All businesses want more customers, but attracting more customers online is tough.  If you're not paying to run ads, you're likely not going to be found in your customers' search results unless your SEO game is on. On-site SEO is one part of an overall SEO strategy and if done well, it can help your business not only achieve higher rankings, and attract more online customers, but also attract more foot traffic — essentially converting online searches into live, in-store sales.

On-site SEO, or on-page SEO, is the optimizing of web pages to improve its search engine rankings and attract more organic traffic. Do this by publishing relevant, good quality content, optimizing headlines, HTML tags such as the title, meta, and header, and images.

Why is On-Site SEO important for local businesses?
Your best chance of capturing the attention of potential local customers is by getting your website to show up on the first page of Google search results. When your website is fully optimized for local searches, you essentially attract your surrounding communities to your business.

Without a well-optimized site, you miss out on customer leads and ultimately more sales. Instead, you let your competitors have them without a fight.

The following are some of the essential ingredients of an optimized local business website:

1. Localized Keywords:
Use location-based keywords that signal to search engines that your business is a good match for searches in your area. Balance broad terms with narrow local search terms to capture both types of traffic. Keyword research tools, like Google’s Keyword Planner, can help you choose which keywords to use.

2. NAP Consistency:
Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) should be consistent across all your web pages. Search engines use this to help validate your business, and inconsistencies can negatively impact your rankings in search results.

3. Local Content:
Localized content speaks directly to your communities and can often address specific needs and questions of your local audience. Incorporating local news and events or mentioning towns and cities in your area within your content can help improve your local relevance.

4. Mobile-Friendly Experience:
More local searches happen on mobile devices. Having a mobile responsive design ensures your site is accessible and navigable on smartphones and tablets, providing a positive user experience.

5. Optimized Meta Data:
Titles and meta descriptions play an important role in on-site SEO. Make sure they’re detailed and compelling enough but are also optimized with local keywords.

6. User Experience (UX) and Site Structure:
A well-organized site with a good page hierarchy and easy navigation helps users find what they want. It also makes it easier for search engine crawlers to index your pages.

7. Local Linking:
Internal linking to other pages on your website helps more pages rank better. It also helps to improve the user experience, as mentioned above.

8. Schema Markup:
Schema, or structured data markup, can be added to your website’s code to provide search engines with more detailed information and, therefore, help your business appear in local business or event listings.

Now, with some of those main ingredients in mind, here's a step-by-step On-Site SEO to-do list for local businesses:

1. Conduct a Local SEO Audit:
Start by assessing the current state of your website. Identify opportunities for improvement and issues that need fixing. Some things to look and test for are broken links and slow-loading pages.

2. Optimize Your Website for Mobile:
Ensure your site is mobile-responsive to cater to local users on-the-go.  You also want to make sure your site loads as fast as possible so you don't lose their attention. For this reason, when Neverstop Studios needs to build a fresh website for a client, we choose to use modern optimized platforms like Duda.co.

3. Research and Implement Local Keywords:
Use the results of your keyword research and weave those into your website’s meta tags, content, and even the URLs.

4. Create and Optimize Local Content:
Build content around local events, news, and activities that resonate with your audience.  At Neverstop Studios, we use our proprietary content generation tool, Presseo.app to help quickly create personalized content for our business clients on-demand.

5. Streamline Site Navigation:
Your menu should be user-friendly and logical; make it simple for both users and search engines to find what they want.

Following these steps and consistently refining your on-site SEO practices opens the door to increased online visibility and customer engagement. Harnessing the power of SEO with a local twist is crucial for any business looking to stand out in today's crowded digital marketplace.

Imagine transforming your online presence and really resonating with your customers so they choose you over your competitors. At Neverstop Studios, we excel at infusing your digital content with the right mix of your own unique flavor so you stand out. Explore our managed service packages today, and let us help you to amplify your local footprint.