Reading time: 6 minutes
Published: December 12 2023
Chari Harper
How to Rank for Local SEO as a Small Business in Australia
Learn how to improve your local SEO and rank higher as a small business website in Australia. Take advantage of our proven strategies for success.
Whether you want to admit it or not, the majority of consumers turn to Google to find local businesses and services. Ranking locally on Google has become a cornerstone of success, especially for businesses targeting specific geographic areas like Australia and the cities within. This blog post will guide you through the process of optimising your online presence to improve your local SEO ranking on Google for an Australian audience.
Understanding Local SEO
Local Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the process of optimising your online content to appear more prominently in local search results. This is crucial for businesses that operate in specific geographic areas. The aim is to increase visibility when potential customers in your area search for products or services you offer. This is why you need a comprehensive local SEO strategy to target your local area.
Key Strategies to Rank Locally in Australia
1. Google Business Profile Optimisation
Claim and Verify Your Listing
The first step is to claim and verify your Google Business Profile (GBP) (formally known as your Google My Business (GMB) profile) listing. This is a critical factor in local SEO and digital marketing as it gives your business a public identity on Google.
Accurate and Comprehensive Information
Ensure your business name, address, phone number (NAP), and operating hours are accurate and consistent across your GBP and all online listings.
Local Australian Phone Number
Use a local Australian phone number instead of a toll-free number to reinforce local presence.
Regular Updates and Posts: Keep your GBP profile active by regularly updating it with posts, offers, and events.
2. Localised Website Content
Incorporate Local Keywords
Use keywords that include Australian cities or regions relevant to your business. For example, “best coffee in Melbourne” or “Sydney plumbing services”.
Create Location-Specific Pages
If you serve multiple areas in Australia, consider creating dedicated pages for each location with tailored content. Adjusting to certain markets for localization will increase the chances of these pages showing up on the results page.
Use Australian English
Adapt your website’s language to Australian English, respecting local terminology and spelling differences.
3. Online Reviews and Reputation Management
Encourage Reviews
Encourage your customers to leave reviews on your GBP, and other review platforms for your products and services. Respond to these reviews professionally, addressing both positive and negative feedback.
Local Testimonials
Feature testimonials from local customers to enhance credibility and reliability.
4. Local Link Building
Local Partnerships
Partner with other local businesses and organisations for link exchanges.
Local Directories
List your business in local Australian directories like Yellow Pages Australia, Local.com.au, and True Local.
Community Engagement
Participate in or sponsor local events and activities, and get featured in local news or community websites.
5. Social Media Engagement
Local Social Media Presence
Tailor your social media content to engage with an Australian audience. Share local news, events, and updates relevant to your community.
Geo-Tagging
Use geo-tags in your social media posts and stories to increase local visibility.
6. Mobile Optimisation
Responsive Design
Ensure your website is mobile-friendly, as a significant portion of local searches are performed on mobile devices. If you’re making a mobile app, like these apps for plumbing business, you’ll have to make sure that it’s responsive and includes all of the same features.
7. Structured Data Markup
Schema Markup
Schema markup, also known as structured data, is the language search engines use to read and understand the content on your pages. Use structured data markup in your website to provide Google Search with detailed information about your business, such as your business name, address, phone number, operating hours, and reviews.
How WebWave helps to improve local SEO
WebWave is a comprehensive web development platform equipped with a robust set of SEO optimisation features designed to enhance the visibility and performance of websites in search engine results. Here are some key aspects of its SEO capabilities:
Built in SEO Page Checker
Users can use the built in SEO checking tool to identify missing on page SEO parameters like page titles, page descriptions, text tags, image tags and a variety of other parameters.
On Page SEO tagging
WebWave supports HTML meta tags for page titles, page descriptions, H1 to H4 text tags, ALT image and image titles. Learning how to use these tags in your website will greatly improve your On-Page SEO scores and help your site to rank higher in Google Search.
Image Optimisation
WebWave automatically detects your image file size. If the size of your file is too large, WebWave will automatically convert and optimise your file, helping to reduce your page load speed. this is paticularly useful for visitors browsing your site on mobile devices.
Use of CDN and Geo Location Mapping
No matter where your visitors are located they will always be directed to the nearest web server to ensure the fastest possible loading time of your website. When you build a website on the WebWave platform it is automatically mirrored in servers located across the globe thanks to what is known as a Content Delivery Network or CDN.
In addition, WebWave's Geo Location technology identifies the country location of your website visitor and directs them to the nearest server, ensuring the shortest possible loading time for your website.
Page Speed Loading Optimisation
To enhance user experience and search engine rankings, WebWave is constantly optimising its server side architecture and configuration to improve initial web page loading speeds. When someone visits your website for the first time, their browser has to load a bunch of information before it can start rendering your web page. Google measures the time it takes to do this and gives your site an overall speed index (SI) rating based on a number of performance factors.
These metrics include:
- First Contentful Paint (FCP)
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
- Time to Interactive (TTI)
- Total Blocking Time (TBT)
AI Assistance
Artificial intelligence (AI) can play a significant role in enhancing your local SEO efforts by automating certain tasks, providing insights, and improving the overall user experience. With WebWave, you can use AI to generate an entire website or use the "in editor" AI Writer tool to create or re-write text content on any web page.
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Create SEO optimised text content for your web pages
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Re-write and improve readability of your existing text.
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Create structured blog articles complete with headings and paragraphs on any topic.
XML Sitemaps and Robots.txt
WebWave enables the automatic generation of XML sitemaps and allows users to customise the robots.txt file to guide search engine crawlers effectively.
WebWave AI Writer
Generate your website copy with just one click.
In Conclusion
Ranking locally on Google in Australia requires a focused approach combining accurate and comprehensive local business information, localised content, active engagement with the local community, and a robust online presence.
By following these strategies, you can increase your visibility in local search results, making it easier for potential customers in Australia to find and choose your business. Remember, local SEO is an ongoing process that requires regular attention and adaptation to local trends and Google updates.
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