Using Google Local Pack to Improve Your SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is all about being on top – on top of the SERP (Search Engine Results Page) – because 75% of consumers don’t go past the first page of results. Therefore, if your website isn’t showing up on that first page, fewer people will be able to find you and more people will instead find one of your competitors who is at the top. There are many tactics you can use to make sure that your website does land near the top, and one of them is understanding the impact of SEO on Google Local Pack.

If you wanted to know how to fix a leaky faucet, and you Googled “how to fix a leaky faucet,” location is irrelevant. Google could provide results that are from an organization in your backyard or from the other side of the country. As long as the result shows you how to fix a leaky faucet, you really don’t care. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for a plumber to fix that leaky faucet, location is very relevant. In that case, you would probably type in something like “find a plumber near me” or “I need a plumber in Philadelphia.” There’s an excellent chance that this search would result in a Google local pack. The Local Pack is a part of Google’s search results. It shows a map of your area at the top along with three local businesses and an option to find more results. The Local Pack is prolific in Google Searches. A recent study found that a Local Pack showed up in the number one position in 93% of searches with local intent, and 46% of Google searches are local. Google has become very good at discerning your intent and giving you what you want. So, if Google thinks you’re looking for something local, it will probably show you the Local Pack.

Local SEO strategies are designed to get your listing at the top of the Local Pack. As more and more internet searches are done on mobile devices, effective local SEO tactics become more critical. The good news is that many of the tactics that help get your website near the top of any SERP will also help get your website near the top of the Google Local Pack. How you rank on the Local Pack is based on the following factors:

• Your website structure – Does it have an XML map, title tags, meta descriptions, and other essentials?
  
• Your website’s mobile friendliness – Today, more than half of all worldwide online traffic is conducted on a mobile device.
  
• Your website’s association with local directories – Many local searchers use directories like Yelp to find out what is near them.
  
• Your proximity to the searcher – The closer you are to the searcher when they make their request, the better chance you have of ranking high on Local Pack.
  
• Your social media profiles – Make sure that all of your information is consistent – name, address, and phone number.
  
• An optimized Google Business Page
  

The first thing you need to do if you want your business to show up in the Local Pack is to claim your Google My Business (GMB) page and then optimize it. To optimize your Google Local Business Listing, make sure that you have the following:

• Regular posts on your GMB (Google My Business) page
• All business locations accounted for with connected GMB pages
• Consistent Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) - (see more below)
• A large number of 4 and 5-star reviews (see more below)
• Your business categories
• Your business description
• Your hours of operation
• If you offer online booking, add the “ booking button ” feature

It’s important to make sure that your NAP is consistent across every single online listing of your business such as social media profiles and directories because Google pulls the NAP listings from many online directories, sources, and citations when determining which companies to list in the Local Pack. Today, almost everyone checks reviews for everything from finding the best dentists to which power lawn mower works the best before making any purchases, so online reviews are essential for both business and for local SEO.

Not sure how your website ranks locally? Check out Power Marketing International’s free Local SEO Analysis of your Business . If you don’t like what you see, give us a call at (484) 297-6395 or contact us online . We’ll help you make sure that your business is listed correctly in all relevant directories. To learn more about all forms of SEO, check out our SEO Web Page.

This blog is a summary of “ How Do I Get My Business to the Top of Google’s Local Listings in 2018 .”