Ranking well for high-competition keywords is difficult worldwide, but local SEO strategies can help. I find it can be much easier when focusing on your local searchers and being found in your local area. Here’s how.
As a website designer, I’m in the kind of field where pretty much every keyword imaginable is high-competition and difficult to rank for. If you don’t know what I mean, let’s go back over some basics from a non-technical perspective.
The Search Engine Struggle for Small Businesses and Websites
Just because you have a website doesn’t mean it’s going to show up on the front page of Google for whatever topics and searches you think it should. There’s a whole separate service industry around Search Engine Optimization (aka, SEO), which is the art and science of helping your website rank higher (ideally on the first page) and thus get more traffic.
But this isn’t completely in your control. You have to create something better than those who are ranking ahead of you, that will serve those searching for that topic.
Going back to the example of me, when I’m trying to rank online for web design related topics (Keywords), I’m competing with brands like Godaddy and Wix for most keywords, and I’m competing with high authority sites like Backlinko and SEMrush for many of the website marketing and SEO keywords.
However, I’ve discovered some low hanging fruit in the SEO game that you might also find helpful: Local Search.
What is Local Search?
Well, sometimes when someone is searching on Google, they add “near me” to their search, or they add a specific location (City and state) to the search. This is local search – a search query tied to a specific location.
Even if the person searching for one of your keywords is not adding “near me” or a specific location to their search, Google will sometimes include a few local results near the top, simply because those results may be more relevant to the searcher.
Who doesn’t prefer to do business locally whenever they can?
Local SEO Can Move With You
I originally started implementing this technique when I was living in Michigan’s Thumb, and I quickly was at the top of most searches for my targeted keywords when someone in the local area was searching for those topics.
In other words, if someone living in Mid Michigan was searching for something like “How do I pick a domain name” somehow I was at the top if they had location turned on in their Google account (because Google likes to show local results to local people).
When my husband told me he got a job in Georgia, in an area where I wouldn’t be one of only 3 website designers and marketers, I thought, “Oh yeah, there goes my gravy train”. My local town has two marketing agencies and the area in general has several web designers and web design agencies.
Just over a year later, and I’m back at the top, but for the Thomasville GA and on the first few pages for Tallahassee FL area for many keywords.
Local SEO should be done in addition to the usual SEO techniques you can implement, including:
- Keyword Research (finding words and phrases to target)
- Technical SEO (making sure your website loads fast and is built well)
- Developing backlinks (being linked to by other quality websites)
- Creating useful, high-quality content on your website
- Mobile Responsiveness and Accessibility
Even if I serve worldwide (and I do) I still emphasize on my website where I am located, and I use some images and content that relates to that area. I don’t have an office where I see clients at the moment (it’s mostly Google Meet, Zoom, or a local coffee house), but I still highlight that I’m in Thomasville, GA. I believe strongly in serving, uplifting and building community locally first and foremost.
Local Backlinks and Citations are good for Local SEO
In building local SEO, I also work to get some local backlinks, especially those from directories like the local Chamber of Commerce and other networking sites.
A backlink is just a link from a relevant website to your website. These links show Google and other search engines that you have content worth linking to, as well as indicating relevant associations you have (Chamber of Commerce, trade organizations, etc.).
I have a backlink from my local Toastmasters’ group’s website too. I find directory backlinks, profile backlinks, and local backlinks are all the easiest kinds of backlinks to get when starting.
My Google Business Profile is set up for the local service area of a few counties (even though, again, I serve worldwide), which also reminds Google where I’m located.
In other words, I’m telling Google which searchers (who have location turned on) should be shown my content.
The Local SEO Snowball
Since then I’ve gotten linked to from some higher-authority sites that are not local. Why? Because this kind of thing snowballs.
Because I’m getting more local traffic, and the engagement on my website is higher from those locally who do find me, so now Google is seeing that this is quality stuff I’m putting out. When people land on one of my posts like this one, they stick around, read more, maybe click on links, all demonstrating that this was helpful to them.
Time on page is a quality indicator for Google and other search engines. If someone lands then leaves (aka “bounces”, as indicated by your bounce rate), Google sees that you’re churning out poor quality, irrelevant stuff. If someone sticks around and takes action, that means something good and useful is found on your site. Google will be more likely to show you to others in the future because searchers have found you helpful already.
So now, thanks to quality indicators from local searchers finding my site and those local searchers sticking around, I’m ranking higher overall, not just locally.
Right now my average keyword position is 29, which is impressive when you consider how many high-authority websites I’m competing against.
Local search is just one of the things I use to optimize my site for search engines, and though it’s taken a while to start growing (because of the competitiveness of my field), the work is starting to pay off as my results snowball. But there are other factors that could help you too.
Just be you and set yourself apart
Anything that sets you apart or makes you unique can potentially help you rank better in the search engines. If you serve a specific kind of industry, say so. Mention your hobbies on your about page and social media. Unless you are a faceless corporate entity, don’t try to be a faceless corporate entity; add the human touch to whatever you’re doing.
Google doesn’t say so, but I get the distinct sense from experience that sometimes Google looks at things I’ve searched for or read in the past (as well as social media activity) and says, ‘You know, you’ll probably like this person’s take over that one because you have a few other things in common…”
Again, this isn’t anything official. Call it a vibe. Women’s intuition. Whatever. Just something I’ve noticed.
I’ve noticed everyone who finds me via Google search and eventually hires me is (1) a woman and (2) has at least something else in common with me. Is Google showing other women who are looking for website help mostly female web designers creating content on the topic they are searching? Maybe.
And if so, that’s a good user experience.
Many women who come to me mention how frustrated they feel dealing with men in the tech space. I thought about incorporating “no mansplaining” somehow into my elevator pitch but I don’t want to offend half the population.
One woman found me for help with errors on her website for her hiking gear company and said I came up on the front page of Google. What did we have in common? Both women, both like to go hiking, both go to church, and we both had hiked in the last year in Cumberland Gap (with my location turned on in my Google account, phone in my pocket). Was Google saying, “Hey you two should be friends?” Maybe.
It’s weird because her exact query normally has me showing up on the third page of the search results. But she insisted it was page one.
Whatever. I’ll take it.
I’ll give you this. It’s a little bit creepy to have Google spy on you when you look at it that way. But it’s also a good user experience, and makes sense from that perspective.
I prefer to work with people that I get along with. When I’m like oil and water with someone, I’d rather not work with them. So if Google really is bringing me in front of people they know (through various privacy violations) I’d probably get along with, that’s just one more thing that helps me serve my tribe better.
