Local Organic Search & Mobile Devices
The increased usage of mobile devices for search is what has driven Google’s mobile-first indexing. At least 1/3 of all searches today are related to local inquiry from mobile phones. Local businesses are beginning to understand the importance of ranking high on mobile search- it’s how new leads are gathered and conversions transition into new clients or customers. Local organic SEO on mobile is absolutely required for any business who desires to gain a larger share of the market in which they are a part of. Besides creating great mobile content, there are big challenges ahead. Building from broad SEO implementation, there are additional moving pieces to manage. (Incorporating local schema markup, sitemaps, adding location citations, creating content that matches local user intent, optimizing location pages & Google My Business, attention to site speed, etc.)
Don’t forget that local organic searches on mobile phones focus on the geographic area in which the search is being conducted.
An abundance of relevant mobile content that matches searcher intent… the better for you!
Mobile Content for Local Organic SEO
Your optimized mobile site needs content more than ever. Mobile sites may display content differently but mobile-first indexing has not changed the overall purpose of for creating content that aligns with more searches and relates to what people are looking for. Producing and optimizing local content is still one of the best ways to boost your visibility and achieve better rankings in local search results.
For your local businesses, the end goal for content should be to increase local organic visibility for a larger number of search queries. This should include tapping into more “long-tail keywords.” Don’t forget the importance of inserting local keywords into the beginning of on-page SEO for your local content. (Title Tags/Meta Descriptions.)
Ideas for Local Content
Through content, you can make your business a knowledgeable and trusted source; a leader in your local community, and within your industry.
Publish your great content strategically on different channels…
Go for the niche! Find areas of opportunity that competitors are missing, even if those keyword phrases don’t show as much search volume. It’s always interesting to look at the keyword phrases that driving people to your site, or to competitor sites. There are so many free tools out there that can generate great ideas. Depending upon the end goal of your mobile content strategy, you can turn to Facebook, LinkedIn and Google analytics for audience insights. Google analytics will also provide snapshots of current traffic data. Google’s keyword planner is an easy and free tool to measure search volume for keywords, and keyword phrases.
Local landing pages and business blogs are a great way to cover niches while supporting the top level pages on your website. Adding local reviews to relevant pages on your website is another great idea, and don’t forget PR. You can host local events, but many small businesses are more likely to attend or support local events. Although citations are correlated with local SEO, don’t forget the importance of link-building. If you support a local business or local event, be sure to ask them to place your logo and a link from their site to yours. Lastly, feel free to “piggy-back” on local news stories that may be relevant to your business. You can do this really easily through social media posts, tweets, and so forth.
What about a Mobile Responsive Website
If a business has available resources to invest, it may be worth looking into one of the newer platforms available to support a more mobile-responsive site. However, investing in a new website isn’t always the best solution, or the first necessary step. Before dumping a ton of money into a new site, have an SEO Strategist perform a website audit to determine areas that can be improved on the current platform. If the cost to optimize the current website exceeds what it would take to start from scratch on a more mobile-responsive site, then the business can make this decision with all the data at hand.
Local SEO on Mobile Devices
Local organic SEO on mobile should be the sole strategy for business. Google continues to shrink the real estate of local results. Especially if your business is part of a super competitive industry, appearing in local search results on mobile is not only going to be the sole strategy, but it’s also going to be a continuous project. Your web developer may not have all the answers for you. Make sure you have the right Digital Strategist to do the job.