
- How WordPress Agencies and Companies Benefit From Local SEO?
- Dos and Don’ts of Local SEO for the WordPress Community
- Local SEO and WordPress At One Glance
- Frequently Asked Questions About Local SEO
- Future of Local SEO and the WordPress Community
What Is Local SEO and Why It Matters?
Yes, technical SEO is important, and so are on-page and off-page strategies. Backlinks? They can be tricky, but they still matter. However, there’s a big catch, which we’ll get to in a moment.
First, let’s define local SEO in layman’s terms. This is how folks at Mailchimp put it, and I couldn’t agree more:
“Local SEO is a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy that helps your business be more visible in local search results on Google. Any business that has a physical location or serves a geographic area can benefit from local SEO.” (Source)
When it comes to local SEO, we still work on tags and titles, write valuable content, research keywords and LSI, etc. The trick is we do this with a focus on a local area. And by “area,” I don’t just mean a single zip code – it could be a neighborhood, a county, a country, or even a larger region, like the GCC or the EU, depending on your target keywords.
Of course, the smaller the area, the easier it is for you to get to clients fast as there are fewer competitors, but still.
Google and other search engines have spent years optimizing their algorithms to ensure they offer the best results to the searchers: results that matter.
Remember 2014? Whatever we searched for, Amazon and Wikipedia were the top results. Now, things have changed. Look at the example below for a true impression of what is happening right now:
Now that we have a clear picture of local SEO’s role in our world, let’s dive into what we should or shouldn’t do to keep up.
How WordPress Agencies and Companies Benefit From Local SEO?
From day one, WordPress has been a platform with lots of possibilities and potential for SEO. However, the rise of black SEO and hundreds of SEO plugins agitated the waters a little bit. This made it difficult for WordPress companies to work on their search engine performance.
Fortunately, local search engine optimization has come to the rescue. By focusing on a local area and a niche market, you get the chance to outshine the giants and bring lots of organic traffic and leads for your business and those of your clients.
Here are some of the benefits of local SEO for your WordPress company:
- Long-term relationships with clients
Since this service takes some time to bear fruit, local SEO guarantees a longer commitment from you and your clients.
- Local clients are pure gold
Leads that have found you locally are the most loyal and qualified clients. According to CustomerGauge, local providers enjoy a lower churn rate than others.
- Increased ROI for your clients
Local SEO is also beneficial for your clients. They see results faster than when they try to cover a larger geographical scope.
- Leveraging powerful assets like reviews and citations
Local SEO comes with a great toolbox. You can leverage strategies like reviews, citations, and map features, which only work when you focus on a local area – if you ask me.
- Competition
This is the key benefit. When you’re focused on a niche or a local area, you have a better picture of who your competitors are and what you can do to outrank them.
- Improved data and analytics
Analytics and performance data are gold mines for digital marketing experts. When you focus locally, these analytics are purer and offer more concise results.
Dos and Don’ts of Local SEO for the WordPress Community
Local SEO is simple. The goal is to offer the best and most relevant product or service, so we must avoid complicating things with the technicalities of the SEO world.
To honor this simplicity, here is a quick checklist:
To-do checklist for local SEO
✔️ Optimize Google Business Profile
✔️ Local Keyword Research
✔️ Create Location-Specific Landing Pages
✔️ NAP Consistency Across Directories
✔️ Generate Local Backlinks
✔️ Create and Optimize Localized Content
✔️ Optimize for Mobile
✔️ Use Schema Markup
✔️ Encourage and Respond to Reviews
✔️ Optimize Your URL Structure
Not-to-do checklist for local SEO
❌ Do Not Stuff Keywords
❌ Do Not Use Inconsistent NAP Information
❌ Do Not Ignore Negative Reviews
❌ Do Not Overlook Local Listings
❌ Do Not Neglect Website Speed
❌ Do Not Use Duplicate Content
❌ Do Not Ignore Social Media for Local SEO
❌ Do Not Use Irrelevant Backlinks
❌ Do Not Forget About Security
❌ Do Not Neglect Schema Markup
Local SEO and WordPress At One Glance
| Local SEO activity | Impact |
|---|---|
| Keyword Research | Medium |
| Google My Business Integration | Medium |
| Local Listings & Citations | High |
| On-Page SEO (Local) | High |
| Schema Markup | Low |
| Mobile Optimization | Medium |
| Local Backlinks | Low |
| Page Speed Optimization | Medium |
| User Reviews & Reputation | High |
| Local Content Creation | High |
| Local Competitor Analysis | High |
| Voice Search Optimization | Medium to High |
| NAP Optimization | High |
Frequently Asked Questions About Local SEO
In this section, I would like to review and respond to some of the most important questions regarding local SEO. These might include inquiries for you as a WordPress agency or your clients. Let’s dive in:
Citations refer to mentions in local listings and directory websites. For example, a coffee shop can be featured on Yelp, or a real estate agent can be featured on Zillow.
This depends on a variety of factors, such as the level of competition and the size of the area. Usually, it will take three or six months to see interesting results.
Backlinks can work for you and against you. Getting links from a valuable source is always a good idea; make sure you avoid mutual link exchanges or paying for links, as this may result in penalties by search engines. Instead, focus on getting referrals from social media.
Look for what your potential customers are searching for. You can also use tools like Semrush or Google Keyword Planner.
Yes, businesses with multiple locations should create separate landing pages for each location and optimize their Google Business Profiles for each one. Ensure NAP (name, address, phone number) consistency across all locations and build localized content for each area.
Local directories (like Yelp, Yellow Pages, and industry-specific directories) are essential for local SEO as they increase your business’s visibility and provide credible backlinks. Consistent NAP information across these platforms is critical for local ranking.
The key ranking factors include proximity to the searcher, relevance to the query, the number of reviews and ratings, Google Business Profile optimization, consistent NAP details, local backlinks, and on-page SEO elements (like keyword usage).
Yes. More and more people are using voice search, and this is getting more attention from Google and other search engines.
Future of Local SEO and the WordPress Community
As the leader of the web-building world, WordPress remains the most powerful force, with hundreds of tools at your disposal. Make sure you focus on the three key elements below, and all your SEO efforts will bring wonderful results for you and your clients:
- stay organic;
- focus on a niche;
- go local.
SEO has come a long way from a laser focus on keywords and LSI to local, niche, and valuable content. These search engines aim to calibrate their results further and further, and they monitor user behavior closely.
So should you. 🙂
