Did you know that 91% of adults worldwide use Google? There are hundreds of thousands of Google searches daily, and out of those, 41% have local intent– meaning that the query entered into Google is meant to find a business or product physically near the user.

Suppose you are not using the right keywords or have not optimized your business for Google “near me” searches. In that case, you run the risk of losing out on valuable business leads. Read on to learn more about how to improve your local ranking on Google.

Analyze The Competition

As is the first step in any marketing strategy, you need to see what kind of competition your business is up against. Tools are available to help analyze the traffic your competitor’s website is getting and help create your own strategy. Unfortunately, these tools are not free and often require thorough SEO and Google Analytics knowledge. Most companies opt to hire a professional to do this for them to save time.

Learn About Search Intent

Learning about search intent is an essential step in SEO. Search intent refers to the intent behind the Google query. It helps to be able to identify what kind of keywords you should be using on how to get on top of Google search results. There are roughly three categories of Google search intent.

For businesses, the most important category is commercial intent, which describes a Google search that is intended to find something to buy. It could be something like “best lawnmowers under $100.”

The second intent is also important to businesses, as it helps find keywords to create valuable content to the users. This is the informational search intent– when a Google search is made to find information. For example, “Lawnmower is broken” or “easy lawn mower fixes”– these searches can help your company inform what kind of content they want to make.

Finally, Google searches can have navigational intent. This is when someone uses Google to find a specific website, such as searching “Wikipedia” or “amazon.com” into Google.

Understand Keyword Categories

Follow through on how to improve your local ranking on Google to know your keyword categories. First, it is important to remember that keywords do not necessarily mean a single word. They can range from one to two words long to phrases.

The first category of keywords is Head keywords. These keywords are usually only one or two words long and often receive an insane amount of search results. It is very difficult to rank with head keywords because they cast such a wide net.

Body keywords are longer than head keywords– two to four words. They tend to produce more results. Finally, Long Tail keywords are the easiest category to use on how to improve your local ranking on Google. These keywords contain four or more words, and they tend to produce more focused results.

Update Your Business Google Profile

If you are not using your Google Business Profile, you could be missing out on valuable local leads. This profile allows Google to accurately place your business in local “near me” searches. But more than that, a well-maintained Business Profile on Google gives your business credibility.

Be sure to “claim” your business on Google. Upload relevant photos, and use keywords in your descriptions. Obviously, make sure your address is accurate, as well as your hours. Inaccurate hours on Google can cause a major loss of trust in your business, which leads to lose of valuable leads.

Finally, encourage happy customers to leave reviews on Google. Google will rank a business with lots of good reviews higher than those without any bad reviews. This is an easy, low-cost way on how to improve your local ranking on Google.

Use Keyword Planner Tools

Keyword planner tools are a great way to begin your keyword research. A great (and free!) tool for this is Google’s keyword planner tool. It can be accessed within the Google Ads platform by creating an account and using the planner to enter keywords. This can help you determine which keywords are most effective by showing the traffic associated with that keyword and how often it was searched over a specific period.

Reach Out To A Professional– Steven Lloyd Consulting

You are not alone if all this tech talk makes your head spin. Most business owners find SEO research too complicated and time-consuming to undertake on their own. Consider reaching out to a trusted SEO and Digital marketing organization, such as Steven Lloyd Consulting! Check out our website today, and let us help you take the guesswork out of digital marketing.