Why you need to focus on hyperlocal SEO as a perth local business?

If you’re a Perth business owner, you know that competition is tough. Not only are there a lot of local businesses to compete with both online and offline, but there are also a lot of national companies trying to rank for Perth-related terms in Google.

If your business doesn’t have a strong online presence in 2022, it will not be easy to compete. This article will discuss why you need to focus on hyperlocal SEO as part of your marketing strategy. We’ll also give you some tips on how you can start implementing hyperlocal SEO into your marketing plan. Ready to take your business to the next level? Let’s get started!

Hyperlocal SEO is one of the most important aspects of SEO for local businesses. Why? Because it focuses on optimising a business’ website for local searchers only. It means that your local customers are the focus, rather than a city, regional or national audience. Not only does this help you rank higher in local search engines, but it also leads to increased traffic and better customer acquisition rates.

1 – Understanding what hyperlocal marketing is

Hyperlocal marketing is a term that refers to the practice of focusing your marketing efforts on local customers and markets such as your neighbourhood or suburb. In other words, it’s about optimising your website for keywords related to suburbs or specific areas of Perth.

There are several reasons why this is such a critical approach when it comes to local SEO. First, hyperlocal searchers are more likely to convert and become loyal customers, and it means that these people are actively looking for your products or services in your area.

Then, of course, there’s the fact that local customers are much more likely to be happy and satisfied with your products or services. It is because they know their local market’s specific needs and preferences better than anyone else. Proximity plays a big part too, and they will enjoy not having to travel 20 km to find what they are looking for!

What is the difference between local SEO and hyperlocal SEO?

Local SEO targets cities and regions, whereas hyperlocal SEO targets smaller areas within them, such as communities, neighbourhoods, suburbs, streets, and landmarks. It makes hyperlocal SEO much more targeted than local SEO.

An example would be a lawyer trying to rank for lawyer Subiaco instead of Lawyer Perth keyphrases!

Google Pigeon Update Explained

In October 2016, Google announced a significant update to its search engine ranking algorithm known as Pigeon. The changes aimed to make it easier for people to find relevant information and help local websites rank higher in SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).

Here are the main implications of the Pigeon Update for local SEO

1. Local businesses should focus their on-page optimisation efforts on keywords specific to their locality or neighbourhood.

2. Google is gaining a better understanding of which keywords are specific to certain localities and thus can better recognise website content around these words.

As a result, local SEO professionals need to monitor their website’s Quality Score regularly to ensure optimum rankings across all SERPs results (organic and paid) and should not neglect local search phrases.

2 – Why should you focus on hyperlocal as a local business?

One of the main benefits of hyperlocal SEO is that it can be much more targeted and beneficial for your bottom line since you will only need to focus on ranking for relevant keywords in areas that are highly relevant to your activity. It usually leads to better click-through rates (CTRs) and more sales because potential customers close to your business are much more likely to click on a link from Google than those in a different suburb or town.

For example, if you run a restaurant in Perth, you may want to focus on keywords related to restaurants or dining in your suburb or the few surrounding suburbs (e.g., “Subiaco restaurants”) rather than trying to rank for words like “restaurant Perth” or “restaurant.” 

These keywords are likely to be much more difficult and competitive, given the high volume of search traffic generated in the city of Perth alone.

Benefits of hyperlocal SEO

• Helps you dominate search for each suburb or town inside your service area or near your physical location
• Reduced competition and easier rankings
• Higher CTRs, resulting in more sales
• Increased foot traffic to a physical store
• Helps you rank better for niche search terms
• The 3-pack simplifies users’ online experience, and you should leverage it! 

3 – How to optimise for hyperlocal SEO

Choose the right keywords

The first and most crucial step in optimising for hyperlocal SEO is choosing the right keywords. You want to rank for relevant, local keywords that will likely be searched by potential customers who live or visit nearby towns and suburbs.

Once you’ve identified the relevant keywords, it’s important to start optimising your website to rank for them in your local search results. For example, if you’re marketing a business that sells products related to gardening, targeting phrases like “local garden suppliers” or “gardener near me” are likely to be valuable targets. Near me searches are very important for local voice search!

Similarly, keywords that could be associated with specific locations within your neighbourhood (like “Mount Lawley cafe” for example) can also bring in surrounding traffic from people looking for local eats and drinks.

