7 Proven Ways to Rank for ‘Near Me’ Local Search

Digital Marketing, SEO

10min read

7 Proven Ways to Rank for ‘Near Me’ Local Search

We have become so familiar with local searches that we rely entirely on them as if they are our assistant. They are always ready to help by showing us where to go, how to get there and what the opening hours are.

46% of all Google searches are users seeking local information. You may be thinking that you are one of them, but look at the data from your business’s point of view. Does your business rank for local searches?

If your business is not easy to find via ‘near me’ searches, you are missing out on a ton of potential local customers. Also, consider the fact that local searches on smartphones are steadily and rapidly increasing.

If you haven’t added a local SEO strategy to improve ‘near me’ searches, it’s time to consider doing so before your competitors steal your clients or customers!

Below, we’ll explore 7 ways to optimise your business for “SEO service near me” for mobile as well as desktop.

7 Proven Ways to Rank for ‘Near Me’ Local Searches

From 2013 to 2017, ‘near me’ searches have increased by 900%. Looking at the increasing use of smartphones, Amazon Alexa, Siri and Google Home assistants, local searches will only pick up in the upcoming years. Therefore, ranking your business for ‘near me’ searches is more crucial than ever.

These quick ‘near me’ tricks will help you enhance your local SEO strategy.

1. Research Local Keywords

Generally, to rank globally, you should research keywords that fit your targeted audience from all regions.

Similarly, to rank for local searches, you must target keywords that suit the local audience. This means you have to make a list of local keywords that are specifically used to attract local searchers.

Example:-

‘Best restaurants near me’

‘Book store near me’

‘Grocery shop near me’

For example, if users are searching for veg pizza, their intentions might be to find a recipe, a nearby pizza store or an image of veg pizza. The intention is quite broad and not very clear, so Google ranks pizza recipes at the top of the list. This is called a global search.

But if users search for ‘veg pizza near me’, their intention is clearly to go out and enjoy a veg pizza. As a result, Google displays local veg pizza stores at the top.

These are local keywords intending to be used in a local search, which you have to focus on first while starting your local SEO journey.

One thing to note here is that if users are searching for ‘best restaurants near me’, it doesn’t mean ‘near me’ is your keyword. That’s Google’s business. When users search for ‘something near me’, Google tracks their location to present results accordingly. So, your keywords are ‘best restaurants in your location’. For instance, if you have a pizza store in Melbourne, your keywords are ‘best pizza in Melbourne’.

2. Optimised for Mobile-Focused Keywords

30% of mobile searches are based on location, and we all know this number is going to rise in the future. Also, you can’t ignore the fact that nobody ever bothers to switch on a desktop or laptop to search for a nearby store anymore. The smartphone is our go-to option for all local searches. So, your next job is to find the keywords searchers use to locate nearby businesses on smartphones, which may also include voice-enabled searches.

Look for shorter keywords: Users prefer to type on mobile. For example, desktop users will search for ‘Mexican restaurants near me’. On mobile, users are more likely to search for ‘Mexican food near me’ because it is much shorter.
Voice keywords are longer than typing. When users talk, they will generally use an entire sentence instead of a few words. Find out voice-enabled keywords like ‘what are some good Mexican restaurants near me’ and assign your keywords accordingly.
Always focus on location when you are adding local keywords to the list.
Look for alternatives. For example, some people type ‘Australia’ or some prefer ‘AUS’ and so on.

By now, you probably have a bucket full of local keywords. Let’s put them to good use via content.

3. Create Local Content

Local content is content where you mention location, include reviews and ratings from local customers, create articles for a local audience and add FAQ pages that answer common questions.

Let’s say we searched ‘SEO service near Sydney area,’ Google will display the top companies in its first four blocks (more on that later) followed by these local-focused blogs:

You already have a list of keywords. Raise your creativity to create high-quality content that includes location and answer users’ local queries.

