How to Improve the User Experience for Local Searches: 7 Ways to Do It Right

Before optimizing your website or creating content, the first and most essential step in improving user experience for local searches is claiming and managing your Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business). This free but powerful listing ensures your business is not only visible in traditional search results but also available on Google Maps, one of the most used local search platforms today.

A fully optimized Google Business Profile allows your potential customers to:

• Discover your business when searching nearby services
• View accurate business information like name, location, hours, phone number, and website
• Read positive reviews and browse photos of your products or services
• Get directions and contact you instantly via Maps or Search

Maintaining an up-to-date profile with fresh images, holiday hours, and customer reviews provides valuable insights to both users and search engines. It increases user engagement, improves click-through rates, and builds trust—especially when paired with consistent branding across your website and social platforms.

How to create an SEO-friendly business name

According to Think with Google, 76% of people who conduct a local search on their smartphone visit a physical place within 24 hours, and 28% of those searches result in a purchase. ​In other words: If people find you on their phone, they’re likely to visit.

Proper mobile optimization requires:

• Responsive design to ensure consistency across all devices.
• Simple layouts with fold layout techniques. A fold layout refers to designing web pages so that the most important content appears “above the fold”, meaning it’s visible without scrolling.
• Optimized images and videos for faster loading times.
• Removing extra scripts that slow down your site and cause layout shifts, where content unexpectedly moves while the page is loading—disrupting the user experience..

This approach ensures that users, regardless of their device, have an efficient user experience—a key contributor to user engagement and improved search rankings.

Poor site architecture is a major reason why local businesses lose traffic—and potential customers. If visitors can’t easily find what they’re looking for, they’ll leave your site quickly, which sends negative signals to search engines and hurts your rankings. To improve user interaction, reduce bounce rates, and boost click-through rates, your website needs to be simple, intuitive, and well-structured.

Here are some navigation best practices:

• Use intuitive menus, like clean dropdowns or clearly labeled links, so users can find your services or products without confusion.
• Organize content logically using a clear content and visual hierarchy, making it easy for users to scan and navigate.
• Fix broken links and ensure all internal and external links lead to live, relevant pages—errors damage your SEO ranking and user trust.
• Include a prominent search bar to allow users to quickly locate specific information or products.

A well-organized site structure not only enhances the user journey but also helps search engines better understand your content—making it easier to rank for relevant local searches and draw in more traffic.

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Understanding the user intent behind a local search query is fundamental to improving user behavior and driving conversion rates. Local searchers are often in the consideration stage or the decision stage of the sales funnel, looking to compare businesses or make a quick purchase decision.

To cater to this intent:

• Use long-tail and detailed keywords that reflect local needs (e.g., “24/7 locksmith in downtown LA”).
• Align your meta descriptions and product descriptions to address local services and common queries.
• Create content with user context in mind—highlight local landmarks, service areas, or neighborhoods.

This enhances your search engine optimization efforts while helping users feel like they’re in the right place.

To attract and convert potential customers, your site should provide high-quality content tailored to their geographic area and concerns. Think of your site’s blog section as a powerful tool to speak to your customers directly and address their local interests.

Examples of blog articles:

• How [City] Homeowners Can Save on HVAC Repairs Before Summer Hits
• 5 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Roofing Contractor in [City]
• Planning a Backyard Renovation in [City]? Here’s What You Need to Know
• How to Prepare for a Home Renovation in [Your Area]
• Where to Get the Best Brunch in [Neighborhood] – A Local’s Guide

Besides engaging and helpful content, your blogs should contain the following:

• Relevant keywords should be naturally integrated into your blog’s headings, subheadings, and throughout the body text. This helps search engines understand the topic of your content and improves your chances of ranking for specific local search queries.
• Internal links to related service pages, contact forms, or location-specific landing pages help guide visitors through your site and encourage action. For example, if you’re writing a blog post about “How to Choose a Plumber in [City],” linking to your own plumbing services page or request-a-quote form makes it easy for readers to take the next step. It also signals to search engines how your content is structured and connected, strengthening overall site SEO.

How to outsource content writing

Improving your search engine rankings requires more than just optimizing content—it also means using the right SEO strategies and tools to understand how real users interact with your site. Tools like Google Analytics and Search Console give you the actionable insights needed to fine-tune your digital strategies and align with user search intent.

Here’s how to put them to work:

• Use Google Analytics to monitor key user engagement metrics, such as bounce rates, time on page, and top-performing pages. These insights reveal how users behave on your site and which content is delivering meaningful engagement—helping you adjust your content strategy and improve overall online experience.
• Leverage Google Search Console to monitor search query phrasing, click-through rates, indexing issues, and patterns in search queries. This tool gives you visibility into how your content is performing in search, highlights technical errors, and identifies opportunities to better align with the concept of user search.

By integrating these tools into your workflow, you’re not just making small improvements—you’re building a holistic approach to local SEO that leads to stronger link authority, better alignment between user search and your content, and ultimately, happier customers.

7. Measure, Test, and Improve

Even the best-optimized site needs regular testing and updates to keep up with evolving user behavior and search engine expectations. By measuring performance and gathering feedback, you can make data-driven improvements that enhance your site’s usability and SEO effectiveness over time.

Here’s how to stay ahead:

• Use Google PageSpeed Insights and other testing tools to evaluate load times, spot unnecessary scripts, and fix Cumulative Layout Shift (content unexpectedly shifting while it’s loading—often caused by images, ads, or elements loading late). All of these are key ranking factors that impact both the user experience and visibility.
• Track user behavior through navigation testing, user surveys, and heatmaps to identify how visitors interact with interactive elements, dropdown menus, and content sections. Use this data to refine your approach in design and better meet user expectations.
• Monitor your performance using engagement metrics such as time on page, scroll depth, and conversion flow. These user signals reveal how well your digital experiences are meeting the needs of your visitors.

Regular testing not only improves the online experience but also strengthens your position in the SERPs by enhancing organic rankings and demonstrating value to both users and search engines.

Not Sure What Needs Fixing?

Let ProStar SEO run a free, in-depth audit of your website. We’ll analyze key elements like site speed, mobile responsiveness, content structure, keyword usage, and technical SEO performance. You’ll get a clear, actionable report that highlights strengths, pinpoints weaknesses, and outlines exactly where to focus your efforts for faster, measurable improvements in search engine visibility and user engagement.