Local SEO in Nigeria: Guide to Improve Local Search Ranking

You don’t have to spend a fortune to do local SEO in Nigeria as a local business in Nigeria. This article will teach you how to get results for almost free.

For a moment, I’d like you to forget everything you heard about how difficult is it to do local SEO in Nigeria. It is not.

And in this article, I’ll show you just how easy doing local SEO in Nigeria can be for businesses. Let’s dive in.

What Is Local SEO (Search Engine Optimization)?

Local SEO is a search engine optimization strategy that enhances your biz to be visible in local search results on search engines like Google. It means optimising your business for local search results.

Here is a better, longer, practical description:

Femi needs laundry services in Lagos, Nigeria. He typed ‘laundry Lagos’ into the Google Search bar. Then, this popped up:

Looking at the results, we have Grant Laundry, True Wash, and Wasche Point.

According to Widewail, results in the Map Pack get 40% of the clicks. Femi will likely settle for one of the 3 businesses based on that precise.

The question now is, why are those 3 businesses ahead of other laundry service providers in Lagos?

Short answer: local SEO or Local search engine optimization!

Grant Laundry & co got their local SEO game right on. They understand the importance of showing up on local search results. They worked for it and got traffic [and sales].

How Does Local SEO Work?

The definition above explains the basics of local SEO in Nigeria. But it is actually more than that. The fun is in the working process.

Local SEO works on 3 principles, the ‘3 Rs.’

1. Relevance

2. Relative distance

3. Reviews

📌 Do you remember Femi?

I’ll be using him again here for better comprehension.

Relevance

Femi needs help with laundry. The only relevant search results must be about cleaning or laundry service providers.

Google understands Femi’s needs and will only serve him the businesses that fit the bill.

In that case, you won’t feature if you don’t provide laundry services. And FYI, related businesses [like fashion houses] don’t count.

Relative Distance

The major fun twist to local SEO is its proximity criteria. In essence, the relative distance of a business to the point of search matters. 

For example, say Femi works at Lekki and typed ‘laundry’ into Google’s search bar. The chances are that he’d only see laundry service providers around that area in the search results.

When Femi gets home [say in Ogba] and searches again, he’ll find new sets of laundry service providers.

Reviews

If you were Femi, which business would you choose? A laundry with 0, 5, or 100 reviews?

Obviously, you would pick the business with 100 reviews. That number of reviews shows that the service providers are trustworthy.

Guess who also follows that line of thought… Google.

In short:

Nearby businesses optimised for local search queries with several reviews will get more visibility. That’s how local SEO in Nigeria works and anywhere else.

But wait, isn’t local SEO the regular SEO?

No!

How Is Local SEO Different From ‘SEO’?

The ‘local’ in ‘local SEO’ shows it is a subset of SEO [also known as regular, national, or traditional SEO].

But beyond the ‘subset’ difference, there are two key areas where local SEO stands out.

1. Audience

2. Strategies

Audience

The audience here is people looking for businesses and services in local searches. As such, the content revolves around meeting ONLY the needs of such an audience.

Such needs also include using specific slang and languages [like Yoruba, Hausa, or Igbo].

In contrast, regular SEO meets the needs of a broader audience. Say Grant Laundry, for example, has a branch across all 36 states in Nigeria. They will need national SEO to target everyone.

Strategies

Typical Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies include:

• Keyword research,

• Creating quality content,

• Increasing your website speed

• Link building

Interestingly, local SEO uses all the listed strategies — albeit streamlined.

For example, there is also link building in local SEO. However, the target referring domains will be authoritative local sites and directories.

Also, local SEO use strategies like:

• Creating and optimising Google Business Profile (GBP)

• Managing reviews and NAPs

• Creating location-specific copy and pages

Note: while there are slight differences between local and regular SEO, the end goal is the same. And that goal is more local search visibility; the more visibility, the higher the sales.

That said, I recommend you start with local SEO in Nigeria as a small business owner in Nigeria. Learn the ‘how’ below.

Doing Local SEO in Nigeria for Your Biz if You Have 0 Expo

Here’s a quick breakdown of the steps:

1. Keyword research

2. Create GBP or Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business or GMB)

3. Optimise your GBP or Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business or GMB)

4. Get listed on local directories

5. Track and ensure consistency in your listings

6. Encourage more customers to leave reviews

7. Manage your reviews

8. Optimise your local content

9. Build backlinks

10. Track your search engine rankings

Keyword Research

I’ll assume you’ve never done local SEO (search engine optimization) keyword research, so I’ll focus on the easy ways to do it.

