Small businesses that rely on a physical address for face-to-face interaction with customers can boost their sales via local search strategies. People who look up a product or service on their smartphone, using their preferred search engine, are mostly likely to go for the vendor nearest to their location. For instance, if you have a sudden craving for pizza, you may type in keywords similar to ‘pizza place near me’ and explore the top rated options within a 5-mile radius. When the target audience of a business lies within a specific neighborhood, localized SEO and search engine marketing are ideal for brand building.
Almost 80% of local mobile searches lead to a purchase, so the chances of making a sale are relatively high, as compared to competing on an international level. The local search strategy is feasible for medium to large or franchised businesses as well, as long as the goal is to attract maximum customers/clients from the vicinity. Optimizing your website for a local search is simpler, given the limited competition. For example, if you own a small clothing store, it would be easier to make a place for yourself among the dozen boutiques in town rather than stand out amidst millions of brand names worldwide.
What does Local Search Strategy entail?
The basic principles of conventional SEO and localized SEO are pretty much the same. Both have to do with improving your web presence, but the difference lies in the scope. Localized SEO focuses on promoting your business on a national level, whereas standard SEO deals with international publicity, thus the stakes are higher.
Here’s a list of things you can do optimize your website for the local audience:
1. Set up your Google Business Profile
‘Google my Business’ is a free tool that allows you to control how your business appears on Google search and maps. Making a business profile for Google and other search engines (Yahoo, Bing, etc.) is an effective strategy to show up in localized searches. When you pinpoint your location on Google maps, users can easily spot and find you. If your business location is not listed, you may lose potential customers since they won’t know how to reach you or estimate the distance from their location. You should also make a profile on Yelp if you run a café or restaurant. If you already have online business profiles, make sure they convey complete and correct info.
2. Add your complete contact info on the website
A website that showcases a verifiable address and contact number for the business obtains better ranking. It helps search engines bring up you webpage for local searches; moreover, the audience can check and confirm that your business actually exists. List your business details on other local directories as well, in order to expand your online visibility.
3. Improve the User Interface and Performance
Everyone appreciates a stellar website that loads fast and is easy to navigate. If the interface is too abstract and full of glitches, the user may feel overwhelmed or agitated. If your webpage takes forever to open, the user will reject it before having a look at its content. Your website should look elegant, operate smoothly, and display everything a potential customer/client would want to see. For example, if you own a small restaurant, upload your complete menu with pictures and prices.
4. Local Keyword Research
Most local keywords end with the name of a town, city, state, and/or country. For example, if you are looking for a firm that can market your product nationwide, you may look up
Digital Marketing Agency in USA. It is also important to learn about the interests of the people near you. Assuming that you are also a local, this shouldn’t be difficult because you can relate to them. If you understand the likes and motivations of your audience, you shall master your keywords in no time.
5. Locally optimized content and links
High quality content is the key to improve your SEO score; the more content you publish, the higher you go in search engine results. Locally optimized content should focus on the people in your locality; any blogs or videos you post on your website and social media pages should solve problems for potential clients/customers. Do not forget to share promotional content across all your web channels; offering special offers and discounts is recommended for newcomers. Sponsor local celebs and influencers to advertise your products, provide affiliate links, and request backlinks from locally acclaimed websites to increase your brand awareness and site authority.