4. NAP for Local Pack

NAP stands for business name, address and phone number. When users search with ‘near me’ words, Google tracks their location and the location of nearby businesses. The search engine giant comes up with the best possible match for the most convenience. Google will crawl your business only when you have inserted an updated business name, address and phone number. Once you have NAP, you are more likely to cover Google’s first 3 blocks.

5. List in Local Directories

Your website is not the only place for ‘near me’ searches. Don’t forget all those directories, blogs and review sites with quality details that steal Google’s first page.

Contact relevant sites or directories and ask them to list your business. Provide enough details like NAP and local customer reviews to convince them of your business’ worth.

6. Dedicate an Entire Web Page to Each Location

Having multiple locations on a single web page confuses Google when it crawls your business for local searches. Dedicating an entire web page to a particular location clears the confusion and makes your online business easier to list. So, if you have multiple locations, create a web page for each one.

Dominos dedicates an entire web page to a particular location with updated NAP to make local searches easier to find.

7. Insert Location in URL

As per Neil Patel’s research, Google’s first choice for local searches is domains including a location name.

Try it yourself. Perform any local search and notice the URLs. For example, I searched for ‘veg pizza Paris’. Most of all, the first page results have the entire location – Sydney -> NSW – in their URLs.

Putting your location in the URL is the sure-fire way to let Google know that you are in the area and attract other fellow locals.

Wrapping Up

With local searches, it’s much easier to rank on the first page of Google. You have 7 ways to jumpstart your local SEO strategy journey. As you apply them, you will find them much easier than global SEO strategies. Go on. Try them and come back to share your results.

By Hans Zimmer

01 April 2020

THIS IS WHY YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS A RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN

You want to read an article that recently caught your attention because of its compelling headline. You opened the link on your smartphone. Your expectations are high.

But wait…

Do you have to zoom in to make sense of the content on your small screen?

Do you put effort into reading it or will you switch back to the search engine to find a link that offers better content on your screen?

The latter is the obvious option.

With the growing number of smartphone users, it’s become more important than ever to have a site that responds according to users’ expectations.

If your site failed to do so, you probably know well by now how it backfires.

But how do you create a user-responsive design?

Responsive design is your answer.

So… What is Responsive Design?

As the name suggests, responsive design is a design that stands up to your users’ expectations. It makes your website look good and well-fitted to all types and sizes of devices.

The design and structure of a responsive website is the perfect solution to your customers’ expectations as it adapts well to the different resolutions across devices.

Plus, you don’t need to create multiple versions of websites for mobile and desktop. Instead, a single responsive website plays various roles depending on the type of devices users are coming from.

But Why do You Need Responsive Design?

In 2015, Google introduced a mobile-friendly update to its search engine algorithms signaling a website’s mobile presence as an essential ranking factor. The rise of mobile web traffic till today alone is enough to justify why any business needs a responsive design.

Besides, there are many reasons why your organization receives 4-sided benefits from responsive web design. The list is too big to cover in one article, so we compiled a list of the top 6 reasons to have a responsive web design to upscale your business for current and future trends.

Let’s dive in.

1. Mobile Viewers Outnumbering Desktop Viewer

Do you know that over 50% of web traffic comes from smartphone users internationally?

Statista predicts worldwide smartphone users will reach 3.8 billion by 2021, which is up from 2.5 billion in 2016.

No doubt, all the facts, and statistics are pointing towards the trend of small-screen devices.

This means that websites not optimized for smaller screen devices often experience a massive decline in search engine traffic and rankings. This means users don’t find them anymore.

As you already know, smartphones are scoring well above desktop visits, but most mobile users are abandoning unresponsive sites at first glance.

In fact, 76% of users admitted that if the site functions well and runs smoothly on their smartphone, they are more likely to revisit it.

Overall, if your prospects open your website on their mobile and end up closing it within 3 seconds because they couldn’t view content properly, you need responsive design.

2. Google + SEO-Friendly Site

Google considers the responsiveness of a website and has even stated that search engine rankings favour responsive sites over non-responsive ones.

