Local search engine optimisation (SEO) is a crucial strategy for businesses in the UK looking to drive more nearby customers to their website and physical locations.
With more and more people using search to find local shops, services and products, ranking highly for localised SEO can bring in significant new revenue.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything UK companies need to know about local SEO, including:
- What local SEO is
- Why it’s important
- On-page optimisation tips
- Off-page optimisation tactics
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Tools and strategies for multi-location businesses
- Local SEO case study
Let’s dive in and explore how to use local SEO to connect with customers in your area and dominate the search results in your geographic radius.
What Is Local SEO?
Local SEO refers to optimising your online presence to rank higher in search engine results for location-specific queries.
For example, when someone searches for “Florist in Cambridge” or “SEO Wirral”, you want your business to appear prominently in the results.
Unlike regular SEO which focuses on broader keywords and ranking nationwide, local SEO is all about optimising for searches within a particular geographic radius.
The goal is to make your website and online listings more visible to potential customers looking for your products or services near them. You want to appear as the go-to local business in your industry.
Key elements of local SEO include:
- Optimising your website for local keywords and location names
- Complete and consistent NAP listings (name, address, phone number)
- Positive local customer reviews
- Local citation building
- Engaging local content creation
- Location pages or microsites for different regions
- Tracking of localised SEO KPIs
By focusing your optimisation efforts on these kinds of location-based ranking signals and content, you can achieve higher local search visibility.
Why Local SEO Is Important for UK Businesses
For companies trying to find and convert local customers, focusing on local SEO delivers significant benefits:
Increased Website Traffic from Local Searches
Over 50% of all searches are local in nature. Targeting these high intent, localised keywords can open up a huge new source of inbound website traffic.
Improved Visibility for Local Customers
Ranking on page 1 of Google for key local queries makes you easily discoverable for potential customers in your geographic radius.
Builds Trust and Authority Locally
Strong local SEO establishes your brand as the leading local authority in your industry, building trust and credibility.
Drives Foot Traffic to Physical Stores
Appearing prominently for local queries encourages local customers to visit your brick-and-mortar location.
Provides Competitive Advantage
Outranking other local businesses means capturing more of the market share in your industry locally.
Highly Targeted Lead Generation
Attracting website visitors from localised organic searches provides a targeted audience of ready-to-buy prospects.
Cost-Effective Marketing
Local SEO delivers results without the higher costs of paid search ads or mass marketing campaigns.
For any business trying to find and convert local customers, focusing on your local SEO strategy needs to be a high priority.
On-Page Local SEO Optimisation Tips
Optimising your website and web pages on-page is key for local SEO success. Here are some top on-page localisation tips:
Target Local Keywords and Location Names
Conduct thorough keyword research to identify the precise local terms and phrases your customers are searching for related to your products and services, such as:
- Local area name e.g. “Bristol”, “Swindon”
- Postcode terms e.g. “SE1 restaurants”
- Distance keywords e.g. “cafes within 10 miles”
- Longer, localised keyphrases e.g. “furniture store Leicester”
Optimise your pages and content to deliberately target these types of geo-specific keywords so search engines associate your relevance to these locations.
Prominently Display Your NAP Details
Your business Name, Address and Phone number (NAP) should be clearly visible on every page of your website. This signals to search engines you are physically located in that area.
Create Location-Specific Content
Craft website content, blog posts and pages that specifically target potential customers in your geographic regions. Make sure to reference the city, town and area names throughout your content.
Include Structured Local Data Markup
Use structured data markup like LocalBusiness and Geo Coordinates to tell Google your business name, full address, phone number and geographic coordinates. This helps affirm your local presence.
Build Location Landing Pages
Having dedicated pages/sections of your site that focus on different nearby towns and suburbs can improve your local SEO targeting. Optimise these pages for each specific area.
Optimise for Mobile
With local searches increasingly happening on smartphones, ensure your site is fully optimised for mobile users. Fast loading times and clear calls-to-action are key.
Encourage Customer Reviews
Positive online customer reviews help establish local trust and credibility. Prompt happy clients to leave 5-star reviews describing their local experience with your business.
Off-Page Local SEO Tactics
You also need a targeted local SEO strategy for optimising factors off your website, including:
Optimise Google My Business
Complete your Google My Business listing with photos, full business information, services, positive local reviews and regular posting updates. This makes you prominent in local pack results.
Earn Local Citations
Build local citations (mentions of your business name, address and phone number) on relevant local directories, review sites and niche industry listings related to your business.
