For businesses trying to rank locally in Utah, focusing your SEO efforts on the right areas can make a huge difference in driving visibility and traffic. With local SEO best practices constantly evolving, it’s crucial to stay on top of the latest algorithms and ranking factors. As we move more into 2024, there are some key local SEO elements that should be priorities for Utah businesses wanting to stand out.

Below we’ll explore some of the most important local SEO ranking factors expected to impact listings in 2024 for Utah businesses and provide tips to optimize each area.

#1: Google Business Profile Optimization

Of all the local SEO factors, a complete and optimized Google Business Profile (GBP) listing should be the foundation for any business trying to rank in Utah. GBP acts like your website homepage in local search results. Ensuring your Utah listing is fully fleshed out and providing a great user experience is critical.

Some key ways for Utah businesses to optimize their GBP listing:

• Fill out all fields like images, description, hours, services, etc.
• Set up GBP posts to routinely engage Utah followers.
• Enable messaging to allow customer communication.
• Monitor reviews and respond promptly.
• Verify the listing and claim it properly.
• Include good quality photos that showcase your Utah business.
• Ensure your address, phone and websites are all accurate.

Google Business Profile optimization should be ongoing for Utah companies to keep listings robust, helpful and active. Remaining active tells Google you are also active with your business and are engaging with customers.

#2: Positive Local Reviews

Reviews are a strong local ranking signal, with Google often favoring Utah businesses with more positive local feedback. Having a steady stream of 4 and 5 star reviews on your GBP listing and other sites like Yelp and Facebook helps improve local visibility.

Tips for Utah brands to generate more good local reviews:

• Add review links to your website and email signatures.
• Occasionally survey customers asking them to leave reviews.
• Respond to reviewers thanking them for the feedback.
• Offer promotions or discounts for leaving reviews.
• Resolve the underlying issues behind any negative reviews.

Quality matters more than quantity for Utah companies, so focus on building authentic positive sentiment.

#3: Local Link Building

Earning high-quality local links remains important for driving local rankings for Utah businesses. Having authoritative sites in you Utah linking back to your site tells Google your business is endorsed locally.

Great options for local link building for Utah companies include:

• Get listed on Utah-specific citation/directory sites relevant to your industry.
• Guest post on local Utah blogs or news sites linking back to your content.
• Sponsor local Utah events, nonprofits or teams and have them link to your site.
• Pursue local business partnerships that include link exchanges.
• Build relationships with Utah influencers to earn mentions.

Choose link prospects strategically and build them slowly over time. Avoid low-quality local directories or shady link networks.

#4: On-Page Local SEO Optimization

Your on-page SEO signals like titles, content, tags and schema markup provide vital local relevance and context for ranking in Utah. Be sure to incorporate location-relevant keywords and data.

Key elements for Utah businesses to optimize include:

• Business name, street address, phone and opening hours in your about page that matches your Google Business Profile.
• City and state names mentioned naturally in text where applicable.
• Alt text on images with geographic keywords when relevant.
• Tags and categories that include your city, neighborhood and ZIP code in Utah.
• Structured local business data markup for search engines to recognize.

On-page signals should consistently reinforce your Utah geographic service area and keywords. But you also will want to ensure that the content is also not overly saturated with keywords you are trying to rank for. Infogenix can help you properly optimize your site for local SEO, you can schedule a free evaluation from us here

#5: Mobile-Friendly Local Experience

With local searches happening more on smartphones than anywhere else, having a fast and mobile-friendly site is now vital for Utah brands. Ensure your site is mobile responsive with easy access to location info.

Tips for improving mobile local experience in Utah:

• Optimize site speed by reducing image sizes, enabling compression, using caching plugins.
• Eliminate popups or interstitials that hinder mobile navigation.
• Use a click-to-call button to enable easy phone access.
• Have a prominent “Directions” button for accessing map locations.
• Display opening hours and address prominently.

Google is paying close attention to how well optimized sites are for local-mobile usage when ranking locally in Utah.

The Perfect Formula for Local SEO Success

These are five valuable facets that provides a powerful formula for local SEO success in 2024 for Utah businesses. Conduct regular audits of your GBP health, local link profile, on-page optimization, reviews and mobile site experience. Be sure to also analyze your key Utah competitors’ strategies and local rankings to identify areas you may be lagging. Consistently enhancing these elements will ensure your brand shows up when Utah customers search for local businesses like yours.

If you would like help with your Local SEO from a Utah company with over 25 years of experience then contact Infogenix for a free proposal today

The rise of voice search has been one of the biggest developments shaping SEO and marketing over the past few years. As more people use voice assistants like Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant for queries, optimizing content for voice search is becoming increasingly important for companies in Utah. In 2024, voice looks to take an even bigger role in search. Brands that want to stay visible and competitive in search need an effective voice search strategy. In this post, Utah SEO agency Infogenix looks at how voice search will likely impact SEO in 2024 and tips to prepare.

