Local SEO Updates you Need to Know About!
Local SEO is the practice of increasing the online visibility of local businesses. It’s similar to organic SEO, but with an added geographical component that’s designed to help companies rank higher in the search engine result pages for specific local searches. There have been many local SEO updates over the past few years, so let’s delve more into this and take a closer look at SEO 2022 trends that can’t be ignored.
Why is a Local Search Strategy so Important?
Before checking out the updates, it’s essential to ask – why is a local search strategy so important? Well, the statistics speak for themselves. ‘Available near me’ searches increased 100% in 2021 and ‘now near me’ searches were up 200% in the same year. What’s more, ‘Along my route’ searches increased 1000% in 2020 as the world grappled with movement restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
With data like this, it’s clear that if you’re a local business without a local SEO strategy, then you’ll be missing an opportunity every time someone local searches for your products or services online. Thankfully, it’s now easier than ever to improve your local SEO optimisation thanks to recent updates. Here are 5 you should be aware of.
#1 Google Business Profile Rebrand Made Local SEO More Convenient
In December 2021, Google announced that the name of its local listing platform, Google My Business (GMB), would change to Google Business Profile. This came with a host of convenient benefits for business owners and local SEO marketers. Firstly, in a ‘direct edit’ revamp, it became possible to add or update business information via Google Search and Google Maps, rather than being forced to dig through a platform or app.
Google also mentioned that moving forward, there will be additional tools to help you understand how your business is performing and how you can enhance your online presence. These will be available exclusively on Search and Maps.
#2 Google Launched New Local Search Features
‘News near me’ searches have tripled over the past five years according to Google, reaching an all-time high in May 2020. This was a peak period in the pandemic and showcased the demand for local information. In response to this, Google made some changes. Firstly, they introduced two projects to help journalists enrich their stories with local data and information.
- The Census Mapper Project – this makes it easier to gather, analyse and visualise data collected and processed by The Associated Press about a local area.
- The Common Knowledge Project – this allows creators access to geographic comparisons, charts and visualisations for data analysis at county, state and national levels.
Both projects ultimately streamline local SEO research and allow writers to create accurate pieces with a local focus.
Google also made local news stories easier to find in the SERPS, with the following updates.
- Local News Carousel. Relevant news stories now appear at the top of the SERPS, giving local publications increased visibility.
- Top Stories Carousel. Local news sources of authority can now appear alongside major publications in the SERPs.
- More News in Search. Broad topic queries are more seamlessly connected to news-related features, allowing for increased local news exposure.
- Local Tweets. Local journalists and publications can appear in local news with tweets and not just stories that have been published. This allows for much more rapid exposure.
#3 Google Rolled Out New Attributes
With more and more businesses moving online, it’s essential to go above and beyond to get noticed. One of the best ways to do this is to add attributes to your Google Business Profile. These should highlight the USPs of your company and differentiate you from the competition.
A whole bunch of new attributes have recently been added to the Google Business Profile platform. These include Health and Safety attributes such as, ‘appointment required,’ ‘mask required,’ ‘staff wear masks,’ ‘staff get temperature checks’ and ‘temperature check required.’ There are also new pandemic-related attributes for restaurants such as ‘curbside pickup,’ ‘no-contact delivery’ and ‘dine-in service’ as well as attributes for online services such as ‘online classes’ and ‘online estimates.’ With so many new attributes available, it’s essential to update your profile accordingly.
#4 Bing Created a Richer Experience for Local Searchers
Bing has also been improving the local search experience. Several updates have focussed on providing users with more visuals rather than just text-based results. Changes made to local search results include.
- Expandable Carousels. Additional information pops up when a user hovers over a result.
- Infographic-Like Results. When a broad search is made, these encourage a user to delve deeper into a specific topic.
- Intuitive Highlights. A user can access the highlights of a web page without clicking through.
- Integrated Visual Search. Allows users to visually search for similar-looking items.
#5 The Need for A Positive Mobile Experience is Ongoing
When it comes to local SEO, it’s important to realise that the need for a positive mobile experience is ongoing. Mobile-First Indexing has been a huge priority for Google of late and while it hasn’t been all smooth sailing, the search engine is still pushing for companies to focus on optimising for mobile and that includes tailoring the mobile experience for local search. 76% of people use their smartphones to search for something nearby and therefore it makes complete sense to cater to this market. Using local keyword research to inform your content is a must and it’s well worth creating pages specific to different locations if you’re a larger company. Also, think about the functionality of your website. Your site should be adaptive, and all information should be broken into small paragraphs that are easily scrollable.
If you’re looking for local SEO services, contact Whitefish Marketing today for a strategy tailored to your brand.
