For a business to succeed in local SEO, you need to stay informed on search engine changes and updates Google makes related to search engine optimization. With the ever-changing world of SEO, it’s hard to see what the future holds, but we predict to see new trends popping up that will make local businesses need to update their local SEO practices.
Current Developing Local SEO Trends
There are several local search trends that will continue to develop in the coming years. Here are some of the most relevant developments that are happening in local SEO practices.
- Search engines depend on Artificial Intelligence now that Google’s Rank Brain exists.
- Competition to gain local search will increase between businesses. More businesses are going to be fighting over who gets listed on Google’s 3-Pack.
- Local search results are depending more on targeted location keywords. Search results will be filtering businesses by geo location and compare it to the customers exact location to the physical address of the business.
- Mobile-Friendly Optimization. The future of SEO will be compatible with what customers want, especially, on mobile device over laptops and desktop versions.
- Google’s mobile index is going to become the number #1 index for search results.
- Similar to live streaming, the voice search feature is developing to become more compatible with smart phones. Businesses will need to develop a voice search strategy to detect speech patterns that align with their keywords in search engines.
- Micro-moments and high-quality content. Taking from Google’s Marketing VP Lisa Gevelber puts it: “Being there is the first half of the equation —equally important is being useful.” Search engine algorithms distinguish between high quality and sub par content, it’s best to avoid inserting filler. To take advantage of micro-moments, companies should publish all the time and update websites and social media channels regularly.
Preparing Local Businesses for Future Success
As Google and search engines become more localized and mobile-friendly, linking social media, mobile marketing and links between local searches need to be streamlined. Companies, business owners, and marketers should keep up with customer buying behaviour and purchasing trends as this is going to affect how search engines change their algorithms down the road.
The best way to stay up-to-date with local SEO practices is to read about algorithm updates from Google and adjust SEO marketing plans regularly. In present time, businesses who continue to maintain a consistent online presence and makes regular updates to social media and web sites, will be verified as trustworthy, localized business establishments.
Best Local SEO Tools and Resources
Here is a list of free and paid tools that will help you understand SEO and implement more effective local SEO practices.
Keyword Creation and Checking
- Keyword Tool
- Google’s Keyword Planner
- Long Tail Pro
- Übersuggest
- Wordstream
- SEMrush
- Yoast
SEO Auditing and Competitor Analysis
- Advanced Web Ranking
- Local Search Rank Checker
- GeoRanker
- Online Visibility Report
- Pingdom Website Speed Test
- Rank Tracker
- SEO Crawler
- Serpstat
- Screaming Frog SEO Spider Tool
- Website Auditor
Other SEO Resources
- An Introduction to Social Media Marketing: A Guide for Small Businesses
- Best SEO Tools
- Local SEO Checklist
- The Complete How-To Guide for Local Citation Audit and Cleanup
- The Guide to Store Locators and Location Landing Pages
- The Mobile Guide: 18 Tips to Master Local and Mobile
- Making the Most of the Mobile Experience
- RocksDigital.com
- What’s Trending? Must-Know Data Points from the 2017 Internet Trends Report
Review Requests and Monitoring
- Review Handout Generator
- Free Review Monitoring
- Grade.us
- Get Five Stars
Social Media
- Buffer
- Hootsuite
- Dlvr.it
- Sprout Social
Citation Building and Listing Monitoring
- Advice Local
- Moz Local
- BrightLocal
Schema Creation and Testing
- Schema.org
- Google Structured Data Testing Tool
- Jsongen