Dominating the Local SEO Market in Los Angeles Metropolitan Area

Los Angeles Online Visibility

Los Angeles is the second-largest metropolitan area in the United States by population, and local SEO dominates local search marketing in Southern California. Local SEO is a local business’s online visibility in the local search results. Local search marketing is crucial for local businesses because local customers are using the internet to find local companies like yours.

In 2013, Los Angeles had more than 5 million local searches per month for local businesses via Google. For local SEO, this translates into thousands of consumers looking for your services or products each month!

In Los Angeles, if you talk to four people, one is probably going have more than 100,000 followers on Instagram.” — GianLuca Cote, Company CEO

It’s All About Local Businesses

Businesses that dominate their local online market tend to have higher overall sales numbers over time. Who cares about those other top spots when you’re listed at #1? By maximizing your local SEO efforts and reaching out to potential customers who are local to your business, you can increase local foot traffic and local sales.

Local SEO is about more than just local search engine optimization, it’s about local search traffic in local markets. Local SEO requires you to do local research on locations to determine what keywords your local prospects are using as queries to find your business online. Specialized local marketing for any type of website requires finding out: 1) what makes a particular geographical location unique from other areas of that market; 2) which keyword phrases or long tail keywords searchers use in order to find local businesses; 3) how many people belong to social networks within these targeted geographic regions who may also be interested in the services offered by local businesses (for example, local marketing for a local law firm requires checking to see how many local people belong to local business support groups and forums related to small business in your area of practice).

Local SEO is part of the local search marketing category, which can be broken down into local advertising; local PPC & display advertising including Google AdWords & Bing Ads; local social media marketing via Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn; and mobile local search. Local SEO refers directly to organic optimization for showing up in SERPs in a localized fashion. Local SEO service providers rank their clients’ websites on first page results and within top 10 listings on search engines such as Google, Yahoo!, Baidu AND/OR Yandex by using geographic & local keyword research & local SEO on-page optimization techniques (backlinks, local links and citations are usually local websites or local directories in local search marketing). Local SEO uses local search engine traffic to help local businesses dominate the market in their local area.

What is local search marketing?

Local search marketing is the process and tactics you use to reach your local audience online. This is the type of marketing that brick-and-mortar businesses use to reach potential customers on the web.

Any type of business with a storefront or service area is a local business, including small, medium, and enterprise level brands. Local search marketing is all about raising brand awareness in a certain area. This can be done through organic SEO or paid methods.

How to Optimize for Local Search on Your Website

1. Truly Invest in content, content, and more content.

Every new blog post should have local elements mixed into it; local tips/advice from your local staff (if applicable), local news that might affect your target market (ie: local weather), local events, local food recipes that people can make at home, local business directory posts , local reviews (of you and your competition), local data (ie: local statistics).

2. Make sure your website is mobile-friendly.

If someone on their smartphone searches for your brand name or product category, it shouldn’t look like crap with no content when they view the search results page. The vast majority of searchers use a mobile device to find local businesses, so this is very important.

3. Track your local landing pages.

This will show you how well each local page converts visitors into leads or sales. You should be able to see which are receiving the most traffic from Google Local searches as well as the ones that convert best based on local SEO.

4. Set up local listings.

You can do this through Google My Business, Yelp, and local directories (if your local area has them). You want to be found in local searches for the products you sell or local service providers you offer. Local listings are included on search engine result pages (SERPs) right next to your competitors’ listings, so it’s very important to have a good presence on these sites.

5. Have social media accounts that show local interactions.

Facebook posts/tweets/shares from your local business representatives interacting with people in their local communities increase brand awareness of the local business when people see those posts. For example: “Small World Coffee in South City hosts an Open Mic night once a month at local coffee shop” is a local element, whereas “Small World Coffee would like to thank everyone who came out for the Open Mic last night!” is more branded and less local. Remember: local business owners want local customers, and local customers want local businesses!

Local Search Marketing

How local SEO differs from traditional organic search marketing Traditional SEO focuses on keywords – what they call key phrases or long-tail keywords. Local search marketing focuses on location targeting to reach your ideal customer base in their area. So instead of focusing on keywords that attract people around the world with certain needs… We need to focus on geographic terms which will target highly targeted people locally with specific needs A few instances of local searches and how you can localize your local search marketing Traditional SEO

Urban Dictionary: local search marketing Local Search Marketing

Go to Google.com and type in something like this: [ local businesses near me ]. This will pull up local business directory listings from multiple sources including Bing Places, YP, Superpages, Yelp, Facebook (if you have local page), FourSquare, etc. [ local businesses near me ] How local search marketing is different In addition to pulling local business listings directly from these directory sites such as Yelp, Google now has their own system for finding local businesses called the Google My Business dashboard. When someone searches on Google for a local business or service they are trying to find exactly that – a nearby brick-and-mortar business that offers what they are looking for. If a local business is not listed on local search engines they may never even know that local business exists, much less be able to find them if they are local (or local enough).

