Do you think you can’t do any better in terms of rankings and traffic? If a decent number of visitors already flock your website, you might feel like your SEO campaign is working as it should. This doesn’t mean, however, that there’s no room for improvement. Over the past few years, the way people use search engines has changed. This is primarily brought by voice search and digital assistants. Failing to keep up with this shift in user behavior could be detrimental to your business. Here are five ways to give your local SEO strategy a boost.
1. Embrace Visual Search Engines
It may sound crazy, but the visual search is actually a thing. By now, it’s no secret that online users love visual content. This explains the immense popularity of YouTube, Instagram, and other media-rich platforms. This trend is now seen in search, with an increasing number of people opting for images over text when searching for the information they need.
According to SEO Resellers Canada, Google has started to develop their visual search engine called Google Lens. This new technology is equipped with vision-based computing capabilities, enabling it to not only see what you’re looking at but also offer relevant information to help you take action.
2. Target Voice Search Keywords
Have you always targeted a keyword like “service + city name”? This continues to be effective, but you also need to factor in voice search queries. In case you didn’t know, 20 percent of all mobile searches are voice search. It is estimated that this will increase to 50 percent by 2020.
When searching by voice, users tend to use longer queries that mimic the way people talk. So, instead of targeting “plumber in New York,” you may want to optimize for “who is the best plumber in New York”.
Start creating a list of questions your target audience might use to find your business. Also, voice search queries usually start with the words “who”, “what”, “when”, “where”, “why”, and “how.”
3. Encourage Customers to Write Reviews
Accumulating a ton of positive reviews ultimately means gaining the trust of prospective customers. Most online consumers consider these reviews as if they were recommendations from people they personally know. If you offer a good product or service, then you should feel confident about what customers have to say about your brand. But it doesn’t hurt to encourage them to leave reviews. Make it simple for them to do so by creating a dedicated section on your website where they can write a testimonial.
4. Earn Local Links
Despite what many people would have you believe, links are still an influential ranking factor. You’ll always benefit from acquiring high-quality local backlinks. If you haven’t yet, start by building links from local business directories. This provides a solid foundation for your link profile.
You should also start reaching out to local bloggers and ask them to review your products or services. If you have the resources, you can also offer a student scholarship and work with universities for increased promotion.
Conclusion
Even if your local SEO strategy has already generated a lot of customers for your business, keep in mind that the industry continues to evolve. The changes in user behavior should be reflected in your strategy. While the basics such as building links remain important, you need to optimize for voice search and digital assistants as well if you want to maximize your ranking potential.
