Refine Your Local SEO Strategies to Find More Local Customers
Did you know that consumers use local businesses 56% of the time? This is why your business needs a local-specific SEO strategy. Read on for some top tips:
What is “local?”
First, let’s define a local business. Yes, it could be a brick-and-mortar store that sells products, but it could also be a service that works within a geographical range. “Local,” then might be defined by neighborhood, city, or region.
Study your current customers and then do some research to define what “local” means to your business. List all of the locations that make sense, including your town, neighboring towns, county, and so on.
How do customers search for local businesses?
That phone in your pocket uses geo location data, which is why, when you search for “pizza,” it shows you the place down the street instead of a place in another state. Computers use an IP address for geo data. People will also type in a location if they are looking for restaurants in a place they plan to visit, for instance.
What is the first step for local SEO?
Before you do anything else, be sure that your business’s name, address, and phone number are correct everywhere online. This includes, but is not limited to, your website, social media platforms, and directories.
“Correct” means exactly the same. If you are Acme Incorporated, Acme Inc. is not the same name. If you started with “Road,” then don’t be “Rd” elsewhere. Deviations could be construed as a separate entity, making you compete against yourself for precious online visibility.
Are there more steps for local SEO?
The list you made of what “local” means to your business will be handy for optimizing your website and social media. Write local-specific content that uses those geographical terms and use them in meta descriptions. For instance, your pest control company could blog about common insects in your region. Your coffee shop could share news about the commuter train station around the corner. Your office could post a photo of the friendliest staff in the city.
Consider also building several landing pages on your website, each with similar content about your business, but written specifically for different towns in the area. In addition to useful search terms, you also reap the benefit of geographically appropriate URLs.
What else can be done?
Support your business’s geographic presence with suitable backlinks, for example, from your local chamber of commerce or industry organization, and articles or ads from local news outlets.
Also, try brainstorming local-specific long-tail keywords to supplement more common ones. “San Francisco” would be an obvious search term, but others that apply include “Bay Area,” “Silicon Valley,” “SF,” and “Frisco.”
Finally, don’t neglect your Google Business Profile. As we have said many times, Google still owns the biggest game, so you need to play. Pick the correct category for your business, optimize your profile, and keep your content fresh.
Price and convenience can influence buyers, but personalized customer service by a company who cares about their reputation is a huge reason why people prefer to work with local businesses. Customers are out there looking for you. It’s your job to make it easier for them to find you by improving your visibility in local search. Call us today to learn how Sprocket can help with your SEO strategy.
Kate Gingold
I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.
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I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.
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