Google Maps SEO: 12 Strategies to Get Found Locally

It also helps to obtain links from relevant publications in your industry. This increases your authority in your particular industry and builds your credibility. When you are viewed as an authority, more people trust your business and the quality of your work.

Google’s Core Algorithm Updates and Ranking Factors

Anyone who argues otherwise is denying what exists in front of their eyes. But personalization doesn’t play much of a role in either local pack or local organic rankings – and there’s very little you can do to optimize for this. When looking at local organic factors, the quality of links is by far the most valuable factor affecting rankings. Keywords in the anchor text of links is also very important, while diversity, and quantity of links from industry-specific or local sites also sit in the top 15 local organic factors. Whitespark’s survey sees the authority of inbound links to the domain being the 6th most important ranking factor affecting local pack results. The quality of links to the landing page URL named on the Google My Business listing is also important.

Channel Authority

• What was once so important to rankings now plays a much smaller role.
• Run a free SEO analysis to uncover site issues, competitor gaps, and ranking opportunities.
• It’s worth mentioning that Perplexity uses its crawler (PerplexityBot) and other unnamed third-party crawlers to generate its search results.
• By focusing on the most influential factors, you can allocate your resources efficiently and create a targeted SEO plan that delivers results.

You can track search traffic to ensure you are targeting terms that align with your audience’s inquiries. Tracking your keyword positions over time is crucial for assessing the effectiveness of your SEO strategy. Regularly monitor changes in keyword rankings to see if your efforts translate into improved visibility.

You can use our detailed SEO checklist to make sure that you don’t miss any important aspects of SEO. Our checklist will help you focus your efforts only on the important Google ranking factors while ensuring that every base is covered. However, Google uses a combination of ranking factors to determine a website’s expertise, authority, and trustworthiness. If you feel overwhelmed by the long list of Google ranking factors, you can download our SEO checklist. It will help you cover all important pillars of SEO, without wasting too much time on factors that don’t make much of a difference.

If you ultimately don’t have the time, hiring a reputable SEO company is a great option, and the cost of SEO is probably more affordable than you think. Your newly acquired SEO knowledge will help you understand their strategies much better, and you can ask much more informed questions. For example, backlinks from trustworthy and high-authority websites like The New York Times boost your chances of ranking higher.

To monitor keyword optimization, use a tool like Clearscope as you write. It automatically performs basic keyword research like identifying variations and secondary keywords. Use these signals as a guide to aim for higher rankings in Google search results. We tapped Sonya Gonzales, SEO and SEM manager at HawkSEM, for expert insights on ranking signals and getting more value from SEO. Below, she’ll help us cover 11 signals that matter most to the Google algorithm.

Enrolling in GUVI’s Digital Marketing course can help you become an expert BHS Links in the digital world, regardless of your level of marketing expertise. Learn the ins and outs of email marketing, social media marketing, content production, SEO, and more from professionals in the field. Through practical projects and real-world case studies, acquire job-ready skills with globally recognized certifications.

Encourage customers to leave reviews on Google and respond to them promptly. By actively encouraging customers to leave reviews, you can enhance your chances of earning a spot in the local pack and standing out among competitors. Manual actions are penalties Google imposes for violating their webmaster guidelines, such as engaging in spammy link building or cloaking. Before developing new content, assess your existing content assets. Conduct a content audit to evaluate your content’s performance, relevance, and quality. Avoid spammy tactics like link farms, paid links, or excessive link exchanges, as these can get you penalized.

With the right tools at your disposal, you’ll be better equipped to enhance your site’s performance and reach your target audience. Now it’s time to discover the other 102 steps that will get more organic traffic flowing to your website. The Link Chest is a collection of high-quality, easy-to-win backlink opportunities.