Manage Online Reviews
Actively encourage satisfied local customers to leave positive reviews on Google, Facebook and other relevant sites. Respond promptly to any negative reviews.
Build Local Links
Build high-quality backlinks from local directory listings, partnerships with local organisations, local sponsorships, and other relevant area-specific sites.
Leverage Social Media
Engage your local audience by posting about local events/news and interacting with local customers on your social media channels.
Run PPC Location Campaigns
Geo-targeted pay-per-click ads can complement your organic local SEO efforts.
Listing Consistency
Audit and ensure your NAP details are listed consistently across all key sites where your business is referenced online.
Common Local SEO Mistakes
There are also some key local SEO mistakes to avoid:
- Not having any physical business address listed on your website
- Optimising content for keywords that are too broad geographically
- Having a weak Google My Business listing with minimal details
- Inconsistencies between your GMB listing and website data
- Failing to incorporate local area and city names throughout your content
- Fake or paid reviews meant to mislead search engines
- Targeting ranking nationwide instead of focusing locally
- Ignoring customer reviews mentioning your location or area
By avoiding these kinds of errors, you can keep your local SEO strategy on track.
Local SEO Tools and Software
Leveraging the right software and tools can simplify executing local SEO:
Google My Business
Essential for managing and optimising your all-important local business listing on Google.
Moz Local
Allows you to audit, claim and update key local directory listings and citations.
Whitespark
Discover the top local citation opportunities to focus on for building local authority.
Synup
Identifies and fixes inconsistencies in your NAP details across key listing sites.
BrightLocal
Tracks website visibility across local pack results along with other local ranking factors.
LocalFalcon
Monitors local SEO performance for you and your competitors across key locations.
Google Search Console
View local organic ranking data and performance for target keywords.
Google Analytics
Review website traffic levels from localised organic and paid searches.
Google Keyword Planner
Research and identify new localised keyword opportunities.
Investing in powerful software solutions can streamline managing SEO across multiple locations.
Local SEO for Multi-Location Businesses
For brands that operate multiple physical locations across the UK, scaling local SEO can be more challenging. Some top tips include:
- Optimise Each Location’s Website – Tailor page content to each specific location.
- Consistent GMB Listings – Fully optimise Google My Business for each separate location.
- Central Location Hub – Have a “Locations” page on your main website directing users to each local site.
- Localised Citations – Build location-specific citations and directory listings for each unique address.
- Location-Based Content – Create dedicated blogs and social media content tailored to each region/postcode.
- Analyse by Location – Use analytics to assess SEO KPIs and metrics individually for each location.
- Distance Keywords – Target proximity keywords relevant to each individual area.
- Listing Consistency – Sync NAP details across all sites for every unique location.
With consistency and attention to optimising each local website/listing, multi-location local SEO success is achievable.
Local SEO Case Study
Let’s look at a case study example of effective local SEO for a UK business:
John owns a popular Italian restaurant in Reading. He wants to boost visibility and attract more local customers from the Reading area.
Here are the local SEO tactics implemented:
- Optimised GMB listing with photos, menus, positive reviews from Reading locals
- Built 20+ citations on directories like Yell referencing the Reading address
- Added 100% original blogs to the website targeting keywords like “Italian restaurants Reading”
- Created location pages with specific content for nearby towns like Wokingham and Bracknell
- Ran paid social ads geo-targeted to users within 10 miles for a “50% off for new customers” offer
- Built links from the Reading Council events page by sponsoring a local fundraiser
- Asked happy customers to leave reviews on Google Maps after dining in the restaurant
Results:
- Within 5 months the restaurant website traffic from organic searches increased by 28%.
- Local pack ranking for “Italian restaurants in Reading” improved from #4 to #1.
- Foot traffic to the physical restaurant increased during weekends by 15%.
- More than 50 new reviews were added across Google, Facebook and TripAdvisor.
This demonstrates how an integrated local SEO strategy can deliver significant results for UK businesses targeting customers in a close geographic radius.
Conclusion
Local SEO is a highly effective strategy for businesses in the UK looking to reach nearby customers and increase their in-store and online visibility.
With more and more searches having local intent, optimising your website and online listings to rank for these high-converting terms needs to be a priority.
By focusing your technical and content optimisation efforts on ranking for localised keywords and phrases, you can steadily grow your website traffic, leads and customers from your target geographic regions.
Combining on-page and off-page local SEO factors covered here will help you achieve greater visibility and search domination for local users. This can ultimately translate into tremendous new business growth and revenue.
