Making your business known to people is an easy task if you consider the following factors that can help you rank in Local SEO.

There are five (5) main factors that affect your rank in the web results. If you ace these five pillars of Local SEO, then you have a great chance to outrank your competitors:

• Content 
• Traffic
• Links
• Proximity
• Google My Business Listing

Content 

Domain/URL

In running a website, make sure that your domain name and URL contain the keywords describing what your website is all about and in what category it belongs. Keywords in your domain name must not be mentioned redundantly on your URL to avoid over-optimisation.

Title

Your domain name and URL must also match your title. The title must contain the primary purpose or category of your business, like the domain name and URL, for you to top the ranking results.

Blogging and Content

If you care about your users and have created a website with good content, you are attracting Google as a customer. You are also giving Google a reason to point users towards your website or your store. Google wants to serve its users well. Therefore, when Google finds your blog content reasonable and informative, you are giving your site a chance to be displayed in search results first.

Also, never forget to use keywords that still matches your Domain name, URL, Title, and Heading. If you mention words that best describe your website over and over again, you will be registered and known for the keywords you always mention.

For instance, you have a coffee shop. Make sure that your website contains the word “coffee” within the meta tags and the title descriptors. Also, make sure to have a nice-looking and easy to maneuver website. Through this, people will get attracted to click on your other web pages.

Traffic 

Traffic can be a good indicator of whether the website is trusted or not. Increase your traffic by building your brand image and credibility to signal Google that you can be considered as a trusted and secured site.

How to increase traffic?

To increase traffic, one must invest in advertisements as well as building a social profile. You can do this by creating pages and accounts on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and the like. See to it that you always attach your citation to these authority websites— name, address, phone number, and exact location.  

Links

Links are one of the significant ranking signals. Remember that Google was created because of algorithms to deliver the best experience to its users. Algorithms display those businesses which have five (5)-star reviews on the top ranks rather than those which only have 2-4 stars. You are likely to rank in the map pack if you have high-quality reviews.

Moreover, receiving good reviews plus comments that are relevant to your niche from a Local Guide or a Google representative will hold more weight in having a place on top of the list results.

If the majority of your attention will be focused on traffic and links, then you have a great chance to outrank 99.9% of your competitors.

Proximity

Proximity can be your helping hand. If a person around the block is searching for a business like yours, then most likely, your business will be the first one to show in the map packs. However, if the person is not near you, there is a possibility that you will not show up in the results.

Google My Business

Setup your Google My Business properly

Sign in to Google and go to Google My Business and fill out all the needed business information for your listing. Google My Business will be your page in Google reaffirming that you exist. Put your name, address, phone number, picture of your website, interior of your business, or service that you offer. 

Anything that you add on your GMB profile makes it more customisable for your users. It will show Google that you have invested in your online presence. 

Optimise your GMB listing

One of the factors that can help you to appear in the 3-Pack Google Maps is having your category keywords in your business name. However, be careful not to make it sound spammy. Add additional categories under your primary category. Indicate your other product or service offerings for your business to not be limited to the main category where you belong.

Indicate all your branches wherever they are located, as well as specify your store days and hours. Also, write a short description of your business and make sure to use keywords in describing your business. Next, create posts about your business. Be active in updating users about your events, offer, products, and promotions.

These are the most common factors or errors that will prevent you from being on the top local pack:

• Listing Detected at False Business Address
• The address is a PO Box, UPS MailStore, or Other False Address
• Incorrect Business Category
• Site Hacked / Presence of Malware
• GMB Listings with Same Address/Phone Marked as “Permanently Closed”
• Reports of Violations on Your GMB Listing
• Association of GMB Account with Other Suppressed Listings
• Presence of Businesses in the Same Category at the Same Address
• Mismatched Address on GMB Landing Page
• Presence of Multiple GMB Listings in the Same Category with Same or Similar Business Title and Address

Final Thoughts

These factors will help you ace the Local Search Landscape, but keep in mind that all of these must be interconnected with each other. You must always include the main category of your business in your website’s title, heading, domain name, and URL, as well as in your GMB listing. Also, your GMB listing must be up to date, active, and free from the errors listed above. By doing this, you will certainly convert the web traffic into foot traffic.