Finding a local SEO Denver consultant is no easy task for a business owner.
If you’re reading this, you already know ranking on Page 1 on search engines like Google is important. Search engine optimization can get you ranking, but finding the best Denver SEO partner can be a challenge.
We hope this post serves as a guide to help you find your next Denver SEO partner.
Local SEO Services in Denver
First, let’s cover what Local SEO is.
“Local SEO”, or local search engine optimization, usually refers to the Maps listings on Google’s search engine results page.
But Local SEO can be used more broadly to include local keyword rankings below the Maps section.
We’ll review both here, as they’re important parts of a successful local SEO program for local businesses to increase local customers.
When Google thinks you’re looking for a local business, it will show the local pack or Maps feature on the results page.
Consider a search for a “restaurant near me.” Google sees that location is important to you and generates the map pack. Same thing for “flooring company Centennial, CO.”
The local pack will usually display 3 local listings, and give the option to show more.
To rank in the local pack, you’ll need to create a Google Business Profile for your business. If you’ve heard the term Google My Business Page, it’s the same thing. Google changed the name to Google Business Profile in 2021 to keep things interesting.
You can set up yours at: https://business.google.com/, and follow the prompts.
After you get your listing, you’ll want to complete every field with your information. The information you provide helps Google help your local search, so don’t skimp.
From there, you’ll need to start the process of getting reviews.
Business Page Reviews
Many local businesses wonder how many Google reviews they need.
Here’s a pro tip: Look at the businesses that are ranking in the top 3 spots in the Google Maps local pack for the local keywords you want to rank for. (insert image)
Add up the review count of each one and divide by 3. That will give you a good target to shoot for.
Here’s a local pack that appeared for a search for “flooring companies Denver CO”:
If you’re a flooring company in Denver, you might want to rank in this section.
The 3 listings add up to 99 reviews, divided by 3, which gives you an average of 33 reviews.
It’s not a perfect science, but 33 reviews will keep you competitive.
One final note on Google reviews:
Stay away from any company offering to sell you reviews. Buying reviews is against Google’s terms of service. You don’t want to get a penalty that affects your rankings.
In extreme cases, fake reviews can result in action from the FTC. https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2022/01/ill-pay-you-give-blog-post-five-stars
Local Search Results
In addition to reviews, the other most important ranking factor with local search results is proximity. This means the location of the local customers doing the Google search matters. If that person is farther away from your business location, it will be more difficult to appear in Maps.
That’s a hard one to optimize for since you can’t control when and where people are looking for your services. However, it’s important to understand for a local business that wants to rank on Maps.
We can see how important proximity is for your Maps ranking through tools like this one. We use this tool with our clients to help us understand the reach of their Maps listing.
We can see the power of proximity on display here. The farther away the searcher or local customers are from the business location (where the map pin is), the further down the list the business appears.
Optimizing for Search Engines
Now that I’ve covered the two biggest ranking factors in Maps (Reviews & Proximity), let’s discuss Google’s Organic search results. These appear below the Maps section and are important for any local business.
We can see the top 3 organic listings above. Denver Hardwood is in Position #1 (and also appears in slot 3/3 of the Maps section above). A+ Hardwood Floors and Colorado Flooring follow in positions 2 and 3.
Research shows that the local business in position #1 in the organic section has huge benefits. On average, the click-through rate for the #1 position is around 30%.
The Click-through rate tells us how many clicks a website gets as a percentage of total impressions.
Using a click-through rate assumption, we can estimate how much traffic a business gets from a given keyword through keyword research.
Through keyword research, we know there are about 480 Google searches/mo for the keyword “hardwood flooring Denver.” So we can estimate that this business is getting about 144 clicks per month from this keyword alone (480 x 30%)!
The Click-through rate falls to around 15% for position #2, and below 10% for position #3. Listings below the third position for a given keyword still get clicks, but it drops substantially after the third position.
Organic Local Search Factors
Organic local search results are ranked on over 200 different factors.
These factors mostly boil down to three areas: Content, Links, and Technical optimization.
Content is what we all see and read when we look at a website. Google is getting better at image recognition, but words on the page are critical to having effective content on your website.
Links can be both internal and external. Internal links are how the pages on your website link to one another. External links are also known as “backlinks.” Backlinks are links from other websites that link back to yours. Google considers these “votes of confidence” in your website and its content.
Technical SEO focuses on improving the user experience of your website. For example, improving the load time of your website on mobile devices will make your users happy. Fixing broken links on your website can also help provide a better experience. Google wants to make sure your website provides a great user experience if it’s going to promote you in its rankings.
In conclusion, an effective local SEO strategy will include both Maps and Organic search engine optimization management. Combining the two local SEO services will maximize your local SEO reach on search engines within the Denver, CO market.
If you need Denver local SEO services or local search marketing, call us or drop us a line on our contact page to learn more about our local SEO services.
Dominant Digital is a local SEO company specializing in service-based businesses that want to reach more profitable customers online.
