The worldwide web has become the new shopping destination for people across the globe. According to statistics, 67% of consumers prefer to shop online rather than visiting physical stores.
Looking at this percentage increase, every business - small, medium, or big - wants to capture the online market space and grab as many leads as possible.
However, according to a study published by Chitika Network, the top 3 results on Google’s organic search pages receive almost 62.73% of the total traffic. The percentage of traffic only decreases from there.
Most nationalized businesses have a better domain authority and hence, get higher preference on search engine page results (SERP) than localized businesses. The challenge is fierce in the case of localized businesses operating on the world wide web.
But, no more! Thankfully, there is a hack to crack everything. This includes making your localized business rank high on SERP and keeping ahead of the competition.
This blog has listed seven best practices to follow to rank in Google’s top 3 page results and increase conversions.
Let us start by first understanding what Local 3-Pack is.
Otherwise known as Google’s local 3-pack, it refers to the top three business listings a user sees on Google’s search result page based on their entered query. For instance, if a user enters "best restaurants near me," the top three results make the local 3-pack.
There may be numerous restaurants in that particular location. Then, why does Google prioritize some over the others?
Google utilizes algorithms such as proximity, search relevancy, business information, domain authority, ratings and reviews, and operational hours to analyze which results would best match a user’s query.
But why should businesses care so much about ranking in Google’s local 3-pack? They can use other prominent platforms to source deals and sales as well.
As mentioned above, Google’s local 3-pack receives 62.73% of the total traffic landing on a particular keyword. Meanwhile, the organic listings receive 40% of the click. This means it is these top listings that grab the maximum business. And hence, they mark a comparatively higher conversion rate.
So, why not grab these leads and increase your business revenue? Below are some smart ways to rank high on Google SERP and leave your competition behind.
Read: What Is A Local 3-Pack & Its Benefits?
Google My Business (GMB) plays a critical role in helping local businesses get recognized worldwide. It enables them to,
Besides these, the benefits of GMB are plentiful. Here are some to give you an idea of why it is a must to have a GMB account.
Here’s an example of a business displaying important information on their GMB profile:
In today’s day and age, reviews and ratings play a massive role in deciding the number of leads a business converts into paying customers. This comes from the fact that nearly 84% of consumers base a lot of trust on online reviews and personal recommendations.
Since reviews and ratings hold such importance in the eye of the end consumers, use them to your leverage.
Higher ratings also tell Google that people like your business, and hence, it will give you more importance over other companies operating in your local area.
The better the reviews and higher the ratings, the more the footfall and, ultimately, conversions.
Here’s a screenshot of the button to click for generating a Google review link:
Keywords are phrases entered by an individual in a search engine bar to find what they are looking for. For instance, if a user is looking for the best toy store in their locality and enters, “best toy store near me.” Then this becomes a keyword.
So, find keywords that people enter in search results and are relevant to your business. You can use tools like Ahref, SEMRush, or LSIGraph to find the right keywords.
For example, if you run an online toy store in New York, here are some local keywords to add to your website.
Try and focus on high-search volume keywords. These are the phrases people are most likely to enter in search bars. The more high-search volume keywords you embed in your site content, the more likely your business will rank high on local SERP results.
Optimization means crafting your site’s content and adding relevant keywords that resonate with the expectations of the end consumers and search engine crawlers.
However, you must follow certain rules and best practices while optimizing your site’s content and making it SEO friendly.
Let’s take a look.
Use tools like Grammarly to create grammatically correct and plagiarism-free content.
An unhealthy site triggers all kinds of SEO problems. This is true in the case of both local and national SEO. A search engine cannot efficiently find, understand, crawl, and index content.
Use tools like Ahrefs’ Site Audit to check the health of your site. Such tools
Meanwhile, your site’s load speed also matters.
According to Google, a site’s bounce rate increases by almost 32% if its load speed increases from 1 second to 3 seconds.
From a search engine’s point of view, since they need to show relevant information to searchers as quickly as possible, they tend to prioritize sites that load faster.
So, improve your site’s speed. Use tools like Lighthouse and PageSpeed Insights to detect and improve site speed and overall user experience.
