During a recent LSA webinar, Mark Aspillera from BrightEdge and Dave McAnally from DialogTech discussed the importance of local SEO, as well as online and offline SEO strategies for marketers that will help increase conversions.
To begin, Mark explained the five components that need to be taken into consideration when optimizing websites, which include:
- Site Structure
- Local 3-Pack Optimization:
- On-Page Elements
- Off-Page Elements
- Mobile Experience
Here are a few best practices for local SEO that the duo discussed in detail.
NAP & Google My Business
First, gather NAP for each and every store location. NAP refers directly to name, address and phone number, but includes any location details such as photos, categories and social sites. If this information is inaccurate, it can result in duplicate listings and bad user experiences. It also makes it difficult for search engines to find the right page. For online listings, (like Google My Business (GMB)) marketers need to be sure that the listing is verified, complete and consistent with all other online listings.
Building Local Pages
To create unique local pages for each location on a brand’s website, marketers need to mark NAP with schema. These pages should also include hours, a map and location description (see below).
To ensure that each local page is properly indexed by search engines, there should be one page with all locations a few clicks from the home page.
Additionally, each location page needs to have breadcrumbs, and all of the pages should be included in the XML sitemap. Page load times should also be decreased as much as possible, as slow loading times can directly impact conversions.
There’s been a huge increase in calls from search in the last five years. Dave’s portion of the presentation discussed search and call-tracking, and how the two work together in the following steps:
- An SEO or search ad generates a call
- The call is then routed based on location, intent and need
- Marketing acquires the analytics on conversation to understand intent, urgency, interest and outcome
- The caller is added to most relevant audiences for digital retargeting
- Optimization can be executed for retargeting, syndication, messaging and reviews to drive the most customers at the lowest costs
You can view the recording of the webinar below:
For more info about LSA’s webinar series, visit: https://bit.ly/LSAwebinars.
