SEO by location is a strategy that focuses on optimizing a website for local searches. In this article, we will discuss SEO by location in Union County, Pennsylvania, United States.

Union County is located in central Pennsylvania and has a population of approximately 44,000 people. The county seat is Lewisburg, which has a population of around 5,800 people. The county is home to Bucknell University and several other colleges and universities.

SEO by location in Union County can be challenging due to the relatively small population size and the presence of several colleges and universities. However, there are several strategies that businesses can use to improve their local search rankings.

1. Claim Your Google My Business Listing

Google My Business (GMB) is a free tool that allows businesses to manage their online presence across Google's platforms including Google Search and Google Maps. Claiming your GMB listing is essential for local SEO as it helps your business appear in local search results when someone searches for products or services related to your business.

To claim your GMB listing:

- Go to google.com/business
- Click "Start Now" or "Sign In" if you already have an account
- Enter your business name and address
- Follow the prompts to verify your listing

Once you have claimed your GMB listing, make sure you complete all the information including hours of operation, phone number, website URL, photos/videos of your business premises/products/services etc., reviews from customers etc.

2. Optimize Your Website for Local Keywords

Optimizing your website for local keywords means using keywords that include geographic locations such as "Lewisburg PA," "Union County PA," or "Central Pennsylvania." This helps search engines understand where you are located so they can show relevant results when someone searches for products or services related to your business in your area.

To optimize your website for local keywords:

- Conduct keyword research to identify relevant local keywords
- Include local keywords in your website's meta tags, page titles, headings, and content
- Create location-specific landing pages for each of the areas you serve
- Use schema markup to help search engines understand the location of your business

3. Build Local Citations

A citation is a mention of your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) on other websites. Building local citations helps improve your visibility in local search results as it signals to search engines that your business is legitimate and trustworthy.

To build local citations:

- List your business on online directories such as Yelp, Yellow Pages etc.
- Ensure that all listings have consistent NAP information across all directories
- Get listed on industry-specific directories or associations related to Union County or Central Pennsylvania

4. Get Reviews from Customers

Reviews are an important factor in determining a business's ranking in Google's Local Pack (the top three results that appear when someone searches for a product or service). Positive reviews signal to search engines that customers trust and recommend your business.

To get reviews from customers:

- Encourage customers to leave reviews by sending follow-up emails after their purchase/service experience with links to review sites like Google My Business or Yelp.
- Respond promptly and professionally to negative reviews as they can impact future customer decisions.

5. Use Social Media Platforms

Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter etc., can be used effectively for SEO by location strategy. By creating social media profiles with accurate NAP information about the company along with regular updates about products/services/events etc., businesses can increase their visibility among potential customers who are searching for similar products/services within Union County.

6. Mobile Optimization

Mobile optimization is essential because most people use mobile devices when searching online today. A mobile-friendly website ensures that users have a positive experience while browsing your website on their mobile devices. Google also considers mobile-friendliness as a ranking factor, so it's important to ensure that your website is optimized for mobile devices.

To optimize your website for mobile:

- Use responsive design to ensure that your website adapts to different screen sizes
- Optimize images and videos for faster loading times on mobile devices
- Ensure that all buttons and links are easily clickable on a small screen

7. Monitor Your Local SEO Performance

Monitoring your local SEO performance helps you understand how well your strategies are working and identify areas where you need to improve. You can use tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, or other third-party tools to track metrics such as organic traffic, keyword rankings, click-through rates (CTR), bounce rates etc.

Conclusion

SEO by location in Union County requires businesses to focus on optimizing their online presence for local searches. By claiming their GMB listing, optimizing their website for local keywords, building local citations/reviews from customers etc., businesses can improve their visibility in search results pages when someone searches for products/services related to the business within Union County or Central Pennsylvania. It's important to monitor the performance of these strategies regularly and make adjustments as needed based on the data collected from various analytics tools available today.