Local SEO: An Ever-Evolving Necessity
Search engine optimization for local businesses can make a huge difference to a company’s bottom line. When customers or clients need a particular service for their home, they typically conduct an online search to connect with businesses that can provide the services they need. A vast majority of customers look for services that are provided nearby, and a large percentage of those customers start and end their search on the first page of search engine results.
Using targeted words to drive qualified traffic to a small business website is no longer enough to land on the first page of search engine results. Google is becoming more interactive by displaying photos, reviews, and location data of businesses to make it easier for customers to find services in their area. To reach the top of local search engine rankings it’s imperative for businesses to optimize photos, videos and other media.
Why Geo-Tagging Photos Is Important For Local Business
There must be a way for search engines to know where your business services home owners. One of the ways that search engines like Google does this is by way of geo-tagging. Geo-tagging is the process of adding geographical information to an image’s metadata. Information such as GPS coordinates can efficiently link your business to your location and region thereby allowing search engines to display your company to local customers. This allows your busines to be identified as relevant for each specific town, that has geo-tags a photo. For service businesses such as kitchen remodelers, home improvement, and plumbing contractors, geo-tagging photos, images and videos is now an essential part of SEO.
![](http://www.kitchenremodelingseo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/geo-tag-photos.png.jpg)
The Importance of Geo-Tagging and Google For Business
It’s widely known that Google is the most-used search engine by a wide margin. So it’s imperative that your local company is properly optimized on the web so that Google can help you to get more customers.
Google has setup a service for businesses called Google My Business (GMB). Google My Business is a free and easy-to-use tool for businesses and organizations to manage their online presence across Google’s proprietary platforms such as Search and Maps.
Google’s method for displaying top businesses in its search engine is called the Google Local 3 Pack. Google displays the top three results for local search engine results pages (SERP) based on a user’s search and the location where the user submitted the query. For instance, if a user searched “kitchen remodelers near me” the Google Local 3 Pack would display three remodeling companies near the user’s current location. The name, location, address and phone number of the company is displayed for the top three companies Google deems most relevant. Geo-tagging plays an integral role in helping businesses to be listed among the top-3 listed businesses because the more metadata Google has to work with, the more relevant they will consider your company to be based on a customer’s search.
How To Add Latitude and Longitude to the Metadata of Photos
Adding location metadata to images is simple. This can be done in two ways. The camera taking the photo can automatically add location data via GPS firmware, or images themselves can be uploaded to software that can add the information to the image metadata.
Smart phones now have apps that can be downloaded that time and location stamp images. If your camera or phone doesn’t have that capability, another option would be to upload the images to a popular GPS software such as Local Viking or Geoimr and add geographical data by entering an address in Google Maps and clicking a button to add the geotags to the image. Adding latitude and longitude coordinates is very important if your goal is to grow your business and you want local customers to find your business. Geo tag photos.
Why Geo-Tagging Helps You Get Your GMB Added to Nearby Town Searches
Just having a website and being searchable on major search engines is not enough to get your business in front of the eyes of customers. Creating a Google My Business profile should be another tool in your SEO toolbox. A properly optimized profile will have images amongst the address and contact information. Geotagging provides an edge by taking your online presence a step further. It helps people discover you even when they might not be trying. Geotagging reinforces the location information of the business, and thereby attracts customers searching for services that are nearby.
Search engine optimization has become easier for businesses in a lot of ways. However, making your product or service accessible to local customers or clients requires systematic, multi-faceted approach. Keyword optimization, geo-tagging and relevant link building are the big-3 processes by which this can be achieved. Partnering with an SEO company that can optimize your content is a necessity.
Working with your SEO Partner, follow the following steps to become a relevant business in Google Search and Maps:
• Create a Google My Business Profile
• Optimize Your Website’s Keywords
• Geo Tag Photos
• Get Customers To Review Your Company