Another big difference between local SEO and standard SEO is the fact that local results will often show up in two different places on the SERP depending on where you are searching and what query/keyword is being used:

• Local pack – This consists of several local listings from regional directories like YP or Superpages or Google Places, etc.
• The localized map result – This one shows a map centered on your current location with businesses nearby displayed inside the bubbles on the map. There can also be advertisements at the top of these results typically from local businesses.
• Local SEO is local — local businesses advertise on local search engines and local news – The local news function of your local search engine can help you to increase brand awareness by using this function to publish stories about local happenings or local events that tie into your product/service offerings.

Local Search Marketing Tactics In order for any business to get the most out of their local marketing efforts they must do three things:

• Make sure all listings are properly claimed, filled out, and optimized at each of the directories used in their local search strategy
• Create content that helps people find them
• Write content based on a thorough knowledge of what those searchers are looking for online If you have not yet invested in setting up local listings (which we will cover in-depth in Step 1), local search marketing may not be the right strategy for you. Local search must be done through local listings, and local listings require local addresses — so if your business has a national footprint, local SEO is probably not the way to go.

This guide will provide everything needed to get started with local SEO on Google without caveat or exception – so let’s get into it!

Getting started with local SEO

1. Make Sure You Have Proper Listings Set Up For Your Business With Each Directory Used In Your Local Search Strategy

What local listings should be used?

Here is a very basic list of local business directories that you will want to optimize in order to get the most out of your local SEO strategy: Yelp, Yahoo Local, Bing Places, YP, Google Places, Superpages and Facebook for Business. These are also all places where local listings drive traffic as well as revenue – so it would benefit any business with a local footprint to claim their listing and optimize it within each of them. In addition to these directories there are many other local listings that local businesses may have to contend with, including local directory sites like Insider Pages and local newspaper sites for local news.

2. Have the Best Page On Each Directory For The Local Businesses Category You Are Focused On In Order To Rank Highly For Local Searches

What is a biz page vs a regular page?

Biz pages can be created by anyone on a local business directory site, and are generally used by both small mom & pop shops and large companies alike. Most biz pages for local businesses are created by local SEO agencies, so it is important to have a unique and optimized listing for each local business category that you serve. It is also important to optimize local biz pages as well – although they do not need an introductory paragraph (more on formatting later). Business categories can be simple things like: plumbers or hair salons , or more complicated things like: mobile app local marketing firms.

What is a local pack?

A local pack is simply when your local business appears inside of the map bubbles in local search results. Local packs can be used to display local businesses that are only relevant for local searches, or local businesses that have local specific service offerings. For example: a local pizza chain might have a local pack in the map for delivery within an hour, whereas a local florist would not – as they do not offer local deliveries (source). The best way to get into local packs is by optimizing your biz page. If you do not yet have a biz page set up on any of the directories we are discussing here you will need to create one and get it optimized before moving on with this guide. We will go over how to optimize biz pages in Step 3 below; but for now – make sure you know which category your business falls into, as local packs can be filtered by category.

3. Optimize Your Local Business Biz Page

What is a local business biz page?  

A local business biz page is the page that appears on local search results for your specific local category and serves to give people all of the information they need about your local business in order to reach out to you or make a purchase , so it’s important that this page is optimized well. The first step in optimizing your biz page will involve thoroughly filling out your local biz page to make sure it is 100% complete.

Biz pages are standardized in local directories

– they all have a title, url, description, images (main image and additional ones), categories, hours of service and location. Make sure that you fill out each field with succinct and optimized text

– local business listings that engage local customers and provide them with the information they need will rank well.

Local biz pages should also be formatted well; this includes having links to local places where local customers can find you (your storefront address/phone number/email/contact form) as well as any types of social media profiles or online presence you may have. In addition to filling out each section on the local biz page there are local SEO factors that you will need to pay attention to in order for your local biz page to rank well.

First, local business directories all have different ways of sorting local pages. This means not only the type of information they would like (such as images/listings, a physical address, a map etc.) but also where it is placed in relation to other pieces of information and how many are allowed per local page. For example: some local search results can show up to 3 images on one local biz page (usually these local pages are larger businesses) whereas others might only show 1 or 2 (smaller businesses), again – this just depends on the local directory’s formatting rules and guidelines.

Second, Anchor text is very important for local business biz page local SEO. This is because local search customers actually click on the anchor text links that are provided in local packs.

Local biz page optimization should include making sure you use variations of your local keywords throughout all of your local listings; for example: including things like “we’re located at 123 Main St, [Your City], [Your State], here’s a map and our phone number is (XXX) XXX-XXXX” so that people reading local search results can see which businesses are closest to them. You will also need to make sure that each local listing includes a link back to your biz page; this is so when someone clicks through they can choose to either reach out directly or visit the website at a later time.

