Local search is one of the fastest growing (and most important!) Google trends! Google now handles about 63,000 searches per second, and almost half of them contain local intent. That means millions of people are searching for nearby results, and local SEO is the best way to get your foot in the door!
The right local SEO strategy is the best thing you can do to connect with customers who are nearby. Whether you’re a plumber, a lawyer or a local cafe, an SEO campaign created by our team of SEO Brisbane experts can put your business in front of the customers you’re searching for.
The ins and outs of local Brisbane SEO
Local SEO campaigns are designed to help you rise through Google’s search rankings. It’s no secret that showing up at the top of Google is a good thing for your business. The more visible you are during searches, the better. And, with 46% of all Google searches including local intent, it’s important to show up in those top spots!
The critical detail is that local search comes with real purchase intent. Customers who perform a local search are more likely to visit your physical location, and a purchase follows 28% of searches. Even better, 78% of local searches turn into an offline conversion. That means it’s critical to have a local SEO strategy, even if your business operates offline or is limited to a physical location.
Local SEO ranking factors
Local search has quickly become a huge deal for Google. To ensure they’re serving up the best search results possible, Google calculates local SEO rankings a little differently. There are a few things that play a role in how effective your local SEO campaigns are:
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- Google My Business. Google My Business (GMB) profiles are free, and they’re one of the biggest local SEO ranking factors. When a search has local intent, Google will look at your GMB profile to figure out how relevant your business is.
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- Online reviews. Google wants to connect searchers with high quality results. When it comes to local businesses, that means your online reviews play a big role. A business that has great reviews on Google My Business, Yelp, Zomato, Facebook and other sites is more likely to show up high in the search results.Â
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- On-page factors. Google looks at on-page factors from your website to figure out where to rank your business. Local keywords, relevant content and vital details like your name, address and phone number all play a role. For local searches, Google checks how close you are to the searcher, so proximity information is an important on-page factor.
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- Backlinks. Links between your website and other websites are an important part of local SEO. High quality backlinks from local, authoritative websites are an essential part of building out your local SEO campaign.
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- Behavioural signals. Google’s algorithm looks at a few common behavioural signals to figure out which websites are relevant to the customer. Businesses that get valuable attention like clicks through to their website, social media check-ins and click-to-call actions are likely to rank higher.
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- Citations. Citations are listings for your business that show up on online directories like Yellow Pages, Yelp and Pure Local. Google knows that customers use these directories to find the businesses they’re searching for. That means having multiple citations with consistent information about your business can actually improve your Google ranking!
Tips for boosting your local Brisbane SEO campaign
Local SEO campaigns focus on many of the same ranking factors as standard SEO campaigns. Things like your website, backlinks and content are the keys to success. That said, local businesses can benefit from a few specific marketing tactics to climb through the Google rankings!
If you’ve got your eye on that #1 spot, here are some tips on how to boost your local SEO campaign:
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- Complete your Google My Business profile. GMB profiles are one of the most important local SEO ranking factors. Especially if you want to show up for “near me” and Google Maps searches, filling out your GMB profile is the best thing you can do. Make sure you add as much info to your GMB as you can. Things like your business name, location, contact details and business categories are a factor when Google ranks websites. The more detail you can include, the better!
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- Optimise for local content. The content on your website plays a huge role in SEO rankings. The more relevant your website is to a query, the higher it’ll show up in the results. That means you can boost your local SEO campaign by focusing your website’s content on the local area. Incorporating location-based keywords like “Brisbane” into key headings and the body of the content helps Google figure out where you are located and which customers you service. You can even use the content on your site to target individual suburbs and areas.
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- Ask customers to review your business. Getting reviews from customers can be a bit tricky. People have a tendency to forget about good experiences and only leave reviews for the bad ones. But, reviews are important to your local SEO campaign, so make sure you’re asking happy customers to leave their feedback! It’s often helpful to automate this process, like sending out an email with a link to leave a review on your Google My Business profile.
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- Improve your website. Just like all SEO campaigns, your website is one of the biggest factors in local SEO. Fast, high quality websites that are filled with helpful content get priority on Google. If you’re looking for a way to boost your local SEO campaign, spend some time streamlining your website to make it faster and provide the info customers need.
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- Build your backlinks. Links to your site from other high quality sites is one of the biggest local SEO ranking factors. For local campaigns, it’s often helpful to get backlinks from local news, community sites, review sites and other nearby businesses. These can help you target the local customers that you really need to reach. Just remember to focus on quality over quantity – a handful of high quality local backlinks will do way more for your business than lots of links from low quality sites.
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- Get social. Social media can be a big investment of your time, but it often pays off in spades. Being active on your social profiles is one of the best ways to engage your audience. It also helps you collect high quality backlinks and positive reviews that can affect your Google ranking.
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- Use online directories. Google likes to double check your business’ Name, Address and Phone Number (NAP) are correct. It does that by looking at online directories like Yellow Pages and comparing the information it finds. Spend some time listing your business with online directories to help Google out. And don’t forget to make sure your NAP is always updated everywhere it appears online!
Kick your business goals with local Brisbane SEO from Gordon Digital!
Local SEO is one of the most important digital marketing tools at your disposal. Local searches come with real purchase intent. In fact, 28% of all local searches turn into a purchase. That means investing in local SEO isn’t just a way to build your online presence, it’s the perfect tool for attracting high quality leads to power the future of your business. If you’re ready to dive into local SEO but aren’t sure where to begin, get in touch with Gordon Digital! We’re a local Brisbane SEO agency that partners with clients to help achieve your goals. We take the time to learn more about your business, customers and competitors, so we can design local SEO campaigns that drive real results.
Ready to get started? Contact us today for a chat! Our friendly team is always ready to take on a new challenge, and we’d love to help your business kick its goals.
