46% of all Google searches are local searches. Local searches are geo-specific searches such as “Calgary lawyers” or “self storage Calgary”. This makes local SEO an essential digital marketing strategy for Calgary businesses, helping them attract online users seeking products or services offered locally. To help Calgary businesses improve its local SEO in 2024, here are six tips you can use.

1. Encourage Customers to Submit Photos to Your Google Business Profile

   Google uses photos submitted by customers to your Google Business Profile as a factor to verify that you offer a product or service that a searcher is looking for. For example, when you search for ‘Calgary sushi,’ you’ll see sushi photos in the Google Business Profiles of the top three Calgary stores, and these photos are submitted by online users.

   

   

   To enhance the visibility of your Google Business Profile in the top three search results, encourage your customers to upload photos showcasing the products or services your store offers. This helps Google verify your offerings, leading to a higher ranking for relevant searches associated with your products or services.

2. Update Hours of Operation

   Recent insights from SEO experts reveal a notable shift in Google’s local search algorithm, highlighting the significance of a business’s operating hours as an important ranking factor. This adjustment gained prominence following the November 2023 core update, with closed businesses experiencing a substantial decrease in visibility within local search results. Essentially, If your business is not open during the time that a user is searching for a product or service that your business ranks for, your Google Business Profile will likely appear lowly in Google Map Pack or Google Maps.

   Acknowledging this shift, Google’s Search Liaison confirmed the growing importance of “openness” as a stronger signal in local search. While “openness” has been a longstanding component of local ranking systems, its recent reinforcement pertains specifically to non-navigational queries. Non-navigational queries are general searches such as “coffee shop near me” or “Vancouver brunch”. Google’s team emphasized the ongoing evaluation of its usefulness, indicating potential adjustments in the future.

   SEO expert Joy Hawkins has also shared results of a business’ Google Business Profile ranking lowly on Google Map Pack or Google Maps when the business is not open during the time of the search and appearing highly on Google Map Pack or Google Maps during the time that the business is open.

   

3. Encourage Keywords of Products or Services in Google Reviews

   Google uses keywords within Google Reviews to confirm the services or products offered by a business. For example, when conducting a search for ‘real estate lawyer Calgary,’ the top Google Business Profile result may feature a relevant Google Review containing the keyword phrase ‘real estate.’ This inclusion helps Google recognize and associate the business with ‘real estate’ law services.

   

4. Earn Quality Backlinks

   Quality backlinks will remain an important part of local SEO because backlinks will continue to act as a vote of confidence or credibility for a website. The more quality backlinks a website earns, the more credible the website appears to Google which increases the website’s chance of ranking more highly on Google search results for local searches.

5. Select the Right Primary and Secondary Categories for Your Google Business Profile

   Choose a primary category for your Google Business Profile that’s as closely reflective of your business as possible. If you’re primarily a personal injury lawyer, select Personal injury attorney as your primary category. If you offer other types of legal services such as Insurance law or medical law, select Insurance Lawyer and Medical Lawyer as your secondary categories. Adding these categories will help your Google Business Profile appear in Google Map Pack for searches related to these categories.

6. Include City or Region-Specific Keywords in SEO Title Tags

   Google will still use keywords in title tags to rank a webpage on search results. If your webpage includes the keyword “Calgary”, “Beltline”, or “Inglewood”, your webpage will improve its chance of appearing on search results for geo-specific search terms related to your business. For example, if your webpage’s title tags say “Toyota Calgary” or “Calgary SEO”, your webpage can rank for search terms related to these keywords.

If you have any questions about local SEO for your website, please feel free to contact us and we will be happy to help!