Over the years, many users have been looking for particular products and services with ‘local intent,’ meaning that they want to see offerings in their area. This essentially offered great opportunities for businesses to tap that pool of potential customers who are actively looking for products and services close to them.
If you want to leverage this opportunity for your business, a good place to start is with your SEO, particularly local SEO practices. Local SEO is an indispensable method for small business owners who want to garner more local business. When done right, this can help your small business be found on Google maps and other navigational apps. It puts you right in front of these neighbouring customers, especially for geographically related searches.
In this article, we will share five tips to help improve your local SEO strategy and enjoy its benefits:
Ps – SEO is not dead!
- Create your Google My Business (GMB) Account
To get started on your local SEO, you must first edit and verify your business information on Google My Business. A complete profile on GMB establishes your presence for free on the search engine and makes your business show up on Google Maps as well.
- Ensure your NAP details are correct and consistent
Your business’ name, address, and phone number are essential details that search engines use to determine your location and add you to online business directories. Citations, or any mention of your company’s name in online directories and other websites, will help customers find your business easier. Ultimately, all of these details send a positive signal to search engines and improve your performance in search rankings.
- Encourage customers to write honest, positive reviews
With easy access to a wide range of information, research shows that the majority of consumers read online reviews before purchasing a product or service. Moreover, consumers are more likely to trust local businesses that have positive reviews against those with none at all. However, some businesses do not take online reviews seriously.
Keep in mind that positive reviews make a good impression on potential customers. Most importantly, they let search engines know that you have a good and active business, and this ultimately helps improve your ranking.
- Make your website mobile-friendly
Another aspect that will improve your business’ local SEO is mobile optimisation. Most consumers today access the Internet through their smartphones and make searches using them. However, they will be quick to abandon a page that is slow to load or that has a design that does not fit their screens. As a result, there’s a big chance that they wouldn’t want to return to that site either. Considering this, you must optimise your website with mobile users in mind and aim to give them a good user experience.
- Connect with the locals through your website content
Writing about events or interesting stories that are relevant to the neighborhood you are in can help drive local interest to your website. There are many ways you can do this, such writing about your business’ remarkable contribution to the community in your “About Us” page, or writing about recent events in your neighborhood that are relevant to your business in your blog pages.
Conclusion
Local SEO is a powerful method for you to connect with potential customers in your service area. When done right, all your efforts will surely drive traffic and boost your online exposure in your locality to garner loyal customers.
Seeking the expertise of SEO specialists to help you establish a strong local presence is a smart move for your business.
If you’re looking for an SEO agency in Cambridge, we’re the ones for you! We are a team of digital marketing professionals that will help you achieve the success you are aiming for. Get in touch with us today to see how we can help!