One fact worth mentioning is that responsive design makes it a lot easier for search engines like Google to crawl your website and reduces the chances of errors with on-page SEO.

Not having a responsive website is a simple explanation for a lack of Google traffic you’re your declining ranking. Unfortunately, without a responsive design, many of your potential leads are turning to competitors offering excellent user experience. Before it gets too late, take the step now and turn your website into a responsive, SEO-friendly site.

3. Enhanced User Experience

Responsive websites load faster than non-responsive ones. They consist of a technology that displays websites on all devices with content that adapts quickly to different screen sizes. They behave as if you have created multiple versions of a single site for each device, giving your users a personalized experience based on their device choice.

Non-responsive sites, on the other hand, squeeze content into small screens, which takes more time to process and compromises the content quality.

Responsive web design eliminates all the problems created by non-responsive sites like poor user experience, higher loading times and small, difficult-to-read content. Responsive designs appeal to the ever-shrinking patience of mobile and tablet users who are not willing to wait for more than 3 seconds for your site to load its content.

Responsive sites offer an unbeatable user experience by loading sites in the least time possible. Thus, it results in leaving a positive impression among users of your brand. Because of the fast response from the site, users feel valued and are more likely to revisit the site.

4. Easy Management

Many businesses, especially small ones, can’t spare much time to update or refresh their website every now and then. At the same time, they can’t afford to hire costly services of web designers to take care of all aspects of the website. And, if you have different versions of a site for desktop and mobile, the cost of management skyrockets.

Responsive design is one of the most cost-effective solutions. Making changes to adopt a responsive design is as easy and smooth as spreading butter on bread. Also, whatever changes you make, you don’t have to worry about making the same changes in multiple versions. Responsive design takes care of everything automatically after you are done editing the design or updating the blog.

Additionally, with one website working at the center of your online business, managing other marketing elements becomes more accessible than ever.

So, when updating a social media button or redirecting a link, you don’t have to wonder whether all users (mobile users and desktop users) are enjoying your new changes or not. Responsive design eliminates the management stress of your business website.

5. Decrease in Bounce Rate

Is your website falling prey to a high bounce rate?

Non-responsive websites are one of the many reasons behind a higher bounce rate.

High bounce rate signals to Google that perhaps your website is not as relevant as it should be when it comes to solving users’ problems or answering their questions. Content is usually not to blame. Slower and non-responsive websites are the main reason behind users landing on your website and leaving it as soon as it fails to load. This entire scenario negatively impacts your search engine rankings.

Design plays a vital role in the user experience of your website. No matter how great your content is, if it fails to fit properly in small screen devices, users are not going to strain their eyes or wait longer to load its content. They know that they have other options waiting in the search engines’ list to explore and enjoy for a more seamless user experience.

Responsive design never makes users wait or zoom in. It makes websites adaptable to all sized devices without affecting the content quality.

6. Increase in Leads and Conversion

A large news media organization was fidgeting with the thought of whether to invest in responsive design or not. To decide, they A/B tested with a responsive and non-responsive site where the goal was to increase the number of free trial sign-ups.

Here’s the proof revealing which website design won the game:

The conversion rate hiked up by 56% from the implementation of responsive design.

Responsive design makes it easier for website visitors to find what they are looking for without zooming in, waiting or straining their eyes. The more effortless the design is, the more users convert. Mixed with a lower bounce rate and better SEO rankings, you’ll get a strong, successful model of a website.

Embrace it Now

If you’re not convinced about the abilities of responsive design, give it a chance and allow it to save your time and money without compromising the quality of your website. This is a modern strategy most businesses follow to stay within budget while turning their small business into a brand.

Image Preferences

https://this.isfluent.com/blog/2012/what-makes-a-great-mobile-site

https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2016/03/googles-mobilegeddon-aftermath-eight-months-better-mobile-web/

https://sites.psu.edu/amandamelton/2018/10/07/from-mobile-friendly-to-responsive-design-a-user-experience-evolution/

https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-resources/experience-design/mobile-page-speed-load-time/