Local SEO Guide for Beginners in the Ecommerce Sector

In the Local SEO Guide for Beginners in the Ecommerce Sector Have you heard that you need to optimize your business for local searches but still don’t really know how?

Today you will learn from a specialist in the field:

What is local SEO for eCommerce and how can I optimize it for my eCommerce?

Knowing what exactly local SEO is and its difference from the rest of the factors related to organic positioning is one of your doubts, I know!

This is, in a simple way, its definition:

The “local SEO” is a subset of SEO practices and techniques focused on positioning a business in search engines among all those who are geographically close.

It comprises three factors:  

1. Local listings and citations
2. Online reviews
3. Local SEO optimization on the website itself

I will show you in detail each of these components.

But first, let me first look at how the modern consumer searches and buys today.

Understanding the modern consumer

Not long ago, the customer had to go to the shift section of the “Yellow Pages” to find a location, remember? 

When he found what he was looking for, he wrote down the address and telephone number of the establishment to make a call from home. 

All that is behind us!

THE DATA SPEAKS:

Today, more than 125 million American consumers carry a smartphone. This represents 54% of people who consume a product.

How do these users use their mobile to access local information?

✅ 47% of customers use their smartphone to search for information on a local business

✅ 29% of users with a smartphone are willing to scan a code that makes them get coupons

✅ About 50% of people  will look for a product from their smartphone before buying

Think about how many times you have searched for a keyword followed by your city. For instance:

• Instead of “pizza” → you look for “pizza in Madrid”
• Instead of “hairdresser” → “hairdresser / haircut in Barcelona”

☝️ MORE DEVELOPING DATA:

MOZ Local highlights the following statistics to give small businesses an idea of ​​how often consumers are searching locally:

• 4 billion desktop searches in the United States are with local intent
• More than 50% of smartphone searches have a  local search intent
• Almost 15-20% of searches are mobile

The less revealing, right? 

Now, take note of these local SEO for eCommerce tips: 

Free Download: LOCAL SEO Checklist 

Do you want to rank high in search results? Get access to our free local search engine optimization checklist.

1. Local listings and citations to improve your local SEO

There are hundreds of places where you can list your business online. 

Building local lists is a key component of any local SEO for an eCommerce campaign. 

Let’s step back and see for a moment … 

Why is it so important…?

To better understand the importance of these listings and citations (a concept that I will explain later), let’s look at the reasons and experiences of two very important variables, search engines, and users.

Users are saturated with so many options that are available to them, be it from food places, clothing stores, or gas stations.

So the search engines will make their life much easier by allowing them to enter a few keywords, and in return give them several well-positioned options based on a number of factors that will facilitate their decisions and can help them make the transaction.

➡️ Search engines process massive loads of data, in order to give users the most relevant option, ordered everything by geographic proximity ⬅️

The quality of this data is used to process the information and can make or break a service.

This was what separates Google from other search engines since it provides the best and most relevant results.

How do you ensure that local data is of quality?

Through cross-references of each data point through the web.

The data that these giants provide is backed by the most popular business listing services such as:

• Yelp
• Bing Places
• Yellow pages
• Yahoo Local
• Foursquare

The more your business appears in listings and maintains a consistent image for many data providers, the more reliable it will be considered, and it will be a choice for Google or any other search engine when someone types your keyword.

✅Quality and relevance are the key to remember.

This graphic from getlisted.org (now MOZ local) excellently shows the ecosystem of a local search:

Now, in order for you to qualify for a list of local businesses in any index, MOZ Local notes that your business must meet the following four criteria:

1. Have the name of your business or company name
2. Have a local phone number that matches the city where you are located
3. Have an established physical address
4. Have personal contact (face to face) with your clients

The following is to see the two factors that are a strong influence for search engines and other web services to find your business:

1. The number and quality of the links that point to your website, and the tracking of the sites where those links are.
2. Track the number of appointments for your business and on which sites they appear.

But what is a date?

