Small businesses and local companies always find it hard to compete with the big boys of the game. They have fewer resources at hand which places them in a tricky position when it comes to manufacturing and marketing their services and products.
The internet has come out as an equalizer by leveling the playing field – to some extent. It means it is still a democratic place where companies can have almost equal opportunities to market and sell their brands.
Since small businesses are often highly localized, they need more strategic exposure to actually materialize profits from advertisements and other marketing campaigns. This is where local search optimization for marketing comes into play. It basically facilitates businesses by highlighting them in search engine results against local search queries.
We’ll go through some practical ideas in this article to help you conquer the local search optimization game. So, read the entire article and devise a successful local search marketing strategy.
1- Quality Periodical Content
There is no denying that there is no other weapon in the arsenal of a marketer that is more effective than quality content. It helps you to connect with clients and prospects on a much intimate level. Your content must target your local audience and that interests them the most. The best hint here is to propose solutions to their problems through your product or services.
When you are planning content strategy for your brand, make sure to have on-point, brand-savvy content published periodically. While Quality over quantity should be your preference too as poorly-written and edited content will only scare readers off.
If done correctly, local content will ultimately emerge from great places and go tremendous distances. That is, everything from publishing local content on social media to receiving material from local consumers may help your business thrive. It should be included in local internet advertising, community outreach, customer reviews or narratives, and so forth.
2- Keyword Research
It is a great practice to write exceptional content for the readers that can make them connect with the brand. But, what is the point of churning out articles and blog posts that no one can find or read? This is where keyword research can help.
In keyword research, think about your potential client persona. What would he or she be typing to find what you are selling?
The best advice is in this regard is to always place the keywords strategically and use them according to the Geo-locations. For instance, “near me” and “in Your City Name” are some of the time-tested things that can put your brand name on the map of the internet. Apart from the main content, make sure to incorporate keywords in titles, tags, etc, for easy discovery.
3- Improved Web Page Loading
According to Google’s guidelines for both general and local search marketing strategies, improved web page loading can help in decreasing the bounce rate of your website.
Let’s admit it, how many times had we abandoned a website just because it was taking too long to load completely? Too many times.
It causes frustration in the users and makes navigating around the website harder and cumbersome.
Since people are looking to buy products or hire services, they are in a hurry to come to a decision. If your website takes too long to open completely, they will simply abandon it for something faster and more approachable.
4- Local Business Directories
With the rise of the internet and IT services, many thought that the local business directories are dead. Instead, they transformed and made a comeback, stronger than ever. These days, they are growing traffic and bringing in millions of combines unique visitors each month.
Local business listings directory sites can play a vital role in your local search optimization as they are essentially repositories of keywords and optimized content. Additionally, they offer a respectable place for citations to grow backlinks to your business website.
A word of caution – not all local business listings are necessary to tap this potential. You can do very well with the top players in the game, such as Yelp, Google My Business, CityLocal Pro, Yellow Pages, etc.
5- Feedback
Social media has given voice to people to share things they love or don’t with their family, friends, and practically the whole world. The word of mouth is still worth much more than many “modern” ways of marketing.
Since local searches are made in hurry with the intent to buy or hire, it is best to grab and store reviews that are always stellar. Now that may not be possible to always make your clients sing your praises. Still, you can ask them to give their feedback on relevant websites and social media platforms.
Getting a negative review does not mean your brand is not competent. But, if you indulge in a comment war or just leave it be, it gives a bad impression to other users as well as to the search engines. This reflects directly on the ratings your brand receives from search engines. So, make sure you handle it with professionalism.
6- Get Links From Local Sites
Referring to domains and links still matters when it comes to local search ranking. Nearly 90% of pages don’t get organic traffic from Google because they lack backlinks. Not all backlinks are equal. Not all of them are counted by SEs, certain methods of obtaining it may be a waste of time or resources, while in some circumstances it may harm your local search optimization.
It is better to get links from good authority sites more naturally. While getting links from the local sites that target the same locality audience as you do is always a plus point. It is not just good for rankings but also drives traffic from the desired geo-location.
There is fierce competition among businesses when it comes to grabbing virtual estate to market their brands. A local search marketing strategy can help you stand out from the crowd by driving traffic organically to your website. With more exposure, you will be in a better position to turn that engagement into conversion in a short period.