Local Pages: How To Get Found on Mobile Devices

The fact that the majority of websites are now being accessed via mobile devices is causing businesses everywhere to readjust their marketing strategies. This is especially important to keep in mind when you evaluate your content marketing plan vb, since many aspects of your strategy may be affected.

While natural rankings are still important, content that is optimized for your local area can actually rank above the typical organic results when users are searching via a mobile device. This means that you also need to not only create a site that is search engine optimized, but also one that ranks in the map pack for your area. Here is what you need to know as you evolve your site for better exposure on local pages.

Get Local Citations

Having your business mentioned several times by local sources is a great way to increase your presence in a certain area and will push you up in that location’s rankings. Your credibility will be increased the most if your sources have more authority, so making sure you are listed on sites like directories and the Chamber of Commerce is a must. Put this information on your social media page as well so search engines can match it.

Optimize Keywords for Location

Web users in one area may not be using the same keywords as searchers in another state, so it can be helpful to do research on a local, rather than national level. You should include these terms in each page’s description tag and content to give you the best shot at local exposure. This can mean a little more work if you have multiple locations but can give you a major boost in that area’s search rankings.

Write Localized Content

One of the best tidbits you can pass on to your content marketing service is to ensure that content is focused on the geographical area. That means blogs, social media posts and product descriptions should have at least a small mention of the local market. This could be the name of the geographical region, mention of local customs or landmarks, or specific phrases or terms that are localized. Google’s searching abilities are becoming increasingly sophisticated and can pick up on these details when scanning the web.

When creating a title tag, make sure that your city and state are included. Many experts believe that this is actually the most important place to put that information. Headings are also great spots to insert the city/state info and the URLs for all pages besides the home page are one of your best bets to broadcast your local relevance. Also, consider adding the area information to any image alt text and in your meta description.

One great way to do this is to insert your business’s NAP (name, address, phone number) in the footer for your website and use a Schema.org data markup. Here is an example of what this would look like for your site:

The experts at Search Engine Land have provided this sample code that you can adapt to your own site:

<div itemscope itemtype=”http://schema.org/LocalBusiness”>
<p itemprop=”name”>COMPANY NAME</p>
<p itemprop=”address” itemscope itemtype=”http://schema.org/PostalAddress”>
<p itemprop=”streetAddress”>ADDRESS LINE 1</p>
<p itemprop=”addressLocality”>CITY</p>,
<p itemprop=”addressRegion”>REGION</p>
<p itemprop=”postalCode”>POSTCODE/ZIP</p.
<p itemprop=”telephone”>PHONE NUMBER</p>
<meta itemprop=”latitude” content=”LATITUDE” />
<meta itemprop=”longitude” content=”LONGITUDE” />
</div>

By inserting your business’s information into the bolded text, you’ll provide the exact information search engines need to direct customers to your store.

Create Local Link Juice

Creating link juice is probably already an integral part of your content marketing strategy, but links from regional sources can dramatically boost your organic traffic and local credibility. This tactic will require a lot more work on your team’s part, especially if you have several different locations, but the payoff can be huge. With a little extra effort, you can use local sources for internal links and sub-navigation pages.

Insert a Google Map

Signaling your address to Google by embedding a map is a clear way to point out your location to the search engine, but there’s a right and a wrong way to do it. The wrong way is to have an embedded map that simply points to your address. The right way is to have a map that actually points to your Google Plus Listing. Take this extra step to be sure that Google is getting the message and your storefront will pop up in Google map searches.

Keep Multiple Listings Consistent

If you have more than one location for your business, a key part of your content marketing strategy should be to keep all listings consistent. Your contact information listed on your Google Business profile needs to be complete and must match whatever is listed on your website. If you have several locations, you may want to consider using a tool to check for any inconsistent listings.

One mistake that can commonly happen with complicated business names is that the name may be misspelled on the page, confusing search engines. If you have a complex name like “Clear’N Clean,” your citations may be suffering because other sites and even your own pages may be listing variations, such as “Clearin’ Clean,” “Clear n Clean,” “Clearing Clean” or “Clear ‘N Clean.” These differences may seem slight, but they can lead Google to assume that each entity is a separate business and divide your ranking authority between multiple names, putting each at the bottom of the list.

Conclusion

Boosting your site’s local relevance is easy once you know what you are doing. Follow these steps and work with your content marketing service to increase your exposure on local pages and you’ll be showing up on everyone’s phones in no time.