In the digital age, the power of place has never been more important. As businesses compete for visibility online, the ability to stand out in local search results can be the difference between being seen or losing business.
This is where geotagging comes in. Geotagging is a simple yet effective tool for boosting your presence in local search queries. Whether you’re a local business aiming to attract more foot traffic or a brand looking to enhance local market penetration, understanding geotagging can significantly elevate your local SEO game.
What is Geotagging?
Geotagging is the action of embedding geographical information, such as latitude and longitude coordinates, into photos, videos and content on websites. It enables these media to be precisely located, allowing the users to search, filter and organise content based on geographical tags.
Geotagging is critical in enhancing local-based services, improving search engine optimisation for local searches and enriching user experiences.
The Impact of Geotagging on Local SEO
Geotagging significantly impacts local SEO, as it offers a powerful tool for businesses to increase their visibility in local search results. Here are some of the ways geotagging impacts local SEO:
Enhances local visibility
By embedding geographical information into digital content, geotagging helps search engines understand the specific locations relevant to your content or business.
For example, suppose you run an Italian restaurant in Brisbane, and you’ve optimised your website by geotagging images and content. When people search for “Italian restaurants in Brisbane”, you have a higher chance of being shown to those searchers among the top SERPs.
Increases relevance for local searches
Search engines prioritise providing users with relevant, localised results and geotagging signals to search engines that your content is relevant to specific search terms and geographic locations. This increases the chances of your business or content appearing in the “local pack” or map listings prominently displayed in Google results.
Improves user engagement
Local SEO isn’t just about visibility; it’s also about engagement. Users are more likely to engage with content relevant to their location. Using geotagging, businesses can tailor their content to local audiences, promoting offers, events or information that is more likely to resonate with users based on their geographic location. This targeted approach can improve click-through rates, reduce bounce rates and increase sales.
Improves brand awareness
Geotagging is an extremely valuable tool for businesses looking to establish themselves as part of a local community. Geotagging your content, images, and website influences search engines to boost your appearance to relative search terms of local searches.
Where To Create Geotagging on Your Website
Adding geotags to your website can significantly enhance local SEO, making it more discoverable to users searching for related content in specific locations. So, where can you incorporate geotags on your website?
HTML meta tags
You can add geo-specific meta tags in your HTML documents' <head> section to specify your website’s relevant geographic coordinates. These tags aren’t directly visible to website visitors but can be read by search engines to understand the geographical relevance of your site.
Geotagging images
When uploading images to your website, you can embed geotags within the image files themselves or use HTML attributes and structured data to specify the geographic location related to the image. However, it’s important to note that you should only geotag images on pages targeting local SEO.
In keywords
When it comes to SEO, keywords are an important factor to target and convert your desired audience. The same goes for local SEO. If you own a business in Brisbane that specialises in hiring out DIY machinery for backyard projects, including keywords with your location will make it easier for those searching for services in that specific area.
For example, instead of having “excavators for hire” in your content, write “excavators for hire in Brisbane” to ensure you’re targeting searchers in the Brisbane area.
Tips on Geotagging
Geotagging can be a powerful tool for enhancing the visibility and relevance of your website or content, especially for local search optimisation and connecting with your audience in specific geographic locations. Here are some tips to effectively use geotagging:
1. Be precise with locations
Use accurate geographic coordinates when geotagging content. Precision is vital, especially for local businesses, as it helps users and search engines find your content more quickly based on location.
2. Consistency across platforms
Maintain consistency in geotags across different platforms (your website, social media, Google My Business, etc.). This consistency helps reinforce your geographic relevance to search engines.
3. Leverage Schema markup
Use Schema structured data markup for your website content, especially for local businesses. This makes it easier for search engines to understand the geographical context of your content.
4. Monitor performance
Track how your geotagged content performs in search engine results. Use tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to see how users are finding your content and to adjust your strategy as needed.
5. Only geotag on relevant pages
Geotagging every page and image isn’t necessary for local SEO. You should only be geotagging pages and images on web pages specifically focused on improving local SEO.
Effective Local SEO Strategies with Anchor
Local SEO is essential to your overall SEO strategy if you have a location-based business. Through local SEO, specifically geotagging, you can attract more people to your website, increase conversions, and be seen as an authority in your area.
Are you having trouble with local SEO and geotagging? Look no further than Anchor Digital. Our team is constantly up-to-date with the latest industry trends and updates and is ready to help you succeed with local SEO. Want to learn how we can help your business sit at the top of local search engine page results? Contact us today.
