If you’ve spent any amount of time learning about SEO you know that it constantly changes.
As a local SEO Manchester based service, we help businesses stay on top of these changes. One trend we’re following closely is local search engine optimisation in Manchester.
No longer do keywords alone cut it.
Here’s what you need to know to stay ahead of the local SEO curve.
Title and Meta Description Tags are Critical
The text of your meta description and title show up in search engines. They are the first piece of content your audience reads. It needs to be high quality and optimised.
If you’re trying to attract qualified leads via SEO in Manchester you have to think about meta tags as mini-ads for your business. Localising your description captures their attention and gets you clicks—which is your goal.
In 2016, Google also lengthened meta description characters from around 150 to near 200. That means you have more space to fill—and more space to infuse local-friendly keywords.
Link Signals
Stay with us here. Link signals are one of the most important factors to rank your website. On-page link signals include:
- Inbound anchor text
- Link domain authority
- Keyword rich titles
- Linking domain quality
Moz released their 2017 Local Search Ranking Factors and noted these as some of the most important facts for your link signals. Matching those signals with your location is the key to improving your search results.
Another Important factor for local SEO in Manchester is mobile optimisation…
Mobile Optimisation
Two years after the world hit more mobile searches than desktop searches, mobile optimisation remains king. Google is reportedly working on a mobile-first indexing system that will change things even more—especially for local business and optimisation.
What does that mean for you?
It means if you don’t have a responsive website you could lose customers and clients. You don’t want that. Individuals who run e-commerce sites in particular need to focus on mobile responsive design.
Design, images, videos, and product listing also need to be optimised for mobile. The elements that keep your audience engaged must be prioritised if you want to get the best results.
If you aren’t sure how to optimise these elements connect with someone who does. Trust us. It’s could be the difference between SEO success and failure.
Social Engagement
We’ve mentioned social media presence before, but there’s more to it than posting here and there a few times a week.
Social signals are all about engagement. What’s engagement?
Engagement involves organic movement and interaction with your social profiles. So if you post something on your Facebook page, what you’re looking for is comments, shares, and likes.
While it only has about a 4% influence on your rankings, it still looks great to Google and it’s excellent for social proof.
The more likes and followers you have the more influence you have in the social media realm.
Building your social media profiles is a great way to increase your social engagement in 2017 and beyond.
Topical Relevance
Keywords still hold some weight, but only if they are relevant to you niche.
Google is trending more towards finding websites that have relevant keywords.
In other words, if you’re just trying to boost your local search engine optimisation in Manchester you can’t stuff your website with keywords that have nothing to do with your on-page content.
Of course, finding keywords isn’t all that easy.
That’s why you need an expert in local SEO in Manchester to ensure your keywords match your content. Keywords that have domain relevance position you higher in search results.
Geographic Keyword Relevance
How do you expect local clients to find you if you don’t use geographically relevant keywords?
SEO trends now show that you must use keywords for your city or region to outshine your competition without getting lost in some weird part of search results where you don’t belong.
Volume of Quality Content on Website
Sure, one quality blog post is great, but it’s better if all your blogs are high quality. SEO trends are leaning more towards the volume of quality content throughout your website.
So what should you do? You should ensure each page on your website is fully optimised and has the highest quality content possible.
Do you have more questions about local search engine optimisation in Manchester? Do you need help for your overall SEO in Manchester? If so, please contact the SEO MCR team today!
