Imagine you’re working at your desk and need pizza delivered; rather than traipse around town looking for services, a simple Google search will provide all of the results.
An effective local search strategy is key to helping customers discover your business. Furthermore, it will keep your ranking within Google 3-pack.
Google’s Local Business Structured Data
Schema markup for local business websites is one of the best ways to improve search engine optimization for local clients. It enables them to achieve rich snippets in SERPs and outshone competitors; additionally it helps search engines better comprehend a page’s content while providing relevant details in a knowledge panel.
The LocalBusiness schema markup can be added to any page on a website and transforms human-readable text into machine-readable JSON-LD data, making it suitable for use alongside other forms of schema markup, such as Q&A or Review.
As with other schema markup, local business schema must be validated before being uploaded to websites. To do this, utilize the Rich Results Tester and Schema Markup Validator tools; using these will allow you to identify errors or warnings in your markup, so they can be addressed before they affect SERP rankings – guaranteeing accurate and consistent content within Google listings for your client’s webpages.
Google’s Mobile-Friendly Algorithm
One of the key components of local search marketing is making sure your website is mobile-friendly. Since more people search using their phones than desktops, Google prioritizes mobile-friendly websites in its search results to help users quickly locate what they’re searching for.
An optimized mobile website will not only increase traffic and boost rankings, but it is also essential to establish your local presence through review sites like Yelp and Foursquare with positive reviews that build visibility among potential customers and build trust.
Google provides a free Mobile-Friendly Test tool that will tell you if your site is mobile-friendly, along with suggestions for improvement. By regularly using this test tool, it will allow you to monitor its usability over time as well as give an indication of which pages have been affected by its mobile-friendly algorithm through GSC Mobile Usability reports.
Google’s Malware Detection Tag
Recorded Future’s analysis has identified a gang of malicious software sellers using Google Tag Manager (GTM) to secretly inject JavaScript code onto hundreds of e-commerce websites, secretly recording payment card details from online shoppers that they sell on underground carding forums. According to Recorded Future’s assessment, threat actors used a feature within GTM that allows developers to place HTML elements and JavaScript script into GTM containers that later injects it into websites at runtime.
Google has launched a new detection system to assist website owners in recognizing malware on their websites and warn visitors of any potential dangers. The information will be accessible via Google Search Console and is designed to supplement SEO best practices.
Local SEO is an intensive endeavor involving creating and optimizing Google Business Profiles, using geo-targeting in content creation and metadata, acquiring positive customer reviews and more – all designed to increase website visibility within a local region.
Google’s Local Citations
Local citations are any online mentions of your business name, address and phone number (NAP data) found in local directories, websites, apps or any other site that Google crawls. Citations help people discover your business while simultaneously improving its local search engine rankings; increasing the basic citation count can boost SEO but prioritizing quality over quantity is advised.
An effective local citation strategy involves listing your business on as many directories and listing services as possible, helping it appear more frequently in searches while drawing customers in. Citations also helps to build credibility, which is crucial for local SEO.
However, you must ensure that your NAP information is consistent across these citations; any inconsistencies could seriously compromise local search rankings and should be promptly rectified – using a Citations Management Tool can make this task simpler and faster!