Search Engine Ranking

The 5 Major Local Search Ranking Factors of 2017

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By now, you know the importance of search engine optimization for your business. Good SEO is key for the success of any business, especially when it comes to local SEO.

Local search majorly influences your customer numbers. The convenience of the internet allows customers to simply search “ near me.”

Since 75% of search engine users never scroll past the first page of search results, it’s imperative to make sure your business website is as high on the results as possible. This can’t just be true for the name of your business, it also must be true for the products and services you offer.  But how?

 

The 5 Key Factors of Local Search Results

Google and other search engines have complicated ranking algorithms. The results depend on a ton of factors that are changed and updated often.

Since approximately 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as they trust personal recommendations, they will likely give their business to the first or highest rated business on the search results.

Local search can be divided into two main categories, localized organic searches, and map searches. These two categories give different weight to each of these factors, therefore they are not necessarily in order of importance.

Here are the top five factors for local search rankings in 2017:

  1. Proximity

Unfortunately, this one is totally out of your control. When a mobile or even desktop user does a “near me” search, Google and other search engines factor proximity highly, but not exclusively.

  1. Link Signals

Link signals are the back-links you have from other sites. Back-links are more important in quality than quantity. For example, a link from the New York Times website will carry more weight than 10 links from a low traffic satellite site.

  1. On Page Content

Content is king. Create thoughtful, valuable content on your site that relates to your business products or services. Adding a blog to your website is a great way to increase quality content. Make sure to blog about keywords and phrases related to your business and target demographic.

  1. Directory Listings

Directory listings are listings on directories such as Yelp, Angie’s List, and Better Business Bureau. Make sure to keep all of these up to date and as accurate as possible.

  1. Reviews

From a customer’s perspective, reviews factoring into local search rankings is a time saver. From a business perspective, it can be a headache. Focus on getting more and better reviews by paying close attention and providing excellent customer service, especially when something goes wrong.

That’s It!

The best way to stay on top of your local SEO is to hire a great company that specializes in local search ranking optimization. There are several out there, so how do you choose? A great idea is to start with the customer testimonials.

Want more from eGlobal Web Solutions? Check out our other great blog posts like, “How Unverified Google+ Page Removal can be Corrected with SEO Business Reports” and “Getting the Most Out of SEO Marketing—and Why You Should Do It.”