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 Whitby, England, United Kingdom.
Whitby is a seaside town located in North Yorkshire, England. It has a population of around 13,000 people and is known for its historic abbey ruins and association with Bram Stoker's Dracula. The town attracts many tourists each year and has a thriving local economy.
SEO by location in Whitby involves optimizing your website to rank higher for local searches related to the town. This can include keywords such as "Whitby hotels," "restaurants in Whitby," or "things to do in Whitby." By targeting these keywords, you can attract more visitors to your website who are interested in what your business has to offer.
Here are some tips for optimizing your website for local searches in Whitby:
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 search results and maps. By claiming your GMB listing and verifying your business information, you can ensure that potential customers have accurate information about your business when they search for it online.
To claim your GMB listing:
- Go to google.com/business
- Click on "Manage now"
- Enter the name of your business
- Follow the prompts to verify ownership of the listing
Once you have claimed and verified your GMB listing, make sure that all of the information is accurate and up-to-date. This includes your business name, address, phone number (NAP), hours of operation, website URL, photos/videos of your business or products/services offered.
2. Optimize Your Website Content
Optimizing the content on your website is crucial for ranking higher in search engine results pages. This includes using relevant keywords, creating high-quality content, and optimizing your meta tags.
When optimizing your website content for local searches in Whitby, make sure to include location-specific keywords throughout your site. This can include the name of the town, nearby landmarks or attractions, and other relevant terms that people might use when searching for businesses in Whitby.
In addition to using location-specific keywords, make sure that your website content is high-quality and provides value to visitors. This can include blog posts about local events or attractions, customer reviews/testimonials, or detailed descriptions of your products/services.
Finally, optimize your meta tags (title tag and meta description) with location-specific keywords. These are the snippets of text that appear in search engine results pages and can influence whether someone clicks on your website or not.
3. Build Local Citations
A citation is any mention of your business's name, address, phone number (NAP), or website URL on another website. Building local citations can help improve the visibility of your business in local search results by signaling to search engines that you are a legitimate business operating in Whitby.
To build local citations:
- List Your Business on Local Directories: There are many online directories where you can list your business information for free such as Yelp!, TripAdvisor etc.
- Get Listed on Industry-Specific Directories: If you operate a niche business such as a restaurant or hotel then it’s important to get listed on industry-specific directories like OpenTable etc.
- Reach Out To Local Bloggers: Reach out to bloggers who write about topics related to Whitby such as travel bloggers etc., ask them if they would be interested in featuring an article about their experience at our place
4. Encourage Customer Reviews
Customer reviews play an important role in SEO by location because they provide social proof that people trust and recommend our services. Encourage customers to leave reviews on your GMB listing, Yelp!, TripAdvisor, or other review sites.
To encourage customer reviews:
- Ask for Reviews: After a customer has visited your business, ask them if they would be willing to leave a review.
- Make it Easy: Provide links to your GMB listing or other review sites on your website and in follow-up emails.
- Respond to Reviews: Responding to both positive and negative reviews shows that you care about your customers' experiences and can help improve the overall perception of our business.
5. Use Local Schema Markup
Schema markup is a type of code that helps search engines understand the content on our website. By using local schema markup, we can provide additional information about our business such as our address, phone number (NAP), hours of operation, and more.
To use local schema markup:
- Use Google's Structured Data Markup Helper tool
- Select "Local Business" as the type of data you want to mark up
- Enter the relevant information about our business
- Generate the HTML code and add it to our website
Conclusion
SEO by location is an important strategy for businesses operating in Whitby. By optimizing your website for local searches, you can attract more visitors who are interested in what you have to offer. This includes claiming your Google My Business listing, optimizing your website content with location-specific keywords, building local citations and encouraging customer reviews etc.
