How to Use Near Me for Local SEO

It’s not a mystery. It’s no secret that “near me” searches have grown exponentially in popularity in the past few years and have become a standard in SEO for local searches. (SEO).

Think about it. Google says that the last two years have witnessed an increase of 150% in local search areas that contain the “near me” qualifier vs those that do not, and worldwide searches related to “open now near me” have been growing by 400 per cent from last year.

This surge in the volume of searches came simultaneously with a boom in the number of keywords targeted. Local businesses across the world started optimizing their websites to be able to rank higher in “near me” searches. Some change their business names to incorporate the modifier to be more prominent in local results.

But in the meantime, because Google keeps implementing algorithm adjustments to improve the accuracy of the actual intent behind the search, It’s possible that the days of using this explicit method of targeting have come to an end. It’s time for new strategies to get ranked within the local search results in these ever-growing location-based search queries.

The increase in obvious “near me” optimization

Over the years, optimizing localized search results has been a simple task. Numerous websites incorporate “near me” and “near you” in their page headings and titles. And as previously mentioned, some businesses even went as far as to include”near me” and “near me” modifiers to their listing names.

Due to such a strong emphasis on this type of real-time keyword match, companies making these name changes and optimizations incorporating keywords showed immediate results.

If you were among the first to adopt this method in your region, it was almost a doubt that your website’s visibility increased and allowed you to leap past your competition, who were unaware of the SEO strategy. Since local SEO was in its infancy, these techniques worked until recently.

Google is aware of the shortcomings in how the algorithm interprets these search results and has had the task of resolving the issue on its radar for a long time. After many years of speculation, Google has announced an official change in how the queries are treated.

The latest version? Google has begun using “near me” as a proximity indicator rather than an actual keyword matcher.

What does this mean? No longer will optimize for “near me” terms as keywords be an effective method in Google Maps and search engine optimization.

In light of this, it’s crucial to keep in mind that optimizing your site for these nearby search terms won’t be detrimental to your listing. Instead, the issue is how to maximize the benefits of this increasing trend in search. The answer is found in the Google Proximity Update.

The effect of Google’s 2021 local update to its search engine

As Google has released their December 2021 Local Search update (the most significant since Possum’s release in 2016), SEOs will be more aware of the factors that rank for local search results.

Google has released its official announcement of its three factors that rank it will use for local search results. Considering these criteria, it’s evident that the powerful optimization strategies won’t be as effective as they did previously.

• The relevance level to your company’s business aligns with what an individual user is looking for.
• Distance The distance at which your company or service’s location lies from your user
• Prominence Trust in business, what is the level of recognition and reputability your business is

More than ever, is it more important to accurately reflect your company’s address and hours on the web and in local directories?

The most effective method to get in touch with relevant customers is to demonstrate to Google that you provide the product or service you want to sell in the location that the user is seeking. There are a variety of easy wins that you can apply to do this.

Hours of operation

Additionally, in addition to having your hours of operations prominently displayed on your page and in the listings you have, it’s vital to ensure that they are regularly updated to show Google that they’re current and up-to-date.

Google is currently using AI to update listings automatically for hours considered to be in error; therefore, manually checking at least once a month is imperative. For instance, your business may appear to be “Closed” on weekends. However, Google might decide that the busiest time of the week is on Saturday due to user traffic. If you haven’t updated the hours within six months, the search engine might alter the hours listed in your listing and change your status to “Open.”

Schema markup

Schema markup is a program that lets you create an enhanced description of your company that will be displayed in the results of searches.

Schema-based websites can bring a host of benefits. From improving rich snippets of content while allowing your company to appear on the graph of knowledge to indicate the exact location to Google by using precise coordinates, increasing your brand’s exposure and more, it is a must-have win in a short time.

It is easy to build the schema using a generator tool and then implement it on your website with an extension or directly into the backend HTML.

Maps are embedded into the map.

Embed Maps are maps that can be interactive and embedded into your website with the HTML script. They provide an exceptional user experience by giving visitors access to your company’s address, contact number reviews, directions, and reviews; however, they also provide a variety of new possibilities thanks to the Google Maps Embed API.

Recently, Google has added the capability for users to reserve or book appointments directly on the map embedded in their account by using the ability to reserve using Google.

Content on-page

The best location for your operating hours, as well as schema markups and embedded maps to be live, is to put them on a specific on your website.

Having these pages allows you to add SEO-rich content, geographically-optimized title tags and meta descriptions (featuring your services and the city you’re serving), add optimized alt text, internal links, and more — not to mention serving as a bottom-funnel landing page for users finding your business through local citations.

Trust signals

Besides the physical proximity, reviews and trust signals are also significant factors to consider. A high number of positive reviews is both a source of motivation for users and an E-A-T signal to the Google algorithm.

Adding “Leave a Review” buttons on your website, nurturing leads with review request emails, and broad outreach to your current customers can help establish an enduring foundation for your site.

While urging reviews might be intimidating due to the potential for negative feedback, Google has stated that it considers any reviews regardless of whether they are positively or negatively. Google notes that having a mix of reviews is more reliable, which adds credibility to your website’s listing.

The citations are another method to increase credibility. Although there are a handful of essential citations for local businesses, including Google Business Profile, Bing, Yelp, and Facebook, There are hundreds, if not hundreds, of additional options to advertise your business in other places.

The primary factor in building citations is Name, Address, Name, and phone number (NAP) consistency both in your listings and on your website. Transparency and consistency signal the search engine Google that your data is current and accurate. Information will provide a better user experience.

Bottom Line: Your best shot to earn “near me” rankings

Despite the recent changes, there’s still a chance to rank inappropriate “near me” searches for your sector and within your region. Although they can no longer be directly interpreted as keywords, they’re still bringing on ever-increasing volumes of searches and represent the significant bottom-funnel-intent.

What’s the most effective method to rank for these keywords without explicitly looking at these keywords? Make sure you accurately display your company’s information on your website and the internet, and let Google take care of the rest!

Want to learn more about how to be optimized for local search? Contact us today