local SEO in Denmark

Local SEO is all about optimising your company's online presence so that you show up when people search for your products or services near you. In Denmark, the vast majority of people use Google as their primary search engine. Therefore, there is great potential in ensuring that your business appears at the top of local search results - for example, ‘restaurant in Aarhus’ or ‘electrician in Odense’.

When we talk about local search results, it's important to remember that it's not just about Google's normal search page but also Google Maps, which many people use today to find local businesses, and to a lesser extent Google images, which some people use to find products and inspiration.

Why is local SEO important?

• Competitive advantage: With the increasing use of smartphones, people often search for businesses ‘here and now’. Visibility in local search results can be the deciding factor in whether a customer chooses you or a competitor further down the list.
  
  
• Targeted traffic: Reaching users who are actively searching for what you offer - and who are in the vicinity - often generates relevant and ready-to-buy traffic.
  
  
• Brand credibility: Being at the top of search engines is perceived as a seal of quality and builds trust in your brand. In this context, it's also a really good idea to look at your Google reviews, because if you have a poor score here, you'll lose customers.

One of the most crucial factors for local SEO is your Google Business Profile, formerly known as Google My Business. The profile often appears at the top of search results when someone searches for a local business.

You can find Google's guide here if you haven't already created your business: Click here

Tips for optimising your Google Business Profile

• Correct basic information (Name, Address, Phone): Make sure your information is 100% consistent everywhere - from your business profile to your own website.
  
  
• Categories: Choose the most accurate category that describes your business. You can add several secondary categories, but avoid overdoing it.
  
  
• Description: Write an informative and short description of your business in Danish. Use relevant keywords that fit your business, but keep it natural.
  
  
• Photos: Good photos of your store, your products and your employees create credibility and give a sense of transparency.

On-page SEO is all about optimising the content and technical setup of the website itself so that search engines can easily decipher what the page is about - and thus place it in the right search results.

• Include local keywords: Add city names or geographical areas in your titles, headlines and texts. For example, ‘Best hairdresser in Copenhagen’ rather than just ‘Best hairdresser’.
  
  
• Mobile-friendliness: About 75% of your visitors come via their mobile phones, especially when searching locally. Make sure your website is responsive and quick to load.
  
  
• Structured data (Schema Markup): By adding structured data, you can help Google better understand your business information, such as opening hours, address and phone number.

Google often knows where your business is physically located, so spend as much time as possible describing your services/products thoroughly.

If you have multiple stores, it's a good idea to have a dedicated page for each city/area you are in that includes the location name. For example, H1: Salon Nice - Hairdresser valby and make sure you use ‘hairdresser valby’ in your H2 tags such as: Hairdresser valby - specialising in hair colour.

Reviews are worth their weight in gold in local SEO - especially on Google, Trustpilot or Facebook. Good reviews not only give you a higher ranking in search results, but also build credibility.

• Encourage satisfied customers to review: Ask them to share their good experiences on the platforms that are important to you.
  
  
• Respond to ALL reviews - even the negative ones: Show that you listen to criticism and want to find a solution. It shows that your business puts customers first.

Reviews are especially important for Google searches. If you have bad and/or few reviews, it will affect your business negatively.

We have experienced that we have been able to dramatically change a customer's conversion by changing a Google rating from 2 stars with 3 bad reviews to 4.5 by working hard to get the customer's loyal and happy customers to give their opinion.

Mentions are mentions of your business on other websites, such as industry indices, local news media or association sites.

Links are when other sites link directly to your website.

• Local partners: Investigate the possibility of getting mentions or links from local associations, networks or news media.
  
  
• Danish business directories: Make sure your business is correctly listed on e.g. Krak, De Gule Sider, or relevant industry databases.
  
  
• Guest posts: Write relevant articles for local blogs or news media and get a link back to your site.

Links are still very important in SEO work and it's clear that if you can get credible sources to link to your site, it will have a positive impact, not only in terms of direct traffic from the source but also because Google will weight your site higher which should give you more organic traffic from Google searches.

While social media isn't necessarily a direct ranking factor, it builds credibility and brand awareness if you're also active on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn. It can drive traffic to your website and support your overall visibility.

• Keep your information consistent: Use the same company name, address and phone number on all your social profiles.
  
  
• Engage your audience: Share pictures and stories from your local area or from your business. It could be things like going on holiday and wishing everyone a great summer, a new employee or attending a local event.

For some local businesses, social media is also a great way to get in touch with potential new employees and it doesn't only have to be on LinkedIn - some will also have success doing it through other channels such as Facebook.

Google Search Console is a free tool that provides insights into your website's search traffic. You can see which local searches are getting clicks and whether you're showing up for the search terms you're targeting. It's free to use and if you're doing your own SEO, it's a good place to start if you want to see if your efforts are paying off.

As mentioned earlier, if you have multiple departments or areas you want to rank for, create a separate, optimised landing page for each geographical location. Make sure the content is unique and relevant to that particular city or area.

It's often worth your while to spend time creating good SEO optimised pages for your products and services. This is often overlooked by many local businesses, but if you're a hairdresser then create pages dedicated to different cuts and colours, if you're a massage therapist then describe your techniques and specifically what issues you can help with, and if you're a pizzeria then consider whether you could create specific pages for the different types of pizza or highlight some of your quality ingredients.

Getting some good pages can be the difference between being on page 2 or lower in Google search results and not getting traffic or being at the top of page 1 and customers coming to you.

Google Ads (specifically Local Services Ads) can be an effective supplement to your organic efforts if you want an instant top ranking in local search results. However, be aware that it requires ongoing budget and optimisation to provide a positive return. Fortunately, Google Ads set to a limited area is also often a relatively cheap way to advertise.