1. Google search

2. Google Chrome extensions

3. Using keyword explorer

4. Using competitor analysis

Note: no one method is complete. I recommend combining the four for the best results.

Google Search

You can still explore Google for local keyword ideas without the Keyword Planner. But note that this approach is limited. That said, let me show you how it works.

📌 First, use the autocomplete option.

• Type your query into the Google search bar> wait for the suggestions like below.

Pro tip: use a max of 2-word queries to get the perfect suggestions.

📌 Next, use the ‘people also search for’ option.

Continue from the earlier method > scroll to the end of the page until you see this:

What about the “people also ask” section?

I won’t recommend PAA for local keyword research. But you can add the questions there in your article.

Google Chrome Extensions

Chrome extensions are as easy as Google search options for keyword research. But unlike the latter, it provides more than terms.

Chrome extensions reveal crucial metrics such as search volume. This will help you decide on the keywords worth developing.

So, what extensions should you use?

Keyword Surfer

• Download the extension from the Chrome web store

• Add it to your Chrome

• Perform your usual search > check the right screen of your Google search results

Note: Keyword Surfer’s suggestions can also feature at the base of your search results. This happens when another extension, Ahrefs, occupies the right screen.

Using Keyword Explorer

Keyword Explorer works like a Chrome extension but at an advanced level. The metrics here are more than search volume. You’ll also see other metrics like keyword difficulty and search intent.

FYI: Keyword Explorer is Ahrefs’ robust tool for keyword research. Other search engine optimization (SEO) tools call theirs a different name. Semrush, for example, calls it Keyword Magic Tool. Either way, they all do the same thing.

Now, let’s discuss getting keywords for local SEO in Nigeria with Keyword Explorer.

• Go to Ahrefs > Keyword Explorer > input your term > check the left tab for “related terms.”

Pro tip: don’t stick to only “related terms,” check “matching terms” and “search suggestions.” This way, you can unearth several low KD but lucrative keywords.

Competitor Analysis

For me, competitor analysis is the fastest way to get worthwhile, lucrative keywords. Why?

If 2-3 competitors target a keyword, that means the keyword has traffic potential. So, that’s your cue.

Besides, competitor analysis reveals keyword and content gaps you can explore. This will help you level up with the competition.

How can you do keyword research with competitor analysis?

📌 First, find your organic competitors

• Go to Ahrefs > Site Explorer > input your URL

• Once the page loads, check the left tab > click organic search > organic competitors

📌 Next, find the keywords of the organic competitors

• Pick one of the competitors’ URLs> enter it into Site Explorer

• Click organic search > organic keywords

Pro tip: Ahrefs costs $129 monthly for the “least” subscription. Converted to naira, that’ll be over 200K. It is a lot if you’re a small business. So, I’ll recommend you start with Semrush. It comes with 10 free credits per day.

Create Google My Business (GMB)

The Google My Business, GMB [renamed to GBP, Google Business Profile] is Google’s business listing. But it is much more than that. How so?

• Like typical listings/directories, GBP (formerly Google My Business or GMB) has business opening hours and reviews.

• But it stands out, thanks to the Google Maps and ranking feature.

• GBPs rank on Google’s 3-pack ahead of organic search results. This way, small businesses get traffic for local keywords despite their limited budgets.

• 81% of consumers use Google [ahead of Facebook at 45%] to evaluate local businesses – BrightLocal. In other words, GBP (Google Business Profile) is the first place potential customers visit to research a local brand.

In short, creating a GBP for your local business in Nigeria is a no-brainer. It is free.

How can you create a GBP (formerly Google My Business or GMB)?

• Go to Google Business

• Claim a free account

Pro tip: you only need 30 minutes to an hour to set up your GBP. And as a bonus for your efforts, you’ll get #300 free credit for Google Ads.

Optimise Your GBP (Google Business Profile)

It’s not enough to create a GBP or Google Business Profile. You won’t get traffic that way. You won’t even get to the top-5 result on Google’s 3-pack. Why?

Like you, several businesses understand the importance of creating a GBP. There is competition for ranking positions, traffic, and sales.

To beat the competition, you must optimise your GBP for local search. But how?

• For starters, fill out your profile. Here are some essential details to prepare ahead:

  • Business hours, name, contact details, category, and address

  • Short description of your business

  • Pictures of what you sell

Pro tip: photo uploads often return as failed for new GBP or Google My Business accounts. If this happens to you, wait for a few hours. It’ll go through as long as you comply with Google’s guidelines.