Another way to rank your business in Google's local 3-pack is by optimizing your site for mobile. This is because 52.2% of the world’s traffic comes from mobile devices today. If you’re able to perfect this game, Google is more likely to prioritize your business over others on SERP.
Here are some other statistics that show why it’s important to optimize for mobile:
If your site doesn’t have a good mobile display or there are navigation issues, this would
Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool to know if your website is optimized for mobile phones:
Link building is critical from a local SEO standpoint. Backlinks signal search engines that other websites value your site’s content and vouch for your business.
Consider backlinks as a vote of confidence that others instill in your business. They also help improve your site’s organic ranking.
When many sites link to the same website, search engines assume that the content holds value and is worth ranking high on their search pages. The more high-quality sites link to your site; the more confidence search engines have in your website.
So, leverage backlinks. Use tools like Linkgraph.io, Smallseotools.com, etc., to check the domain authority of sites that link back to your site.
Here are five types of backlinks to invest in.
Even if searchers skip the local SEO 3-pack, you will still have a website that strongly ranks organically, so prospects will still find you.
Here’s a screenshot of Linkgraph.io:
Fighting to climb the SERP ladder, especially when you’re a local business, can be tough; however, not impossible. Follow our above-mentioned best practices, and you’ll surely succeed in making your business rank in Google’s local 3-pack.
Here’s a quick recap for you.
Brice has been handling marketing projects for more than 12 years and he is providing consulting services on SEO, Social Media and PPC. He has a huge expertise in working at large corporations including Accenture Interactive & PwC Digital Services.
Site Speed Impact on Local Business
Google Maps for Local Business
Tips to Partner With Local Businesses
Boost Local Rankings Using Cdn
Boost Offline Sales for Local Biz
How Google BERT Affect Local Businesses
Boost Local Rankings Using Cdn
Local SEO Benefits for Ecommerce
Wordpress Local SEO Best Practices
Local SEO Mistakes Plumbers Make
Tips to Build Authority Using Local SEO
Tips to Rank Higher in Google Maps
Tips to Optimize Category Tag Pages
Technical SEO for Local Business
Tips to Get More Visibility for Gmb
Niching Down Benefits for Local SEO
Local SEO Fixes to Boost Rankings
GMB Optimization for Small Businesses
Boost Audience Engagement With Local Email Marketing
Tips to Use SEO Ppc for Local Business
Tips to Optimize Small Business for Local SEO
Local SEO Mistakes Law Websites Do
Enterprise Local SEO Challenges
Local SEO Mistakes Contractors Make
Customer Engagement Strategies for Local Biz
Optimize for Local SEO Without a Website
Tips to Build Local Engagement
How Bad Customer Reviews Affects Local SEO
Small Business Local SEO Mistakes
Brice has been handling marketing projects for more than 12 years and he is providing consulting services on SEO, Social Media and PPC. He has a huge expertise in working at large corporations including Accenture Interactive & PwC Digital Services.
Site Speed Impact on Local Business
Google Maps for Local Business
Tips to Partner With Local Businesses
Boost Local Rankings Using Cdn
Boost Offline Sales for Local Biz
How Google BERT Affect Local Businesses
Boost Local Rankings Using Cdn
Local SEO Benefits for Ecommerce
Wordpress Local SEO Best Practices
Local SEO Mistakes Plumbers Make
Tips to Build Authority Using Local SEO
Tips to Rank Higher in Google Maps
Tips to Optimize Category Tag Pages
Technical SEO for Local Business
Tips to Get More Visibility for Gmb
Niching Down Benefits for Local SEO
Local SEO Fixes to Boost Rankings
GMB Optimization for Small Businesses
Boost Audience Engagement With Local Email Marketing
Tips to Use SEO Ppc for Local Business
Tips to Optimize Small Business for Local SEO
Local SEO Mistakes Law Websites Do
Enterprise Local SEO Challenges
Local SEO Mistakes Contractors Make
Customer Engagement Strategies for Local Biz
Optimize for Local SEO Without a Website
Tips to Build Local Engagement
How Bad Customer Reviews Affects Local SEO
Small Business Local SEO Mistakes