It is a mention of your business name on other pages outside of yours, followed by your address and/or telephone number, whether or not it has a link to your site.

An example of a quote might be in an online directory.

2. Online reviews

Before explaining this local SEO factor:

?LET’S SEE AN IMPORTANT FACT:

According to  Search Engine Land, 72% of consumers say they trust the reviews they find on the Internet, as well as those of a lifetime (“word of mouth”) 

Reviews don’t just drive clicks to your site, they also appear on search engine results pages (SERPs).

→ According to an extensive study conducted by Digital Marketing Works, reviews play a critical role in determining their inclusion and positioning in local Google results, which appear at the beginning of a SERP.

If there is one thing that small business owners cannot ignore in this digital present day, it is the online reputation of their eCommerce.

The two core activities that must be performed in relation to online reviews are:

• Invite users to write their own review
• Manage and monitor your online reputation

Getting people to leave your review can be as simple as having a call to action at your physical or digital checkout counter, or bringing up the subject during a conversation with your customers.

While managing your online reputation is focused on eliminating negative reviews as soon as they flare up, promoting your online reputation can serve as social proof of your product or service.

Experts also attest that the quantity, diversity, and speed of tests are determining factors in the way reviews are used in search algorithms.

Hopefully, this helps you start thinking about the importance of testing and how they are factors in your local search marketing plan, a topic that I will talk about in a later post given its importance.

In the meantime, for a comprehensive look at getting positive reviews on Google Places, be sure to read this entire post.

3. Local SEO for eCommerce on the website itself

Let’s see how to get the most critical component of your online presence, your site, and that is optimized for local searches.

Let’s start with the most used term in local SEO, and it is NAP, which in English stands for the following terms:

✅ Name (Name)
✅ Address (Address)
✅ Telephone (Phone Number) 

It is recommended to have your NAP or local information on each page.

If you have multiple locations, you can use multiple landing pages, or have them all listed under a single “contact” call, which is a popular approach.

Experts recommend testing to see if your NAP is Google-crawlable as it is sometimes included as an image as in HTML code.

Take a look at this example from GOTSTYLE, a men’s clothing store located in Toronto:

In addition, you will want to optimize your site for local keywords more competitively through basic keyword research, in order to position your site better in local searches.

For example, “bookstore in Toronto” instead of “bookstore.”

These region-optimized keywords can be included in the following facets of your website at their discretion and in consultation with someone who knows SEO techniques well:

• Your url
• Page Titles
• Meta descriptions
• H1 and H2
• Moderation in the content of your site

Another key component that you have heard many times is the importance of having your site optimized for mobile.

The point is to increase your positioning in the results of your local searches when your site is not accessible and potential users need to access your information.

? ATTENTION TO THE DATA:

The 73% of mobile searches trigger actions and potential conversions such as:

• Search (36%)
• Store visits (17%)
• Sharing information (18%)
• Call a business (7%)
• Make a purchase (17%)

You already have the keys to your local SEO for eCommerce gameplan, now get to work!

Hopefully so, making the online and offline experience a priority for small businesses, in order to remain present today. Focus on these three important factors, which are lists and citations, online reviews, and optimizing your SEO efforts for your local search marketing strategy and prepare to enjoy their benefits.

Have you implemented a local SEO strategy for your physical store? Comment your tips and tricks and what results in you have obtained.

What factors does improving the local SEO of a business depend on?

It comprises of three factors: 

• Local listings and citations
• Online reviews
• Local SEO on the ecommerce site itself

What do I need to appear in my users’ local searches?

• Have the name of your business or company name
• Have a local phone number that matches the city where you are located
• Have an established physical address
• Have personal contact (face to face) with your clients

What to take into account when managing online reviews of your business?

The two activities that must be carried out in relation to online reviews are: 

• Invite users to write their own review
• Manage and monitor your online reputation

Why are reviews so important?

According to Search Engine Land, 72% of consumers say they trust the reviews they find on the Internet, as well as those of a lifetime (“word of mouth”)