If you’re looking for ways to effectively market your local business online, then Local SEO is the way to go. In recent years, Local SEO has become a crucial element in building a successful brand by increasing visibility across search engines. This helps attract a local audience and boost your foot traffic which in turn leads to more profit. We are all familiar with how traditional SEO works (search engine optimization) and Local SEO is a variation of this popular digital marketing strategy.
For businesses with brick-and-mortar stores, you should definitely consider Local SEO. On average, around 95% of smartphone users conduct local searches in which 61% of them contacted the business and around 59% of them actually visited the store. The numbers suggest that increasing your local visibility can help with pulling in potential clients and increasing your conversion rate.
Here we’ll be discussing the importance of SEO and what steps you need to take in order to implement SEO properly.
What is a local search?
Let’s first define what local search is. Compared to a standard search where you look for information, a local search has a purchase intent behind it. Take for example searching for a query like ‘how to clean a carpet’. The search engine results page (SERPs) lists numerous sites that tell you how to clean a carpet. Whereas in a local search query like ‘carpet cleaners near me’ or best carpet cleaner in my location’, search engines will reveal business suggestions based on the user’s location.
What business owners should focus on is the ‘local pack’ or ‘3-pack’. This refers to the block of business listings that appear on a local search that display business information like address, contact number, opening times, and many more. Google is smart enough to retrieve these information on your business website, but that’s not exactly how it works. The information displayed in the local pack comes from your Google My Business profile which is a key component of Local SEO. To break in to the local pack, you must first set up your Google My Business profile.
What is Google My Business profile?
Google My Business (GMB) is your business profile on Google. Basically, GMB is a free listing from Google that businesses can utilize to manage their company information across Google Maps and Google Search. The general information required in a GMB profile is your business name, address, and phone number. A big component of Local SEO is setting up your GMB profile and keeping it up-to-date and accurate as possible. By optimizing your GMB profile, the likelihood of your business appearing in the local pack is much higher.
How do you rank high in local searches?
Now that you have an idea of how Local SEO works, it’s time to implement a couple of tips that will help you rank high in local searches. Here are 5 ways that you can optimize your Local SEO to help your business appear in the local pack.
- Localize your website.
Localizing your website means adding information such as your city, region, and country throughout your site. If you have several businesses with multiple locations, creating a separate content hub for each business will increase its visibility in local searches.
- Citation building.
Featuring your business website on online directories and citation sites will make it easier for customers to discover your business. Adding extra information to business directories such as your name, address, phone number, and website (NAPW) can help boost your search rankings.
- Claim your GMB listing.
To claim your GMB listing, visit gybo.com/business and add your business info. Having a Google My Business page is very important if you want to appear on the local pack.
- Manage your business ratings and reviews.
Reviews and ratings are crucial for sending signals to search engines that your business provides high quality products/services. The number of reviews and ratings your business are important factors to consider when optimizing Local SEO.
- Obtain relevant backlinks.
As your business grows and the performance of your products/services become well-known, you will naturally obtain relevant backlinks from well-regarded publications and website.. This helps search engines recognize your business and boosts your visibility on search results.
Conclusion
Local SEO is an effective marketing strategy that boosts both online and foot traffic for many businesses. By ranking your business high up on SERPs, your brand awareness will increase and you’ll be able to draw in more customers. Utilize this tool and watch your conversion rate increase as well as your visibility on search engines.
