Gone are those days when only big businesses could afford large-scale marketing. Today, effective marketing primarily entails leveraging the available digital channels to outdo your competitors. Local search marketing is one such method. Thanks to digital marketing strategies such as local search, you can take advantage of the Internet to make your business visible to consumers who search online for businesses in their locality.
What is Local Search Marketing?
Any online marketing expert will tell you that local business SEO can’t be ignored. Local search marketing entails everything that that you do online to promote your business and ensure that it makes contact with potential customers in your local area. This digital marketing strategy can be used by large, nationwide companies as well as single-location small and medium enterprises.
When a business undertakes local search marketing, it uses a unique set of techniques and skills to increase its web visibility. Local SEO doesn’t involve conducting a one-off marketing campaign. Instead, it’s built upon a foundation of precise business info and the use of various digital marketing strategies to transform a hitherto unknown brand into a household name in the locality.
Often, most small and medium businesses rely on selling services and products that are custom-made to suit the needs of clients in a particular geographical location. Therefore, local SEO can be heaven-sent for local businesses that wish to be found by customers who are in dire need of products or services in their locality. By implementing local SEO, it will be easier for people within your location who are searching for goods and services that relate to your business to find you.
Do You Need to Optimize Your Website To Target a Local Audience?
The essence of operating a business in a specific geographical location is to sell your products and services to local customers. If your business doesn’t attract customers from within its geographical location, then you are certainly doing something wrong. Since major search engines such as Google and Bing want to provide Internet users with relevant information, optimized websites will always emerge at the top of search results.
Local SEO offers your business more visibility and prominence in search results. Likewise, it adds gravity to local search results. Customers will find you more quickly and, ultimately, buy from you. Getting discovered on the Internet ought to be a priority for local businesses, more so those that have brick-and-mortar stores.
Local SEO and “Near-Me” Searches
Major search engines such as Google and Bing take “Near Me” searches seriously. There has been a rise in the number of these searches in recent years. More consumers whip out their smartphones to find businesses within their geographical location whenever they need a service or product. Search engines know this, and that’s why they are increasingly displaying local business information to help users find what they are searching for.
Google, in particular, has been making local SEO updates to its system to ensure that searchers get relevant results, which are based on their local location. These updates help not only searchers but also local businesses that want to be discovered by their target customers. Name, Address, and Phone Number (NAP) citations still play a crucial role in local SEO. Google and other search engines want you to focus on this citation by being consistent about your business name and address. This is an indicator of trust and gives Google a reason to place you above competing businesses in search engine results.
Who Needs Local SEO?
This is arguably one of the first questions that will come to mind when you hear about local search marketing. At first glance, you might think that local SEO is only relevant to businesses that want buyers to walk through their doors physically. However, you still need local SEO if you own an online store that doesn’t require you to meet your clients in person.
All businesses need local search marketing provided that there are business opportunities and benefits of attracting customers who live or work in a specific geographical location. This could be a small town or even the entire country. One mistake that businesses make is thinking that since their services or products are available to a global market, there isn’t a benefit in doing well in the geographical area where it’s located.
In its purest form, local SEO serves two core purposes:
- Placing your website strategically in the most prominent spots in local search results.
- Helping you gain the trust of your target audience.
Both goals are within your reach as long as you arm yourself with the best local search marketing tools.
Local SEO Strategies to Consider
Local SEO may sound irrelevant, but it has the power to change the fortunes of your brick-and-mortar or business. Due to growing competition, there’s great significance in using the best local SEO strategies that are available to you. This will ensure that you stay ahead of the pack. Here are some local search marketing strategies that can help your business to thrive.
Use Local Keywords
Typical searches may be described as “find me something.” On their part, local searches add an extra dimension: location. Users who make “find me this thing” type of searches, are often recognized as irrelevant by search engines. They always end up getting filtered from search results. Local search-friendly keywords such as “bicycle store near me,” are more specific. Local businesses should take advantage of this to be seen by these searchers.
Create Optimized & High-Quality Content
Typically, search engines rank sites based on their authority and reputation. On their part, users mostly focus on web content. Therefore, you should ask yourself whether your content provides value to the target audience. Ensure that your content is useful, informative, convincing, unique, and SEO friendly. When you look through Google search results, you’ll realize that these traits can be found on websites that emerge on the first page.
Use Attention-Grabbing Visuals
Visual content makes it easier for you to get the point across. When undertaking local SEO, ensure that you include graphics and videos in your content. These visuals make your site look alive. They also make your business to appear more presentable. In this regard, ensure that you show your website visitors everything you’ve got.
Make Your Site Web-Friendly
Mobile search and local search go hand in hand. According to market analytics, 90% of smartphone users undertake local searches on the devices. Those who use their mobile devices to visit your site do so to find directions to the location of your business, to search for contact info, and to check out reviews. Therefore, you should make it easier for prospective customers to find your location and info about your services and products by making your website mobile-friendly.
Takeaways
Undoubtedly, local search marketing is one of the most critical facets of digital marketing. Whether you are a small or big business, you can improve sakes by using local SEO strategies to acquire more customers.
More than 60% of prospective customers use web-based services such as search engines to find the best businesses within their locality. Therefore, Local search marketing comes in handy if you need to attract local customers. Indeed, it’s imperative for business owners and marketing professionals to familiarize themselves with all facets of local SEO.