This local biz page local SEO factor will vary depending on your local directory of choice, but a majority require at least one link back to the local business. Finally, local businesses need to pay attention to even the smallest details when optimizing their local business listings. This is because there are usually very specific requirements for things like max/min character length and allowed character types (such as numbers) in local search results; if you do not follow these rules each time it could affect your local ranking negatively.

4. Invest In Reputation Management

Local search marketing works best when your business has an established reputation on the web that uses all the channels available to it in order to generate more leads and sales.   This local online reputation can be built with local citations, local reviews (both positive and negative) and local social media. Including your local business’ information in local directories is only the first step to creating your local online reputation – you will need to take active steps to make sure that this local information remains consistent across all of these channels. To create a more well-rounded local online reputation you need to include your business listing information on sites like Yelp! , Yellow Local , Foursquare or Citysearch so that potential customers can find it when they are searching for businesses through one of these channels. This local SEO factor may seem simplistic at first, but having a well-maintained local biz page with active social media engagement as well as local listings is vital for local businesses – and again the local directory will be the deciding factor in local rankings !

Local business owners need to realize that local search marketing is not a “set it and forget it” type of local SEO. It takes work, more so than general SEO; but local search marketing provides the advantage of reaching customers nearby who are searching for your services.

5. Guest Post On Relevant Local Business Blogs

One local SEO factor you should consider when optimizing local listings is local blog posts. These local business blogs are run by either your local competitors or other local businesses that have a positive reputation in the online community. The reason why guest blogging on these local blogs can be an important part of local SEO has to do with link building and credibility; guest posting serves as a way for you to get a link back to your biz page while also showing that you’re an active participant in the local community, which will increase your trustworthiness in the eyes of potential customers. You might not know exactly where all these local blogs are at first – but if you want a good starting point look up some smaller local businesses (or local competitors) in your local directory and research their local link profiles. By doing this you will be able to find local blogs that they are already guest posting on. Not only is local blog guest blogging a good local SEO factor, but it’s also free local exposure for your business !

Local businesses need to realize that local search marketing takes time and effort – meaning there has to be a realistic amount of resources allocated towards the goal of increasing local rankings. You should also consider the fact that most local directories do not rank businesses based on factors such as sales volume or web authority; so when you’re struggling to get traction in some local listings don’t get discouraged! All of these other aspects of local SEO play a major role as well, which means

6. Get Links Locally

When local SEO first came out, local directories ( Yelp! , Yellow Local , Citysearch and others) did not have much competition when it came to local search results. However, because local search marketing has gained in popularity over the years more businesses are utilizing local SEO tactics – meaning that local listings no longer dominate local search results. So what can local businesses do to make sure their biz page appears at the top of these local results? “Getting links locally” is one of these tactics. Getting links locally is a simple process that involves contacting other local businesses and initiating a link exchange. These types of business-to-business relationships can be very lucrative for both parties; if you decide to partake in this tactic you need to do research on local competitors who are ranking in local directories. You can then contact these local businesses and ask if they would be interested in a local business link exchange; this is only effective if you have a relevant local landing page with local citations. Getting links locally is not always easy , so before you pursue this tactic

7. Stay Active On Local Business Pages

If your local SEO efforts aren’t giving you the results you desired, checking your local listings on Yelp! and other sites may be helpful. These online reviews play a huge role in local search marketing. If customers see positive or negative reviews about your product or services on the biz pages of local directories, they will factor that feedback into their purchasing decisions. Staying active on these local business pages should be the local SEO tactic you use to measure your local success.

By keeping an eye on local listings and monitoring what customers are saying about you online, it will allow local businesses to stay alert and adjust their biz pages accordingly. Local reviews directly affect local search traffic because they influence local business rankings in Google. So if you want your local business to succeed in local search marketing, make sure that all of your positive Yelp! reviews have a “share” or “recommendation” button underneath them – this is important for local SEO since more shares = more local exposure.

In-conclusion

Local search marketing is a local SEO tactic that local businesses should utilize in order to dominate local search rankings and get more local traffic. If local businesses want local search marketing success, they need to be an active part of local directories by getting local citations and links. Local business owners should do their due diligence in researching local competitors in local directories, as well as local blogs that accept guest blog posts – not only will these efforts bring local exposure to your biz page, but it’s also a tactic that is free for growing businesses with limited budgets.

In addition, staying active on local business pages should be the tactic you monitor if you’re trying to measure local success, since this can give local biz owners better insight into how customers are reacting to online reviews.

If you’re looking for more information on local search marketing or local seo services, please visit our blog at https://montfichet.com/articles/blog/ and read through the tutorials we’ve posted on how to use platforms like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Google Webmaster Tools (now called “Search Console”) and Google Tag Manager effectively. We also provide free SEO keyword rank tracking reports (such as this one ) for all of our clients – if we don’t have a post related to what you’re looking for or would prefer not to leave a comment in the thread, simply shoot us an email at atlanta@montfichet.com so we can create something tailored towards your needs! You can also find our service page at https://montfichet.com/expertise/seo-atlanta/ for more detail on how we solve client problems.