The Growing Importance of Voice Search

Voice search usage has been steadily rising and is projected to continue growing. Some key statistics:

• 25% of all searches are expected to be done by voice in 2024.
• 36% of Americans own smart speakers and will make a purchase from a business they did a voice search for.
• 41% of people use voice search daily.

With voice emerging as a preferred search method for many, SEO strategies for Utah businesses will need to shift to optimize for voice. Brands that perfect voice search now will have a head start on competitors.

Voice Search SEO Challenges in 2024

Optimizing for voice search comes with some unique challenges that the experts at Infogenix can help Utah companies address:

• Queries are typically longer, more conversational phrases rather than just keywords. This means content must match more natural language customer questions.
• Voice search results favor direct authoritative answers rather than links. Optimizing to answer questions clearly and concisely will be key.
• Local search plays a bigger role as location-based results are highly valued. Local SEO signals like GMB listings will be vital.
• Featured snippets highlighting a direct answer in search results are critical real estate. Brands will aim for their content to trigger these.
• Voice search is 100% mobile so optimizing for mobile will continue being imperative.

Tips for Voice Search Optimization

Here are some tips from Infogenix on optimizing SEO for voice search in 2024:

• Focus on long-tail natural language queries – Study search trends to identify full question-style phrases customers are using and target those in content.
• Answer questions clearly – Structure content to directly answer commonly asked customer questions concisely. Use headers, FAQs, etc.
• Optimize featured snippets – Research ways to trigger the highlighted search result answers Google provides.
• Include audio content – Podcasts, audio books, and other voice content optimize for voice input.
• Build local pages – Have location pages with key information like hours, address, and phone number.
• Optimize for mobility – Ensure site speed, UI/UX, and accessibility are optimized for mobile.

The voice search landscape will likely continue evolving quickly so staying on top of trends and leveraging new techniques will be imperative for Utah companies.

Voice Optimization for E-Commerce Brands in Utah

For e-commerce brands in Utah, voice search presents opportunities to engage shoppers through conversational commerce:

• Optimize product schema markup – Helps voice assistants understand product data.
• Build shoppable content – Product roundups, gift guides, demos can enable voice shoppers.
• Include calls-to-action in descriptions – Suggest what the viewer should do next like “Learn more” or “Buy now.”
• Highlight promotions in snippets – Featured snippets can showcase sales or offers.
• Enable voice-initiated transactions – Support voice purchases through platforms like Alexa.

As more consumers use voice technology for online shopping, Utah brands must ensure their sites provide an optimal experience.

Preparing Your SEO for Voice Search Success

Voice search reach will continue expanding in 2024. The SEO professionals at Infogenix can help Utah businesses optimize their web presence for voice queries and featured snippets now to gain an edge. Ask yourself:

• What questions are customers likely asking my business using voice search?
• How can I directly answer their questions in an authoritative way?
• Is my site’s UI clear and easy to navigate by voice?
• Are my pages optimized for long-tail keywords?
• How can I better optimize for local searches?

By addressing these areas now with help from Infogenix’s SEO experts, you can ensure your SEO strategy evolves along with voice search adoption.

The world of search marketing will look quite different in 2024. But brands that seize the voice search opportunity today with guidance from experienced agencies like Infogenix will be in the best position to capitalize on its continued growth and visibility. Don’t wait to start planning for voice search success. Schedule a free estimate with Infogenix to help you optimize your website for voice search and overall SEO.

Core Web Vitals have become one of the most talked about topics in SEO over the past couple years. As a leading digital marketing agency in Utah, Infogenix helps local businesses understand and enhance these key indicators of user experience. Optimizing these metrics can lead to better rankings and online success for businesses all over Utah. But understanding what Core Web Vitals are actually measuring and how to improve them is still a challenge for many local businesses in Utah. In this article, we will break down the basics of Core Web Vitals and provides tips to help optimize them.

What Are Core Web Vitals?

Core Web Vitals are a set of three metrics that Google considers essential to providing users with a great experience on both mobile and desktop. The Core Web Vitals include:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) – Measures loading performance. Target is < 2.5 seconds.
• First Input Delay (FID) – Measures interactivity. Target is < 100 milliseconds.
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) – Measures visual stability. Target is < 0.1.

Google has confirmed Core Web Vitals are being incorporated as a ranking factor. So optimizing them should directly help improve your site’s ability to rank locally in Utah.

Why Core Web Vitals Matter for Utah Businesses

Providing a smooth, seamless experience for users is about more than just moving up in the search rankings. Optimizing Core Web Vitals can provide real business benefits for companies in Utah including:

• Increased engagement and time on site – Users are less likely to bounce when pages load fast and information is presented smoothly.
• Improved conversions – Sites with faster load times and interactivity convert better because users can easily find and use information.
• Brand reputation – Fast, visually consistent page experiences reflect well on a local brand.
• Lower bounce rates and higher pages per session – Users are less likely to quickly leave your Utah business’s site if it performs well.

