Core Local Search Ranking Signals

11 January 2019 | | Marketing

Local search engine optimisation has become more and more difficult as the years go by.

More businesses are recognising the huge benefits of being found online and how having a well-optimised website can create a lead generating machine.

With Google providing limited visibility for local businesses on page 1 of their search engine, competition for this visibility has become fierce.

Digital marketing especially SEO has become of paramount importance to the online success of a local business.

So, what are the core local search ranking factors you should be utilising?

Google My Business

You need to claim or create a Google My Business profile as this is the profile that appears in the map listing.

It will need to be well-optimised to increase the likelihood of your profile showing in the top map positions.

Google My Business Categories

If you want to be found for particular search terms then make sure you have selected the right business categories.

Within your Google My Business account, you can change/add categories for your profile.

For the best results, be sure to use as few categories as possible and make sure they are highly accurate. This helps improve your relevance signals in Google.

Google My Business Photos

Adding photos of your practice including internal and external images, team images and treatment images all add credibility to your business. Not only this but Google also prefer showing business listings that have been fully optimised.

Online directories/citations

Creating profiles on online directories is important as Google look at online directories to help validate your Google My Business listing.

Many of these online directories provide an opportunity to build a backlink to your website as well to improve its authority.

Reviews

Your online reputation can make or break your business.

The majority of people will assess the online reputation of businesses in their local area when carrying out research. If your business profiles on review sites have too many negative reviews or no reviews at all, it may deter people from contacting your practice.

According to Google, “high-quality, positive reviews [on your Google My Business profile] from your customers will improve your business’s visibility and increase the likelihood that a potential customer will visit your location.”

The use of keywords in reviews will also signal to Google the business’ relevance to these keywords.

A business’ responses to reviews also contribute to local SEO especially responses to negative reviews. If you have negative reviews on your profiles which you have not responded to this will negatively impact your local SEO.

Social Media

Social signals influence your SEO.

It is important for all businesses to have a social media presence.

Claiming your social media profiles on several platforms and posting regularly on them increases the possibility that people will engage with your posts. It is this engagement that provides social signals to Google.

On Page and Off Page SEO

There’s a long list of on page and off page activities that help optimise a website, however, the main activities are:

  • Ensuring your website has structured data markup.
  • Publishing regular content on your website and including keywords and location terms where possible.
  • Optimising the Title and Meta Descriptions of each page.
  • Obtaining a diverse number of high-quality backlinks.
  • Webpage speed optimisation.

If you need help with your online marketing, please feel free to contact Dental Design on 01202 677277.

Inspiration from Search Engine Journal

More posts from our team


Previous Post:
Next Post:

Back to all news

Reviews2025
Five Star
Reviewed Marketing
5 gold stars
google review logofacebook review with 5 stars
"Excellent service from James at Dental Design, thank you very much for your prompt attention whenever I get in touch! Would definitely recommend to a friend" Alison Tarmey View Full Testimonial
Google reviews logo "Would definitely recommend to a friend"
5 gold stars
"As a dental practice manager I cannot recommend Dental Design highly enough. They are just brilliant at what they do. Lucy and her colleagues are just an email or a phone call away...." Emma Smith View Full Testimonial
Google reviews logo "I cannot recommend Dental Design highly enough"
5 gold stars
"Really great company to deal with. They always respond quickly and are truly reliable. I would 100% recommend, the staff are so friendly and helpful." Michelle Molloy View Full Testimonial
Google reviews logo "Really great company to deal with"
5 gold stars
"I got increased traffic and new patients applying to my surgery, once Dental Design upgraded my website. They are very professional, efficient & adaptive to new situations..." Joanna Gallop View Full Testimonial
Google reviews logo "Very professional, efficient & adaptive to new situations"
5 gold stars
"Lucy has been a star, responding to and acting upon our requests in a prompt, efficient and professional manner, as well as the rest of the Dental Design team..." Abhay Shah View Full Testimonial
Google reviews logo "I cannot recommend them highly enough"
5 gold stars
"...Since the website has been up and running Lucy Mander has been our point of contact. She has been invaluable and gone out of her way to help us, especially during COVID-19 lockdown... " Lucy Jones View Full Testimonial
Google reviews logo "Has been invaluable and gone out of her way to help us"
5 gold stars
"Thank you for all your help and support, and the provision of valuable learning aids for our patients and staff alike in these difficult times. We love the look of our practice website. Very professional!" Sandra Luck View Full Testimonial
Google reviews logo "We love the look of our practice website. Very professional!"
5 gold stars
"Dental Design stood out both in their knowledge of the industry and their professionalism and can-do attitude. All of their staff are exceptionally competent and knowledgeable..." Harvey Rook View Full Testimonial
Google reviews logo "Dental Design stood out both in their knowledge of the industry and their professionalism"
5 gold stars
"Having done extensive research into all the dental website companies, the team and package offered at dental design was unrivalled..." Neil Shah View Full Testimonial
Google reviews logo "The team and package offered at dental design was unrivalled"
5 gold stars
"The team at dental design (especially Rosie) are absolutely fantastic and are always on hand to help. They are professional, friendly and extremely efficient. Rosie always gets back..." KiKi Wilmot View Full Testimonial
Google reviews logo "absolutely fantastic and are always on hand to help"
5 gold stars
"Dental Design are fantastic to work with, our website is amazing and the support they provide is second to none. Our account manager Rosie L is a fabulous point..." Luke Lucas View Full Testimonial
Google reviews logo "Dental Design are fantastic to work with"
5 gold stars
"Having worked with the Dental Design team for the last six months, I've found them not only helpful, but friendly and approachable too. I bombard Marcus with regular..." Sophie Harper View Full Testimonial
Google reviews logo "always met with a swift and professional response"
5 gold stars
desk with branded documents