The SEO world has dramatically changed over the years, with new strategies emerging by the day. Among the top picks is geotagging, and whether or not it impacts local traffic is worth considering. Experts say that through geotagging blog posts, you can increase local search marketing performance by huge margins. As a website owner or an online company, you can optimize your blog for local search by incorporating geotagging information into new photos. For geotagging photos already taken, click here.

Location Tags Matter in Local Searches

There is a strong connection between local SEO and geotagging. Local SEO (or local searches) majorly focuses on providing matching information depending on someone’s location. Geotagging profiles and posts let others identify the location you’re posting from. Although most blog posts hosts like WordPress don’t automatically offer this feature to their blogs, they have various plugins that can add geo information to your profiles.

Addition of Geographical Identification

Geotagging lets you add geographical identification metadata to pictures, videos, text messages, QR codes, even websites. The metadata describes the media and provides more information about the picture or video you use. Its primary purpose is to provide digital identification and organize electronic resources. It also gathers similar resources, separates those that are dissimilar, and provides location information. That means you will be able to offer relevance to users by providing location-specific information.

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Importance of Location-Based Information

Most search engine users rely on location-based information during online queries. For example, someone in Brooklyn, NY, United States searching for an accountant will type ‘Accountants in Brooklyn, NY.’ So if you’re an accountant in this location, you want your blog to pop up on the front pages. But even without including a specific location in the searching bar, users can still get location-relevant information with the help of search engines. 

For instance, if a user generally searches for “Audi dealers,” search engines filter and prioritize local dealers but still list other dealers they believe are best based on their ranking algorithms. That’s why having a geotagging set up on your blogs tells search engines that whatever you’re posting is more relevant to or targets a specific audience. And when these audiences search for this information, they’re more likely to find you. 

In present times, location is increasingly an attractive aspect to search engines in their primary purpose of providing users with the best possible search results. But understand that most users don’t depend on Google Maps for local searches. For this reason, search engines must step in on their behalf, interpret the location they are searching from and their intent. With this crucial information, search engines provide them with more precise information. You can bypass this by geo-tagging your blog posts, helping search engines to spot your blog from afar as relevant, and rank it high in local SERPs.

SERPs also include photos, in fact, at the top. So when you geotag your images before posting on your blog, search engines can filter other images in your favor in their SERPs. 

Geotagging Approaches

There are two main approaches you can take to geotag images. You can incorporate GPS information when you capture the photo, or you can attach geocoordinates once you’ve taken the photo. If you’re going with the first option, ensure your camera has inbuilt or standalone GPS coordinates, of course with a digital camera.

Thanks to new technology, now most cell phones come inbuilt with GPS chips, primarily started in the U.S to provide precise location information when needed by 911. Cell phones with a GPS chip and built-in camera can automatically geotag pictures. But whether the phone will geotag your images (embed GPS information) depends on the presence or absence of internal coordinating software. You will also find multiple smart cameras in the market that can automatically geotag images.

Geotagging 

Additionally, if information services are geotag-enabled, users will find location-based websites, resources, and news. For example, Facebook users can geotag photos to include them in the search page they’re tagging. On the other hand, geotagged media ( like photographs, videos, and more) gives users more information about their location of creation. 

Geotagging is rapidly evolving, and like other geolocation signals already in operation, searching might incorporate it in their algorithms. Location-based search engines are also likely to emerge, which will purely base their SERPs on geotagging. That means you can take a step ahead by setting up your blog with geotagging information.  

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