No matter how beautiful your website, it might as well not exist if potential customers can’t find it quickly and easily.
Boosting your local SEO is the best starting point for most businesses, as this ensures that people in your neighbourhood are much more likely to come across your website.
With a recent article in Forbes pointing out that half of all local searches result in a store visit the same day, it would be foolish to ignore the possibilities offered by local search.
With this in mind, here are six great ways to boost your local SEO.
1 Google My Business
Claim your listing on Google and fill in all the necessary details, such as your opening times and contact information. Bing Places For Business is also worth claiming.
2 Go mobile-friendly
A responsive website design that displays perfectly across all platforms, devices and screen sizes is crucial to your future success. The majority of local searches are now conducted on smartphones and tablets, so a failure to configure your website for mobile users could end up costing you dearly in lost revenue.
A mobile-responsive site does not have to blow your budget. A web design Swindon specialist such as http://www.webdesignerswindon.co.uk/ will create a beautiful and responsive site at a highly competitive price, enabling you to compete against companies with a much bigger marketing budget.
3 Full speed ahead
Your website needs to load quickly and efficiently, preferably within just two seconds – any longer and prospective customers are likely to click back to their search results and pick your competitor’s site instead. A fast-loading site is non-negotiable.
4 Customer reviews
The endorsement of previous satisfied customers is an important element in persuading new customers to make a purchase, so be sure to include plenty of reviews and testimonials on your website.
5 Site security
Reassuring website visitors that their data is safe in your hands is crucial. HTTPS web hosting and up-to-date SSL certification show that you are serious about site security. This will also improve your search engine rankings.
6 Fresh content
Including a blog section helps to boost your SEO prospects, particularly if you update your site every couple of weeks. Content should be relevant and informative to achieve the best results, so aim to become an authority figure in your field.