Local SEOLocal SEO is going to be more critical in 2020, and that will make it even tougher than before for businesses. Currently, nearly all local searches lead to online or offline sales. This will attract more businesses to struggle to own the first page of local search results. But, with a solid long-term strategy, you can still make lemonades from the lemons local SEO will throw you.

A few of the things you should consider when coming up with your SEO strategy for 2020 include:

  • Less typing, more voice search-Expect more long-tail keywords, and hyperlocal searches in 2020 because people are going to type less and do voice-based searches more.
  • Reviews- Businesses with more positive reviews will top the local search results.
  • User Engagement- Google is going to prioritize businesses with optimal user engagement.

Some things are going to change, and some are going to stay the same for Local SEO in 2020. Here is what will not change.

  • RDP (Relevance, Distance and Prominence).

These will not change but will still affect your business’ presence on the local search results. How relevant your business listing is to users’ intent, how far your business is, and how popular it is will affect your position in the search results.

What Changes?

RDP stays, but a lot more changes for SEO in 2020 including;-

1. Better Business Scoop the Top Ranks

Businesses with exceptional products or services will win the top ranks in the local search. A chunky advertisement budget won’t matter; people have got to love and highly rate your products or service.

2. Entity Authority

How popular and engaging your business brand is will determine its quality of authority. Google will use your entity’s authority to rank you in the local search.

3. New Engagement Metrics

Local search engagement metrics will matter more than ever. Like how many people have your business contacts saved on their phones or direction searches on local maps will determine the popularity and reputation of your business. This will be used to rank you on the local search results.

4. Voice SEO

Voice SEO is going to be dominant in 2020. Businesses that will optimize their presence for voice search will rank highly in the local search results. You can achieve this by; listing your business accurately, using question-based keywords, and optimizing the “near me” searches.

Businesses are going to bring their A-game in 2020 securing top ranks in organic listings. If you consider the aforementioned changes when crafting your SEO strategy, you will not struggle much in this area. Local SEO can be difficult, but we at SmartLink Solutions will make it a stroll in the park.