When we talk about local SEO, “traffic + prospect/lead/customer experience + conversions” make up the trifecta of what it takes to run a successful local website. These three items feed off each other—powering rankings, visibility, user engagement, and experience. And the hub of this process is the local landing page. Local landing pages drive visibility in specific areas, and for specific products or services. They work to engage the user and deliver information on what they’re looking for, where they’re looking for it. And ultimately they facilitate contact and ongoing communications to get you down the lane towards a conversion. This article will lay out a blueprint to gathering and structuring information for a local landing page, so that it helps both users and search engines understand what it is you do, and where you do it. Determine the What and the WhereBefore we put a single word down on paper, we need to understand what the client wants to gain from their website by undertaking keyword research. It’s also helpful to discuss any regional colloquialisms you should be aware of…things like “Tribeca” in NYC, or “SFO” for San Francisco. Combine this knowledge with solid keyword research tactics (like those outlined in Claire Carlile’s course, How to Master Local Keyword Research), and you’re headed down the right path! It’s imperative you talk to your client and understand what types of work they desire and which products are important to them. I’ve built landing pages based on keyword data only to be told, “Yeah, I don’t really want any more of those jobs!” They might have the content on their website when you start, but that doesn’t mean they want it emphasized in the future. Have the conversation before you build out your content plan. Once you’ve talked to your client and compiled your keyword research, look at the data you’ve gathered and pick out the highest volume keywords that match your “where” and/or “what” opportunities. These can help you prioritize which locations—and which products and services—can offer you the biggest wins, first:
Now that you know what you need to write about, and the locations to focus on, it’s important to figure out the best place to insert this new content on the website. You may have to do some cleanup and redirecting before you actually start publishing content, but doing the legwork now instead of after you’ve published a bunch of pages can save you a lot of time down the road. When building out architecture, I like to follow a few rules:
Find Some “Fast Wins”It’s also helpful to look at what we call a “striking distance” report. This is basically Google Search Console data on which keywords are within striking distance of the 3 pack for your client. If you can combine good keyword phrases with just a bit of effort on an existing page, fast wins make you look good while you work on the harder stuff by building out new content. What Information Should I Include?This is where the modular nature of content comes into play. For some markets, you may get the best visibility with an ordered list towards the top of your page. In others, an embedded map or FAQ might get you where you want to be. Here are some of the sections I love to place on my local landing pages:
Local Landing Page ContentAt last! Here’s where you talk about the work you do, and where you build on the modular content above to test and refine. You might see different results based on where on the page this content lives, so consider building out content for every single point below—you’ll rarely be sorry you did everything, but you might be sorry you didn’t do enough!
Get the Basics RightYou have your content, and you know where you’re going to put it on the website. But don’t overlook the basics of on-page SEO! There’s no magic wand that creates rankings for posting words on a website. What holds true for on-page optimization in a national/international market still holds true for local landing pages:
Done? I Don’t Think So…Just when you thought you were done…it’s now time to actually test your work. It’s really easy to say “Google says” about content and technical SEO, but what Google says does not always match with what Google does. By running tests on content positioning, internal links, market relevance, etc. you’re ensuring you’ve got the best version of the page possible. Here’s the thing about testing—you have to be humble (and prepared to be wrong!) but the insights you’ll gain will be invaluable. Before I ran the test below using Google Optimize, I was convinced that adding a “make an appointment” button would increase phone calls/conversions. I was wrong: As Joy Hawkins always tells us, “My data doesn’t care about your opinions.” Your success lies in the tests you perform…what works for a lawyer in NYC may not work for a dentist in Denver. That’s why I introduced this as a modulated concept, so that you can test tweaks to measure ranking/visibility improvements, contact forms/SMS/live chat interactions, or even scroll depth and engagement. Local Landing Page Myth-BustingThere’s a lot of misinformation about what actually works and what doesn’t work for local rankings. We’ve done a lot of testing and research to separate fact from the fiction, and here are just a few that we’ve debunked:
The Final Word on Local Landing PagesWill following this plan for local landing pages guarantee a top spot in the map pack or search results? No, and frankly anyone who says they guarantee a tactic will get you top rankings in every scenario is lying. What this blueprint will do is give you a framework to gather information and put it together in a format that delivers quality information to website visitors. You can rewrite and rearrange and modules as needed, while the underlying content—the data you provide to the search engines via these pages—improves the understanding of what you do and where you do it. And then…fingers crossed…the leads will follow the breadcrumbs you lay before them! via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/3FeSr1t Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
April 2023
Categories |