How to optimise your website for local SEO
How to optimise your website for local SEO. SEO is an important part of digital marketing. But what exactly is the difference between local SEO and general SEO? And how can you tailor your website’s content to it? This knowledge base article explains it all and gives you practical tips to get started right away.
What is general SEO?
General SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is about improving the visibility of your website in search engine results. The goal is to rank higher in the results of search engines such as Google for relevant keywords. These are the key areas of SEO:
- Keyword research: Identifying the right keywords your target audience uses.
- On-page optimisation: Optimising content, meta tags, headers and URL structures.
- Technical SEO: Ensuring fast loading times, mobile-friendliness and a good site structure.
- Link building: Gathering high-quality backlinks to increase the authority of your website.
- Content creation: Regularly publishing valuable and relevant content.
What is local SEO?
Local SEO focuses specifically on improving the visibility of your website in local search results. This is especially important for businesses that have physical locations or offer local services. The key factors for local SEO are:
- Google Business Profile: Creating and optimising your Google Business Profile.
- Local keywords: Using keywords that are specific to your location.
- Local backlinks: Gathering links from local websites.
- NAP consistency: Consistent use of Name, Address and Phone number on your website and other platforms.
- Reviews and ratings: Gathering and managing positive reviews to build trust with your target audience. Read more about this here.
Differences between local and general SEO
The biggest difference between local and general SEO is the geographic focus. With general SEO you try to reach a broad audience, whereas with local SEO you want to appeal to people in your immediate area. This means that with local SEO you place more emphasis on local keywords and the optimisation of local business listings.
For example: for a general SEO strategy you might focus on keywords such as “best restaurants”, whereas with local SEO you search for “best restaurants in Amsterdam”.
Here are a few practical tips to optimise your website’s content for local SEO:
- Use local keywords: Add local keywords to your titles, meta descriptions, headers and content. For example: “Dentist in Utrecht” instead of just “Dentist”.
- Optimise your Google Business Profile: Make sure your business information is correct and up to date. Add photos and encourage customers to leave reviews.
- Create local landing pages: If your business has multiple locations, create separate landing pages for each location. Make sure each page has unique, location-specific content.
Low-hanging fruit in SEO
Low-hanging fruit in SEO refers to the easiest and fastest ways to improve your search engine ranking. This is often because a keyword has a high volume but few competitors use it. We call this a low keyword difficulty. The term low-hanging fruit arose because it refers to keywords you will rank for quickly, and so quickly climb in position within the search results. It is therefore always important to do keyword research before you start your SEO strategy.
Good keyword research is important for both general and local SEO. For local SEO, however, it is extra important because you want to know which terms your local target audience uses. Here is how to go about it:
- Use an SEO tool: Enter keywords that are relevant to your business and location. Look out for keywords with a high search volume and low competition. Google Keyword Planner only offers insights for Google Ads. For SEO we recommend always using a reliable data source focused on SEO, such as Ahrefs, SEMrush or SE Ranking.
- Analyse competitors: Look at which keywords your local competitors use and try to capitalise on them.
- Long-tail keywords: Focus on longer, specific keywords such as “cheap hairdresser in Rotterdam” rather than just “hairdresser”.
- Location-specific keywords: Use combinations of your service/product with your location, such as “pizza delivery The Hague”.
Start with local SEO and put your brand (literally) on the map
Both local and general SEO are essential for your business’s online visibility. By understanding the differences and applying the right strategies, you can tailor your website optimally to your target audience’s searches. Start with thorough keyword research, focus on low-hanging fruit and optimise your content for both local and general searches. That way you make sure your business is easy to find both locally and nationally. Need help? Read here our blog on local SEO or get in touch with us, no obligation, to see where there are still opportunities for local SEO at your business.