What is local SEO?

Local SEO is used for local business to promote their services to local customers.

Many mortgage companies or loan officers want to rank higher on Google in their local market. It can be pretty frustrating seeing your local competitors ranking higher than you. So how can you improve?

First things to figure out: Is your website mobile friendly? Is your website secure?  These are both items that can play a role in ranking according to Google.

Step 1: What is your audience searching for? It is pointless to rank for items that potential clients simply are not searching.  You need to think like someone in your area looking for a mortgage. If that person is looking for a local mortgage company what would they search for? If Google recognizes a search to have “local search intent” it will provide local results.

Step 2: The next item on the list is to write or re-write your website content for your local market.  Make sure your search snippets are relevant and mention where you are located so they actually get the clicks.

Step 3: First Impression:  Now that someone has clicked on your snippet you need to keep them on your website.  If your website is not user friendly or looks out of date, there is a good chance they will quickly click the back button.  This can raise your bounce rate which can hurt your search result ranking.

Step 4: Use your blog, this is great tool to add new content.  Be sure to educate your potential clients on your services.

Step 5: Link your website with Facebook and Google My Business

Step 6:  Consider the Yoast local SEO Plugin. It is a great tool.