Optimizing Your Website for Local Search With Location Sharing

Intros

Searching "pizza places near me". Looking up "plumbers in my city". Have you ever Googled for a local business like this? Of course you have - we all have. An incredible 97% of smartphone users search for local information on their devices. So if you run a local business, you absolutely need to optimize your website for local SEO.

But simply targeting keywords isn’t enough anymore. Google now utilizes location data to connect searchers with the most relevant local results. By implementing location sharing on your website, you can skyrocket your local search visibility.

In this article, you’ll learn actionable tips to fine-tune your website for local rankings. You’ll discover how to enable location tracking, build local links and citations, encourage customer check-ins and reviews, and analyze location-based metrics.

With the right location-based optimization, you can unlock your website’s true local SEO potential and pull more foot traffic from nearby searchers. Let's dive in!

TLDR; Optimizing Your Website for Local Search With Location Sharing

• Implement schema markup and sync your Google My Business listing to enable location sharing
• Optimize on-page elements like titles, headers and content for local SEO
• Build links and citations on relevant local directories and niche sites
• Encourage customer check-ins, reviews, and location-based photos
• Analyze geographic analytics to improve local targeting
• Monitor rankings for local keywords and continuously improve your presence

Enable Location Sharing on Your Website

The first critical step is enabling location sharing on your website. This gives Google explicit signals about your business name, address and location coordinates to boost your local SEO. Implement schema markup on pages like your contact page to markup your business name, street address, city, state and ZIP code.

This schema data tells search engines your precise location. Additionally, embed your geographic coordinates in schema markup to map your business on a latitude and longitude grid.

Next, create and verify a Google My Business listing, and sync it with your website. Google My Business provides your hours, phone number, photos and other business info to searchers. Syncing it with your site’s schema markup reinforces your location signals. Make sure your business name, address and phone number exactly match on both platforms.

If customers log in to your website, consider enabling user location tracking. This allows you to identify the geographic data of website visitors and tailor content accordingly. However, enable location tracking only if useful for your business, and disclose you are tracking locations. Location data can enhance your local SEO, but transparency with users builds trust.

Optimize On-Page Elements for Local SEO

Optimizing on-page elements boosts local ranking signals. Include your city and state in page titles and headers, such as “Seattle Plumber” or “Best Pizza in Los Angeles”. This immediately tells search engines your pages target specific locales.

Also, naturally mention your location in page content where relevant. For example, a restaurant can reference being “located in the heart of San Francisco” on its About Us page. Avoid awkwardly over-optimizing location mentions. Include them in genuine, conversational ways.

Have a dedicated contact page listing your complete business address, including street, city, state and ZIP code. This further cements your local SEO signals. Make sure your address exactly matches your Google My Business and schema markup location data. Consistency is key for local search optimization.

Build Local Links and Citations

Building local links and directory citations enhances your local SEO authority. Get listed on top citation sites like Yelp, YellowPages, Mapquest and others relevant for your industry. This helps associate your business name, address and location with your website across the web.

Also build high-quality local links, such as from city newspaper sites, local organization pages, neighborhood blogs and other hyperlocal sites near you. Avoid manipulative link building tactics, but focus on earning links from trusted location-based sites.

In addition, optimize your Google My Business listing for maximum local authority. Fill out all sections, add photos, encourage customer reviews, offer deals and enable features like messaging. A fully fleshed-out GMB profile establishes your business as a prominent, engaged local player.

Encourage Customer Check-Ins, Reviews and Photos

Customer check-ins, reviews and photos reinforce your local authority. Enable customers to “check-in” to your business location on Google My Business. This publicly indicates customers physically visited you.

Ask happy customers to leave detailed reviews on Google, Facebook, Yelp and other platforms. Positive local reviews build trust and social proof for new visitors. Respond professionally to any negative reviews to resolve issues.

Also, request customers share photos taken at your business location. Imagery makes your business look more established in the local area. Customers may happily share their experiences via social media, which you can re-post.

Analyze Location-Based Analytics

Dive into location-based analytics for actionable insights. Look at geographic data on your site visitors - are they primarily from your city and state? This confirms your local SEO targeting aligns with your actual audience.

Analyze traffic sources - are most visitors coming from organic search? Specifically from local pack results? This shows your rankings for nearby searches. Use Google Analytics to view city- and state-level traffic details.

See which search queries and landing pages result in conversions. Identify high-performing local keywords to further target and optimize. Continuously honing in on winning local strategies takes your optimization to the next level.

Continuously Improve Local Presence

Ongoing maintenance ensures your local presence remains strong. Regularly check rankings for your highest-priority local SEO keywords. Are you gaining visibility or losing ground? Update optimization efforts accordingly.

Solicit new customer feedback via surveys or conversations. Ask if they found you easily online for local searches. See if they have any website or search-related suggestions.

Also, revisit directories and citations to ensure all business info is still correct. Update anything that changed, like phone numbers or operating hours. Consistently maintaining your local profiles preserves your hard-earned progress.

Staying on top of your local SEO generates lasting results in the Google local pack and map rankings. By implementing location sharing site-wide, you too can unlock your website’s local search potential.

Key Takeaways: Optimizing Your Website for Local Search With Location Sharing

Local SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. But with the right location-based optimization, you can get found by nearby searchers and turn them into regular customers.

Implementing location sharing signals throughout your website and profiles establishes your business in the local space. Optimizing your content for nearby cities builds relevance. And encouraging customer check-ins and reviews improves local authority. Keep monitoring analytics and double down on what works. Commit to continuously improving your local presence.

The rewards will come - your website will climb the local pack, and foot traffic will steadily grow. So don't wait. Start optimizing for location sharing today. Enable coordinated geographic and schema markup. Build hyperlocal links and citations. Then get ready to be discovered locally and prosper.

Platforms like Kinolime are also leveraging location-based features and analytics to connect independent filmmakers with local audiences who want to support their work.