Over the last decade Google has become by far the most dominant search engine on the internet. It is estimated that over 60% of all searches conducted online are via Google, as such having your website displayed in the top few results that google provides can bring huge amounts of traffic to your website. Optimising websites can be a time consuming task and a lot of popular keyphrases already have strong competitors holding the top few results positions. One way that many websites are able to make their own mark and climb the rankings is by targeting geographically specific areas. This article aims to give a few tips on how to improve your chances of ranking highly for location-based searches.

1) List your business on Google – The first step is a very obvious one; make sure that your website is listed in Google’s Local Business Centre. This ensures that Google is aware of your business, its location and it provides searchers with feedback from other users derived from numerous sources.

2) Look into long-tail keyphrases – It is very worthwhile considering targeting long-tail keywords that contain the area your business is targeting. For example instead of targeting web designers or search engine optimisation it could be slightly easier to try web designers Edinburgh or search engine optimisation Edinburgh. It is true that these general terms will bring less traffic, but usually those searchers using localised search terms are far more likely to turn into sales.

3) Ensure the contact details are local and valid – Display the address and local phone number of the business on the website. Search engine spiders are able to take this information into account when indexing the site; this is then used when Google creates local listings.

4) Submit your site to local directories – It is worth spending time finding some legitimate local business directories at which to link your website. Google uses links found on local business directories in order to select which websites it will display.

5) Use local domain names/hosting – When Google lists local sites it prefers sites that originate in the country that the search is centred on. Sometimes cheaper overseas hosting can be tempting, but this can have a hugely detrimental effect on the results your website will experience in localised Google searches.

In conclusion, targeting specific geographic locations when performing search engine optimisation can provide a faster route to higher rankings in Google. Typically location based searches have slightly less competition than general terms and traffic derived from these searches is often easier to turn into sales. It is important however not to focus solely on local searches allowing the global SEO to fall behind, finding a balance is key to successfully promoting a website.