Top 5 Important Features of Local SEO in 2020

Digital marketing, precisely SEO has come a long way than you might have been thinking before 2019. Well, we’re in the last leg of 2019 and already we have come across a lot of Google Updates, among which Google BERT update is as significant as Google RankBrain. A lot of changes were there all around the year, but when it comes to preparing for SEO 2020, you need to pay more attention to the local search engine optimization.

As stated directly from Google that almost 46% of all search queries have local intent. Most of the searches include ‘Near Me’ that confirms people are more interested in finding service in their local areas.

What is Local Search Optimization?

Local search engine optimization is a process designed to bring higher online visibility of local brick and mortar stores with geo-targeting features- zip code, city, contact number, address, timing and more that defines more ‘Near Me’ opportunity to the business.

Every day, 51% of smartphone users make local searches on the go, out of which half of them make calls or directly visit the store. Hence, it can be easily concluded that those businesses can expect to see growth in the number of the calls, queries and conversion rate in prospective years.

Let’s take a look at the most important local search optimization elements:

Local schema markup:

Local schema markup helps search engines understand certain information about the particular website so that it can bring more exact and relevant result to the users having similar search intent. The better the schema codes with information, the richer the snippets of your business. It works as a small description of your business that gives the audience a quick understanding and also secures a better place in SERPs.

Local teaser & local pack:

The local pack is the top three results that come with a call-to-action button, a few reviews and website link, enabling users to easily connect with the businesses they’re looking for. On the other hand, a local teaser is more compact, consisting of company description with no web and business address. This allows users to read more about the business so that they can decide whether to make a contact or not.  Businesses that fall under local teaser section give their users more time to make informed decisions.

Online directories:

Did you know that listing on local directories is quite similar to conventional PR process? Local directories help in a great way to grab the attention of potential customers who are in real need of services or products. There are different directories based on different business niches. Businesses can list their names and service details to boost lead generation and conversion rate.

Ranks with long tail keyword:

Long tail keywords have always been regarded as an important factor for ranking as users are not going to search with your intended keywords or phrases. More often than not, users believe in typing longer phrases in terms to get relevant results. Typically, long tail search queries begin with how, where, which, what etc. to give more insight about your business. This is why while planning for SEO strategy, keep in mind the content presentation that contains prospective answers to the questions.

Voice search:

Voice search is on the rise. Getting things done by voice command is quite in fashion. Since most of the searches are made through a smartphone, voice search plays an important role. Hence, the optimization strategy should include the voice search element carefully. Considering content with the user search intent is the key to begin with. After which, providing prompt answers to questions with long-tail keywords take the place. Make sure the website is mobile-friendly with no loading issues.

Local search optimization is going to stay and will be one of the greatest options to make your web presence work for your business. If you’re planning to make your name across a large area, make sure your neighbours know you better.