If you want your business to grow, you need to make sure your website is visible to the right people. For small to medium-sized businesses, local visibility is often the key to success—and that’s where local SEO comes in. But first, how to improve SEO for your website is something every business owner needs to understand and you’d be surprised at how much you can do yourself, if you have the time or inclination.
Whether you’re looking to improve an existing website or launch a new one, understanding how to improve SEO for your website can make all the difference. From local SEO strategies to broader, national tactics, this guide will break down simple tips to help you rank higher in search engine results and attract the right customers to your website.
What is Local SEO, and Why Does it Matter?
Local SEO is a specific SEO strategy that focuses on improving your website’s visibility in location-based searches. For businesses that serve a particular area—like a local restaurant, a salon, or a boutique—local SEO can help you connect with customers who are actively searching for services in your area.
But even if your business has national ambitions, how to improve SEO for your website is still important. In fact, it’s often the foundation for building an online presence. Let’s dive into some simple ways to improve SEO for your website, whether you’re targeting local customers or aiming for a broader, national audience.
1. Start with Local Keyword Research
Keyword research is the first step to improving SEO for any website, but for local SEO, it’s important to add location-specific keywords to the mix. How to improve SEO for your website starts with finding the right keywords.
Local Keywords vs. National Keywords
- Local Keywords: These are search terms that include a specific location. For example, “best pizza in Cardiff” or “affordable roofing services in Newport.”
- National Keywords: These are broader terms that don’t include a location, like “best pizza” or “affordable roofing services.”
If you’re focusing primarily on local SEO, you should start by targeting keywords that include your city, neighborhood, or region. This helps you rank in local searches and shows up in Google’s local pack (the list of businesses that appear with a map). By doing so, you will have a better grasp of how to improve SEO for your website and attract local customers.
Tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, and Ahrefs can help you find long-tail local keywords—phrases that are highly specific and have less competition.
2. Optimize Your Google My Business Listing
If you want to improve SEO for your website locally, there’s one thing you cannot ignore: your Google My Business (GMB) listing. This is one of the most important factors in ranking in local search results.
How to Optimise Your GMB Listing
- Claim Your Business: Make sure your business is listed on Google My Business. If it’s not, create a free listing.
- Complete Your Profile: Fill out all information—name, address, phone number, hours of operation, and website URL. Be thorough and ensure all details are accurate.
- Add Photos: Businesses with photos tend to get 42% more requests for directions and 35% more click-throughs to their websites.
- Encourage Reviews: Google loves reviews, and positive reviews can significantly boost your local SEO rankings. Respond to reviews to show you care about customer feedback.
The goal here is to make it easy for potential customers to find you and get the information they need to make a purchase decision. Google My Business also impacts local search rankings, so keep it updated regularly. This is a key part of how to improve SEO for your website locally.
3. Optimise Your Website for Local SEO
Optimising your website with local SEO best practices is crucial for improving visibility in search results. When you understand how to improve SEO for your website, you’ll be able to implement changes that directly affect rankings.
a. Local Keywords on Your Website
Just like you used location-specific keywords in your GMB profile, you should use local keywords throughout your website’s pages, including:
- Title Tags and Meta Descriptions
- Headings (H1, H2, H3)
- Body Content
For example, instead of just saying “plumber,” you might say “plumber in Cardiff, Wales.” This helps search engines understand your location and makes it easier for local customers to find you.
b. Create Localised Content
Write blog posts or create landing pages specifically targeting local events, news, or topics that relate to your business. This could be a blog post about “Top Things to Do in Cardiff this Weekend” or a page that highlights your business’s community involvement. How to improve SEO for your website often starts with engaging, localised content that your audience is likely to search for.
4. Leverage Local Directories and Citations
Local citations are mentions of your business name, address, and phone number on other websites or directories. These citations are important for improving your local SEO ranking.
Common Local Directories to Consider
- Yelp
- Yellow Pages
- Better Business Bureau (BBB)
- Local Chamber of Commerce Websites
The more consistent citations you have, the more trustworthy Google considers your business to be, which can help improve your local search rankings. How to improve SEO for your website locally means ensuring your business is listed in the right directories.
5. Build High-Quality Backlinks
Backlinks remain a cornerstone of SEO. A backlink is when another website links to yours. For local SEO, focus on getting backlinks from local sources—whether it’s local blogs, news outlets, or community websites.
How to Build Local Backlinks
- Guest Post on Local Blogs: Write guest posts for local websites or blogs and include a link back to your website.
- Sponsor Local Events: Being mentioned as a sponsor on local event websites can help you gain a backlink and show your commitment to your community.
- Local Press Coverage: Getting coverage in local news can also help build valuable backlinks and boost your local authority.
6. Mobile Optimisation is Crucial
Since many local searches happen on mobile devices, it’s critical to ensure your website is mobile-friendly. Responsive design ensures your site looks and works well on any device, from desktops to smartphones.
7. Track Your Local SEO Performance
To see how well your local SEO efforts are working, regularly track your performance using tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console. These tools will help you monitor:
- Organic traffic to your website
- Keyword rankings
- Click-through rates (CTR) for local search results
Tracking helps you see what’s working and what needs improvement, so you can adjust your strategy accordingly. This is an ongoing process of how to improve SEO for your website that requires continual evaluation and optimisation.
Conclusion: Local SEO is Key to Growing Your Business
Conclusion: Local SEO is Key to Growing Your Business
Improving your website’s SEO doesn’t have to be complicated. By focusing on local SEO—optimizing your Google My Business listing, creating localized content, and building backlinks from local sources—you can improve your visibility and attract more customers in your area.
Whether you’re a small local business or expanding to a national audience, the basics of SEO remain the same: deliver valuable content, ensure a great user experience, and make sure your business is easy to find. The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll see results. That’s the essence of how to improve SEO for your website—a simple, long-term strategy for growth.
At activ, we understand the challenges businesses face when trying to get noticed online. If you’re looking for more insights or need guidance on improving your SEO strategy, we invite you to check out our complete SEO guide or browse through our blog for more expert tips.
Remember, SEO is an ongoing process that evolves with time and technology. Stay informed, stay proactive, and watch your business grow!