Have you ever watched a nationally televised talent show? If so, you probably wondered how many of the gifted performers had never been discovered before. The answer almost always comes down to visibility. You can be the most talented person in the world, but if you don’t market yourself effectively, the world will never know you exist.
The business world works similarly — especially if you rely heavily on local traffic to stay afloat. If you’re practically invisible online, local customers won’t know you’re there and will continue doing business with more noticeable competitors. So, how do you build a name for yourself and get more people in your immediate area to recognize you? By learning how to master local search engine optimization techniques.
Local SEO is a combination of techniques designed to improve business visibility in localized search results. It’s an extremely important form of marketing for brick-and-mortar businesses that rely on physical traffic to remain afloat. If you own a brick-and-mortar clothing store, for example, you need nearby shoppers to know you’re there so they can buy from you. Here are three impactful SEO strategies you can use to help improve your visibility in local search results.
1. Use Localized Keywords in Your Content
If you want shoppers to be able to find you, it’s essential to include localized keywords on your website and all published content. Your content is the vehicle that delivers your messaging directly to your audience. The keywords you use help ensure that your vehicle makes it to the correct destinations.
To get started, write down some of the keywords that customers will most likely use when searching for the goods or services you offer. Choose a few of those keywords to include in your next marketing article, such as “women’s clothing,” “legal services,” or “toilet installation.”
Next, identify some local terms to tack onto those keywords. Depending on the audience you want to target, those terms may include the names of nearby cities, towns, and neighborhoods. Your final keywords might look something like: “women’s clothing in Highland,” “San Diego legal services,” or “toilet installation in Hollywood.”
Using localized keywords in published content is more important for some industries than others. For example, if you’re a plumber or hairdresser, attracting local shoppers is essential if you want to remain in business. Similarly, localized keywords are crucial for law firm digital marketing because most lawyers only offer their services to nearby clients.
2. Audit Your Site
It can be tricky to identify how you can improve your local SEO efforts. You may think you’re already doing all the right things, but your results don’t seem to reflect that. Sometimes, it’s hard to know what’s broken unless you do a deep and detailed analysis. That’s where an SEO audit comes into play.
An SEO audit is an in-depth analysis of your current search engine visibility and the elements that contribute to it. The deep dive may include an analysis of your Google My Business listing, a competitor analysis, and a citation audit. It should also include a detailed audit of your website to ensure it’s crawlable and performs well.
Once you identify weaknesses that are impacting your local SEO efforts, you can focus on correcting them. Search engines should recognize your efforts and reward them by giving you a better rank. If you aren’t comfortable performing an audit on your own website or don’t know where to begin, don’t worry. You can always pay professionals to perform an audit for you. This is an investment worth making if it results in improved local visibility.
3. Check the Accuracy of Your Local Listings
Google and other search engines have one primary goal: to ensure an excellent user experience. Therefore, they prioritize websites that ensure their local listings are up-to-date and accurate. If your business listings have outdated information, search engines will likely give you a lower ranking. Remember, the lower your SEO rank, the harder it is for your target audience to find you.
To increase your online visibility in search results, you should regularly check the accuracy of your local business listings. These include Google My Business, Yellow Pages, social media listings, and review sites such as Yelp. Basically, anywhere your company appears online should have accurate information.
Local listings help customers find important information about your business and products. Having your business appear in as many directories as possible is great for your online ranking, provided all of your information is correct. Make sure every listing that includes your business has current and correct information, especially hours of operation, address, and phone number. This is especially important considering 60% of smartphone users report calling a business directly from a search result listing using the “click to call” option.
Improving your visibility in search engine results can be a complicated process, but it’s well worth your efforts. Keep in mind that local SEO isn’t a “one-and-done” thing. You need to consistently integrate it into your marketing efforts. Once you learn how to master this essential element of your online advertising strategy, you’ll begin to reap the rewards. As your site becomes more visible to nearby customers, you’ll see your traffic, sales, and profits begin to rise.
