For local businesses in New Jersey, local SEO strategies can make the difference between you appearing in search results for your area or not and with Google estimating that 46% of all their searches have local intent, can you afford not to take advantage of that number?

 

Before we jump into the top local SEO strategies for 2020 let’s quickly take a look at what local SEO NJ actually is.

 

SEO stands for search engine optimization and can make the difference between you appearing on the first page of Google or on page 2 where nobody clicks. Local SEO NJ simply means optimizing your website or webpage to appear in search terms related to your local area, in this case, New Jersey, meaning that your business is put in front of your most relevant local customers.

 

Why now?

 

The internet has changed dramatically in the past five years and consumer behavioral patterns have changed with it. Whereas five years ago people still relied heavily on directories and local media sources such as the printed Yellow Pages and print advertising, now they don’t think twice before turning to online mediums such as search engines or local online directories. Searches are also now happening on more devices than ever before, moving away from traditional desktop computers and becoming more widely available on smartphones, tablets, smart speakers and even smartwatches. To ensure that businesses remain in the public eye they must evolve with the times by taking advantage of new local SEO NJ trends such as those outlined below.

 

Top Local SEO Trends For 2020

 

The number of US and local searches is continuing to grow at an impressive rate

 

More people are using search engines to search for information than ever before and local searches are increasing in popularity. This makes 2020 a great time to optimize your page to appear for these local NJ terms so that you can take advantage of this increase in traffic. And with searches taking place across multiple devices you need to make sure your website and webpages are optimized to be viewed on multiple screen sizes and even read out on devices such as smart speakers.

 

There are now new methods for finding local business information including social media

 

Social media has taken off in recent years and is now one of the most popular places for people to look for business information. This makes it important to ensure that your social media channels are also optimized for local SEO NJ search terms.

 

Trust is at an all-time high for local listings and searches

 

The public now has more trust than ever in their local search results and tend to have more trust in local businesses that appear in local listings. All businesses know the value of trust between themselves and their customers which makes appearing for local listings very important.

 

Customers are increasingly turning to ratings and reviews on which to base their decision

 

Ratings and reviews are now more widely referenced than ever before but they often lack complete content. Review sites and testimonials on your own webpage are a great opportunity to publicize your business and should be optimized for local NJ terms to ensure they are appearing in results.

 

Local searches are shifting from business name to category

 

It’s no longer enough to ensure you rank for your business name, successful companies now also need to rank for their business category. Ranking for a business category can be much harder than ranking for a business name as you are likely to be up against a lot more competition for the most commonly searched terms.

 

So how do you optimize your website for local SEO?

 

The best way to ensure that your website or webpage is optimized for local SEO NJ and appearing for all the right search terms is to use the services of a dedicated NJ SEO Consultant like us here at Search Geek Solutions. We specialize in local SEO for the NJ area and guarantee a search ranking increase regardless of your website niche or type of business. As experts in our field, we keep up with all the latest tricks of the trade and make use of all the latest SEO trends to build you a local presence as you’ve never seen before. So if you’re ready to gain more traffic and start appearing in local searches this 2020, then contact us today, we’d be more than happy to answer any questions or queries you may have.