• Update your business details for cases of holidays and relocation

• Lastly, share posts about offers and products in the “update” section.

Warning: don’t post branded videos [especially TikTok] on your GBP. While you’ll see a traffic and ranking jolt, your account will be suspended.

Get Listed on Other Local Directories

Google Business Profile is a global directory. Having one is great for visibility. Yet, you must still be on the listings in your country, niche, and locality. Examples of such online directories here in Nigeria are:

• ConnectNigeria

• vConnect

• Ng contacts

• Businessfinder

• FinELib

• Nigeria directory

• Lgt Nigeria

• NGEX

Why should you care?

Local directories offer little benefits compared to GBP (formerly Google My Business or GMB). Nevertheless, being where every business is crucial. Besides, you can always leverage the local listings for backlinks.

Note: unlike GBPs, all local directories are not free. You might pay a membership fee for the high-end, private listings.

Track and Ensure Consistency in Your Listings

If your NAP [Name, Address, and Phone number] is not consistent across your listings, you’ll come off as a scam. Scam aside, you’ll lose sales. Prospect’s calls and in-office visits will go to your competitors.

Lastly, Google will never rank a business with misleading information.

Either way, inconsistent NAP in your listings will dent your local SEO efforts. So, always check your listings and citations. How?

• You can manually check your listings for errors. This will only work at the start of your local SEO campaigns.

• Once your campaign kicks off, you’ll earn citations. Hence, you can’t do manual tracking. At this stage, you’ll need a listing management tool.

Encourage Customers to Leave Reviews

Reviews have always been a big deal for local businesses. This is why we look for the opinions of previous customers before a purchase. And according to BrightLocal Survey, 75% of consumers do so.

But why?

Why are reviews such prominent deal breakers for prospective customers?

• Reviews are social proof that your business delivers on its promise.

• They are proof of expertise

• They are a vote of confidence

When other buyers leave positive reviews on a product or service, that product must be good. And that is enough to calm any doubt a prospect might have about patronising your business.

In summary, you must go out of your way to get reviews for your business. Encourage satisfied customers to drop them, particularly on your GBP (Google Business Profile). Here is how to do that:

• Go to your GBP > select “ask for reviews.”

• Copy the review link and send it to your customer.

Warning: never force customers to leave you a review. Only encourage them. And while you’re at it, don’t offer money for reviews. That is against Google’s policies.

Manage Your Reviews

Despite delivering stellar jobs, some local customers might be too hard to please. In this case, you’ll likely end up with poor reviews.

But do you know negative reviews are not entirely BAD? How?

When an upset customer leaves a negative review, this is a window to make it up to them. And while at it, do it openly. This will convince prospects of your customer relationship skills.

So, never ignore a negative review and reply harshly. Be polite. Attack the issue, not the person and offer help.

What about the positive reviews? Should you reply to that too?

Yes!

Reputation management is not only about managing negative reviews. Milk the positive ones also. Reply and reinstate your expertise.

Optimise Your Website Content

Beyond your GBP and listings, pay close attention to your website.

Optimise all your web pages, from your blogs to your service pages. In other words, build your website around the terms from your keyword research.

Additionally, write about trending issues and local events in your area. This will endear you to your target audience [the local community]. And while at it, weave in how your business is helping.

Pro tip: don’t fret if you have already published several articles on your site. You can still optimise them for search engines. Use Content Audit tools like Surfer to improve the articles.

Build Backlinks

Like reviews, backlinks increase brand perception. For example, let’s say Forbes or Premium Times linked to your local business website.

Imagine all the organic traffic you’ll get…

Imagine the sales you’ll make…

And that’s not all. Local link building also boosts local search rankings. However, only high-quality backlinks have the most impact.

How can you build high-quality backlinks to your website?

• Become a source of news for journalists and writers on HARO, Terkel

• Join local communities and sponsor events

• Feature on podcasts and webinars as guest speakers

• Guest posting

• Build linkable assets and launch outreach campaigns for them

Track the Success of Your Local SEO Strategies

At the end of each campaign, check your rankings and traffic. Did they increase?

If yes, keep doing what you’re doing. Otherwise, revisit your strategies and double your efforts.

Summary

Whether you desire to do local SEO in Nigeria or abroad, local SEO boils down to 5 steps:

1. Do keyword research

2. Get on business listings and ensure accurate business information

3. Manage your reviews

4. Build backlinks to your website

5. Track and evaluate the results of your strategies

Build your local SEO strategy around the 5 steps. Then, your business will rank, get traffic, and fetch you sales.