What is Local SEO?
Local SEO is the practice of adding local keywords to your website and content. These keywords then help search engines like Google and Bing to find relevant information when people conduct a search on the web.
Local SEO is key to high-quality local search results because the more popular your business name, and/or your physical location (city, state, country, etc.) is, the more likely it is that people will use it when they Google your business name.
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SECTION 2: What Local SEO Success Means to Your Business
According to Search Engine Journal, people searching for “best door company” could find your website over 12,000 times per month. So the first step to local SEO success is to get on Google’s radar.
Why should I use the Local SEO plugin?
Site ranking is by far the biggest factor for Google to consider in a potential search, so this is the number one factor for making your blog stand out. However, it’s not the only factor, and the number two and three are things you should have considered if you want to make sure you rank high in the SERPs.
In terms of ranking, the Local SEO plugin is the second biggest thing I look at when I’m checking how my site is performing on Google. After understanding how to improve the ranking in the SERPs, that’s how I want to make sure my blog is ranking well.
What if my blog doesn’t rank high in SERPs?
One thing I want to make clear from the outset is that I do think that ranking in the top spots is important, but not everyone should necessarily be focusing on that.
Installing the plugin
Just install Yoast Local SEO on WordPress by hitting the ‘install plugin’ button on the Yoast’s homepage.
Search WordPress for Yoast Local SEO and you’ll see the plugin available there.
Install the plugin with the Google Chrome or Firefox plug-in manager.
When installation is finished, you’ll see a welcome screen.
Yeast Local SEO Plugins
Configure the plugin
Click on the WordPress menu and navigate to Settings > Plugins.
When the plug-in manager opens, click on Yoast Local SEO plugin and then on Save Changes.
Configure the features
To configure features, click on the Yoast Local SEO Plugins tab.
On the left pane, click on Menu > Terms > Your plugin.
On the new window, enter a new Local SEO Features section.
Configuring Yoast’s tool
Enable Yoast’s Local SEO Plugin for WordPress
Once you have activated the Yoast’s Local SEO Plugin, the plugin should be listed in the Settings page.
If you are not able to find the Yoast’s Local SEO Plugin in the Settings page, you may try searching the keywords in Yoast’s Search. Yoast SEO can be renamed and you should try searching for your domain name in the search box.
Once you have found the Yoast’s Local SEO Plugin, enable it, and update the plugin details.
Create an Update Checker URL
Select Yoast’s Local SEO plugin and click Edit Editor
Under the Devices section, click Edit menu and select Add option from the Appearance menu.
Select the Check options from the drop-down menu.
Choose the destination and URL of the check and set a new URL.
Mapping your local business locations
If you have a physical business, then your local SEO activities are going to be most efficient if you have some kind of information about your physical locations. If you have brick and mortar stores, then you should be aware of Google’s practices. In short, a business location is simply an address that you want Google to index with a great mobile experience.
This information can be found in the Google Places API. The Google Places API gives you the exact locations and addresses of a physical location of your business.
When you sign up for Google Places, it also provides you with an API key that you can use to access Google Maps. That allows you to get the actual physical address for the location that you want Google to show to Google Maps users.
Optimizing your site for better search engine visibility
July 2018 by Yoast SEO
An effective Local SEO strategy has a lot of different facets:
The first thing that you have to consider is the type of business you run. If you run a garage, florist or any other type of business, the best SEO strategy for you is going to be going after local customers. For your business to make more money and have a better reputation, you need to be able to attract local customers. These people are willing to drive over extra miles to go to the exact store they need to go to.
So if your business is a local garage, you can use the Yoast SEO Local SEO plugin. This tool provides all of the necessary SEO tools to make sure your business gets the attention it deserves.
