The Internet has changed everything. We shop differently. We socialize differently. We work differently. Much of the change has had positive effects. But it’s also forced many small businesses utilizing local marketing tactics to compete against giant companies online. It’s made it so much easier for businesses around the globe to offer services at rates you can’t compete with.
You can spend a lot of wasted time and money trying to compete in this global marketplace head-on. Or you can get smart about local marketing. Even if you have national or global aspirations, your local market is your point of power when you know how to leverage it.
Let’s look at steps you can take now to do just that.
Local Marketing? Start with Local SEO!
Local marketing is the process of targeting new customers based on their proximity to your business. For example, if you want to see more customers in the same city as you, then you’d use location marketing strategies to advertise to them. Local search engine optimization (SEO) is a big part of location marketing.
Now you’ve probably heard of local SEO. But you may not realize just how important it is to a local business. Without taking steps to optimize your website for local search results, you’re competing with every website on the Internet. Instead, you could be competing in your local market and winning at it.
If you’re marketing this broadly when you don’t have to, you’re spreading your resources razor-thin. Getting a decent ROI is nearly impossible.
Local SEO turns the impossible into possible.
But it’s not automatic. Google doesn’t just see that you’re local and give you preferential treatment. You have to clearly demonstrate that you’re a local business and that you’re the best among your local competitors.
Search engines use what is referred to as local signals from:
- Social media
- Other local websites
- Review sites
- And more
These establish that you’re indeed a local business.
Why do they need so much proof? It’s so people can’t easily fake being a local business to take advantage of local SEO. It’s powerful stuff.
Let’s walk through the steps you need to take to optimize for local searches.
The Top4 Steps for Local Marketing Search Engine Optimization
1. Put User Experience First
If you’re already investing in SEO, you may have already taken this step. But it must be mentioned. SEO starts with responsive website design.
Make sure your site is loading as fast as possible. Marketing analytics firm, Kissmetrics found a clear connection between load time and people abandoning the site.
For every additional second it takes to load, you’re losing visitors.
Make sure it’s mobile-friendly. Over 50% of website traffic now comes through mobile devices. If you’re not making sure that your website is user-friendly on mobile, you’re losing another half of your potential customers.
50% of people who visit a local business on mobile, will visit the physical location within 24 hours, according to Hubspot. You need this traffic.
Make it easy to navigate. You’re just trying to be helpful. But people get confused by too many choices. They appreciate when you narrow it down. Keep navigation simple and straightforward.
Use analytics to determine how people interact with your site. If you have a high abandonment rate or bounce rate, then apply strategies to reduce these. When these rates are high, search engines think that you offer a bad user experience.
2. Set Up Local Review Sites
Reviews are the lifeblood of local marketing. Their power extends beyond SEO.
88% of customers now check at least one review before deciding to do business with you. Great reviews will drive real paying customers to your door.
Claim and fill out your Top4 Business profile. Make sure all of the information are correct and up to date. After that, you’ll be able to receive real, verified reviews from real customers who visit your Top4 Business Profile.
Other than that, one of the most important review profiles you can set up for local marketing is your Google My Business profile.
Fill out your profile with a detailed description and high-resolution photos. Add your hours and update them for the holidays. Google will send you a reminder.
Put a system in place to start getting more customers to write you reviews.
Work to get great reviews on all major sites.
If you have never asked for reviews before, craft a catchy email or post to send existing loyal customers. Express how important their reviews are to your business. Give them a place where you prefer them to leave the review.
SEO reputation management is an important part of local marketing that can help your business stand out among the crowd.
3. NAP (Name, Address, Phone)
Be consistent with contact information across platforms. If you put a period or use abbreviations in one address, do it in all of them. If you find inconsistencies in the way a review or directory displays your contact information, reach out to have it fixed.
Your full NAP should also be on every page of your website. The footer is a perfect location.
At a more advanced level, you can use schema.org to markup your address and other information on your site. Schema is a “special coding language” that all of the major search engines recognize. This language tells search engines how data should be displayed in search results.
An address is typically displayed:
- Business Name
- Street Address
- City State Zip
- Phone
Without markup, it would just be a string of text.
When you see something like this come up in search results, that’s schema markup.
4. On-Page SEO
You can even improve your local SEO features through on-page SEO services.
Add your city or region and a keyword to various locations on your site to capitalize on your local marketing efforts. Only put the information where it makes sense so that it never jeopardizes user experience.
Here are some of the locations that you can use this local marketing tactic.
- Landing page title tag
- H1 title tag
- URL (website address) Here’s one of our URLs: https://www.lyfemarketing.com/atlanta-seo-company/
- Page content (mention where you are in blogs and videos)
- Alt title for images
- Video titles
This may require coding knowledge. Talk to our Web Xperts if you need help.
Also, embed Google maps into pages where it makes sense to do so.
Looking to build customer loyalty through social media? Don’t forget to add your business to Top4.com.au
List your business, create your own digital store to sell goods and services, and share posts on social media. Promote your business on Google instantly! Should you need help with local digital marketing then view our new Google Marketing Platform and services Top4 Marketing
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