Boosting your Website for Local Search Results
These days, more and more people are looking to shop local. However, it’s not always easy to find local businesses online. Large companies and international corporations tend to have much more brand awareness so, when a customer is looking for something, it’s often easier to go to a big chain.
How do you compete? By improving your site for local search results. By optimizing your website using local SEO tactics, people are much more likely to find you when they are looking for local businesses. How do you do this? Here are some tips.
Complete your Google My Business Account
Google My Business is vital for local search results. Make sure you create an account and verify your business. Then you’ll want to complete all necessary and relevant information on your profile, including your operating hours, pictures of your business and your offerings, details on the products or services you sell, and much more.
You can also use Posts on Google My Business to publish information on events, offers, new products and services, and more. You can also include a call to action in your post, which can potentially drive traffic to your site and increase your sales. Not only are Posts great for local SEO, but they can also be shared on social media, increasing your reach.
Get Customer Reviews
Google puts a lot of emphasis on customer reviews in its local search results. Reviews made on Google through My Business can be responded to through the My Business platform. Getting reviews and responding to them not only helps improve your local SEO ranking (since Google often places highly-rated businesses closer to the top in its results) but it also tells your customers about your business.
You can also get customer reviews through Yelp, Foursquare, Facebook, Trustpilot, and more. There may also be specialized review sites that cater to your industry as well.
Know that some sites discourage you from asking customers for a review while others encourage it. Check the terms of service for each site to make sure you comply before you act.
Make Sure your Website is Mobile Friendly
A mobile friendly website is a necessity. Not only does Google strongly suggest that all websites should be mobile-friendly, but people who are searching for local businesses are increasingly using mobile devices to do so. For instance, mobile “near me” searches on Google grew by 136% YOY based on recent data. These searches often result in new customers as well, as 76% of people who search for a nearby business on their smartphone visit a business within a day.
Create Great Local Content
Website content is another crucial part of improving your search engine ranking. If you want to boost your local SEO position, creating local content is important. You can write about local news, trends, or activities (such as tying your products or services to local festivals or celebrations).
For instance, if you operate a clothing store, write a post on “What people are wearing to [local event} this year” and include some links to your products within the article. This provides value to the visitor while also promoting your local business. Be creative and think of ways to connect your business to your community. If you get it right, not only will the posts help your local SEO ranking, but they’ll be shared on social media as well.
How We Boost Local Search Results
For more than a decade, we have helped businesses succeed online. If you’re looking to boost your online presence, optimize your site for customers and search engines, and improve your local SEO ranking, we can help. Contact us today to get a website evaluation, detailed content plan, free quote and more. We’ll be more than happy to help you grow your business online.