Adding localised keywords to your website’s content, title tags & meta descriptions can also help improve CTRs (click-through rates) and encourage clicks and visits.

Leverage Google My Business profile optimisation and strategies

Google My Business (GMB) is the cornerstone of every local SEO campaign. Here are some quick tips to optimise a Google My Business page:

• Make sure you pick the right business category and add secondary categories when they fit.
• Add a profile picture that accurately reflects your business (include a logo if you have one) and use geotagging, like latitude/longitude using the coordinates of your business location.
• Add as many authentic images of your business and activity as you can. Do not use stock images to fill in the profile!
• Add a summary of your business, including key milestones and insights about what you offer. You should list all your main products and services here.
• Use important keywords throughout the profile as well as on images. Do not keyword stuff here!
• Publish regular updates to inform customers about changes or new products/services.
• Monitor your Google My Business page for feedback, reviews, and other interactions that could help you improve your online reputation. Reviews are a major ranking factor for the local pack!

Making the most of this FREE tool, and dominating a service area should be a top priority for any business based in Perth, especially for companies serving a specific area (also called SABs or Service Area Businesses)!

Build localised landing pages for every single suburb and location you cover

Another important way to rank higher organically in local search results and generate leads is by building localised landing pages for every suburb and location you cover. It will help people find what they’re looking for faster, leading to more conversions and sales.

It could be local pages for each suburb inside your service area or a list of the surrounding suburbs if you are a brick-and-mortar business trying to attract local clients!

Create local content

Another critical way to rank higher in local search results is by creating and publishing valuable, locally-focused content. It could include blog posts, guest posts, photos, and videos related to your targeted keywords and area. 

By providing high-quality and well-written information about your neighbourhood or town, you can help people find what they’re looking for faster, leading to more traffic, conversions, and sales.

Do not neglect the long tail keywords, even the ones showing 0 searches in various SEO tools!

Build local backlinks

Another way to rank higher in local search results is by acquiring links from highly relevant or ranked pages in your area. It means building relationships with other businesses and websites that have a good reputation for ranking well in local searches or are highly relevant to your activity or service area.

Once you’ve built a strong relationship with these businesses and organisations, ask them to link back to your website or blog content – this will help you rank higher in the organic results and improve your overall online reputation.

Sponsorships are a great example of good local links you can create. For example, links from local sports clubs or associations, local web directories, or partners’ websites!

Use structured data and schema markup

Another way to rank higher in local search results is using structured data and schema markup.

Schema markup is a set of instructions used by search engines to help them better understand and index the data found on a web page. 

Structured data is information that can be used to make your website more ‘search engine friendly, helping you rank higher in organic results.

By setting up your website correctly, you can help Google identify key phrases and keyword topics (and their corresponding content) on your site, which could lead to higher rankings, increased traffic, and subsequent sales.

The main types of schema markups used for local SEO include:

• Organisation Markup: Gives information about a company, including the logo, location, and contact information.
• Person Markup: Marks a person’s name and provides data related to the business owner.
• Local Business: Includes a local business address, telephone number, opening hours, contact information, and other essential details.

Leverage local voice search

Local voice search is one of the fastest-growing search trends, and it’s important to consider how you can embrace this technology to rank higher in local results.

It means that now is a great time to start thinking about how you can incorporate local voice search into your overall online strategy.

There are several ways you can do this:

• Create bespoke content specifically for voice search: This content is designed to be easily understood and consumed using spoken commands rather than by browsing a page or clicking.
• Integrate locally relevant apps and services: By partnering with popular local websites, app and service providers, you can provide valuable content that users will look for when searching in local voices.
• Build a strong relationship with Google: Make sure your website is correctly categorised and features rich metadata so that it’s easy for Google to index and rank your site accordingly.
• Leverage FAQ sections and answer essential questions asked by your audience using short sentences.

By developing and implementing an effective local voice strategy, you can attract more customers searching for local businesses in your area by providing them with a convenient way to access your products and services.

By now, you must have realised that having a hyperlocal SEO strategy in place could change your business. It helps you boost brand awareness and incoming leads at the same time. But where does it stop? If you can streamline your marketing efforts with hyperlocal SEO, then the sky is the limit for your business growth.

To get started on this journey, contact us today to learn how we can help increase your brand’s visibility in Perth!