There are tangible ROI reasons beyond SEO to prioritize Core Web Vitals. Enhancing user experience can also lead to business increased sales and potential clients depending on your business. Prioritize pages with the poorest performance first which you can find using these tools mentioned in the next section.

Diagnosing Your Core Web Vitals in Utah

The first step is running an analysis to determine where your site currently stands on these key UX metrics. Here are a few different tools that we recommend to help audit your website’s Core Web Vitals:

• Google PageSpeed Insights – Provides Core Web Vitals scores and suggestions for improvement.
• Chrome User Experience Report – Lab data on real world Core Web Vitals performance.
• Google Search Console – Reports average Core Web Vitals for your site.
• Google Analytics – Can integrate CWV data directly into your reports.
• Third party tools like WebPagetest or Lighthouse – Help audit and monitor site performance.

These tools can help shine a light on any problematic areas dragging down your site’s different metrics and reveal opportunities for quick wins. Working with a web developer and SEO specialist in Utah can help improve your site’s Core Web Vitals significantly. We are happy to help give you insight and expertise to help improve your site.

Optimizing Largest Contentful Paint

Largest Contentful Paint may sound confusing ta first but it actually is what Google uses to measure how long it takes for the largest image or text block to load on a webpage. The longer it takes for a page to load the less likely a user is going to wait and see what is on that page. It’s vital in the age of fast information to have a website that loads quickly and can provide valuable information to users. To improve LCP for Utah businesses, we recommend:

• Compress images – Use tools like ShortPixel, Optimizilla, or Squoosh.
• Resize images – Ensure images are properly sized for their containers.
• Utilize browser caching – Set proper cache headers so resources load from cache on repeat visits.
• Minify CSS/JavaScript – Eliminate whitespace and condense files.
• Lazy load resources – Only load assets like images when they enter the viewport.
• Defer non-critical resources – Download complementary resources after page render.
• Optimize web fonts – Use font display swap to show fallback font until web font loads.

A fast LCP ultimately comes down to efficient coding, file compression, and resource loading priorities. If you feel that may not be something in your wheelhouse then let us know. We are ready to give you a free site audit & estimate on recommendations that would be best for your site.

Improving First Input Delay

First Input Delay measures the time from when a user first interacts with a page (i.e. clicking a link) to when the browser is actually able to respond to that interaction. To reduce FID for local Utah businesses, we suggest:

• Minify and concatenate files – Limit requests for faster processing.
• Optimize images – Compress files and resize responsively.
• Use browser caching – Allow resources to be locally stored so they don’t need to be re-downloaded each visit.
• Limit redirects – Redirects delay browser response time.
• Minimize third party scripts – Only include essential scripts and defer non-critical ones.
• Optimize web fonts – Use font display swap to show fallback font first.
• Upgrade to HTTP/2 – Allows for faster transmission of resources.

First Input Delay is very sensitive to any lag in response time. Streamlining resources and limiting processing strain is key for Utah businesses to optimize this metric and improve user’s experience on your site.

Decreasing Cumulative Layout Shift

Cumulative Layout Shift quantifies the instability of visual elements on a web page. To reduce CLS we suggest:

• Avoid pop-ins – Inserting content late leads to shifting.
• Add dimensions to images – Specify height and width to reserve space.
• Embrace skeleton screens – Display placeholders for content before it loads.
• Avoid too-early resource loading – Defer non-critical resources.
• Fix improperly embedded media – Prevent content jumping around as it loads.
• Identify dynamically injected content – Modals, ads and widgets can affect layout.

Cumulative Layout Shift is often triggered by loading in assets too early or too late. Layout stability is about balancing proper timing and space reservation. This can at times get technical and it can take expertise to implement properly. As a digital marketing agency in Utah we have years of experience helping businesses improve their CLS and other core web vitals that have become standard for the web in 2024

Monitoring Ongoing Performance

Optimizing Core Web Vitals is an ongoing process requiring regular audits and monitoring. Infogenix helps Utah companies set up tracking to stay on top of changes:

• Connect Google Analytics – Review CWV reports and segment by page.
• Set up Lighthouse CI – Automate Lighthouse audits on a schedule.
• Try plugin performance monitors – WordPress plugins like Speed Booster provide analytics.
• Monitor real user data – Google Search Console reports field data on CWV.
• Check PageSpeed Insights – Easily scan site and see opportunities.

As you continue enhancing elements that impact Core Web Vitals, the metrics should steadily improve across your site. Remember it takes time for optimizations to be reflected in rankings, so have patience and be persistent in making changes as needed to improve your site overall.

Get Your Free Site Analysis Today

By understanding what factors make up the Core Web Vitals, Utah businesses can begin formulating strategies to directly enhance user experience on their sites. Optimizing these metrics not only leads to better SEO, but also provides significant business benefits for your brand’s reputation and bottom line. Let the experts at Infogenix help you demystify Core Web Vitals and improve your online performance both with customers and with search rankings.

Request a Free Site Analysis from Infogenix and we will be happy to assist you in improving your site’s performance for 2024 and beyond!