Local businesses struggle a lot in terms of marketing. However, having a Local SEO strategy or local SEO tips helps in grabbing the attention of people searching for solutions near them. This is a benefit for local businesses as they desperately wish to attract customers from nearby areas. To appear in the local search results, you need to make sure that you are using the right tactics and tools. As per marketing experts, around 46% of Google searches are related to local businesses. Therefore, not optimizing for local search isn’t a smart move if you’re a small business.
Local SEO strategy is about making your product, service, and/or brand visible to the local public. Being a local business, you need to be relevant to your audience as they will be highly relying upon you for their local needs. Hence, marketing catered especially towards them should be your ideal approach if you want to attract them to your business.
This SEO India blog should help you set up your local SEO strategy to attract customers from close by.
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO or Local Search Engine Optimisation is a practice to make your brand visible in local search. This can be done with the help of optimizing your SEO, unpaid or organic marketing strategies as localized as possible to drive leads from nearby regions. First and foremost, get a website developed and customized for your business. Then Implement Local SEO tips. This will not just attract organic traffic to your business website but would also help your business with more frequent visits of potential customers, ensuring increased attraction to your local store, thus bringing, more opportunities for sales and revenue.
Quick Fact: As per Safari Digital, every month searchers visit 1.5 billion locations related to their Google searches.
How Can One Optimize Their Local SEO Strategy?
If your business is local, then it would gain a lot of benefit from an effective Local SEO strategy of 2023. With numerous benefits, there are ways through which you can attract customers nearby. Check out the ways given below.
- Optimize for Google Business Profile
- Ensure consistency with NAP
- Online directories are relevant more than ever
- Have active social media profiles.
- Be persistent with Local SEO audit.
1. Optimize For Google Business Profile
Google Business Profile is Google’s official tool for allowing local businesses to market themselves and meet the local demands of people. GBP presents the results for searches that are most commonly associated with the “Near Me” search terms. Follow these easy steps if you want your business to appear for the local or “Near Me” search results:
- Go to Google and search for Google Business Profile. Create a Google Business Profile Page and share accurate information about your business and verify it.
- Now, share Google posts in your account and make sure to let customers review your business.
- Always respond to your customer reviews and be professional with your negative reviews. Take them as feedback and a chance to improve upon.
Once Google finds your business authentic, it could reward you with a sidebar space in Google search results. Add up-to-date relevant information so that users can easily connect with you in whichever way they please. Always add a map so that people can physically reach from wherever, and when necessary.
2. Ensure Consistency With NAP
This is a crucial aspect for optimizing any business for Google local search results. NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone Number and all this information must be included on your website. It’s ideal to include this information in the header of the footer of the website. Make sure to stay consistent with your business information throughout the web. Mention these important aspects(NAP) as they are the bare minimum for any individual to easily connect with your business.
3. Online Directories Are Relevant More Than Ever
You must optimize for your local directories as individuals are consistently browsing the web looking for more information about local businesses. People make sure to check GBP reviews and reviews of local directories. In fact, as per Reputation X, 60% of individuals won’t engage with a local business if that business has a ton of negative reviews.
Therefore, share correct, relevant information on local online directories. These directories can vary niche and country-wise. Indiamart, Sulekha, Just Dial are big local giants in India. In the USA, Yelp, and Yellow Pages are huge. Industry-related local directories can also bring you, potential customers. For example in the USA, TripAdvisor is a local directory used by travel businesses and restaurants.
Having a positive presence on these websites can attract new customers as people use local directories to form an opinion of a local business. Individuals also add reviews on these websites so make sure to handle your profile well on these local directories, just like GBP.
4. Have Active Social Media Profiles
Assiduously using social media and sharing local posts and content on your GBP profile can also help you add more valuable content to your GBP profile. Combining social and search is a great way to attract and engage the local audience. Both your GBP and social profiles can benefit from this approach, meanwhile allowing you to become an authority in the eyes of the audience.
Sharing local informative content can help you drive traction and acquire new customers at a speedy rate. Therefore, use your social profiles to your advantage and share informative, meaningful content to attract and engage your target customers.
5. Be Persistent With Local SEO Audit
Once everything is done and set up, make sure to review your local information or content from time to time. It’s important to review your work and see where you stand after every little while. Check your business information, GBP profile, On-Page elements, Google Search Console status, website profiles, and more to see everything is in place or not? Make improvements, if required.
SEO is a continuous process that never stops. Learn from your competitors’ digital marketing strategy and implement their strong measures in your way. In short, Local SEO, once started never stops, if you wish to stay at the top of your marketing game.
Conclusion
All local businesses today must optimize for Local SEO as it helps them engage, attract and do business with local customers. There are ways through which businesses can optimize their Local SEO strategy and if implemented right, you can achieve more sales and revenue than ever. Local SEO is a holistic business plan that once started should never be stopped and with time you’d see more positive results.