Are you new to local search and you don’t know what to do?
Do not fret.
It is possible to use local Search Engine Optimization to build your brand and expand your local business.
With the changing times, it becomes prudent for you to embrace online marketing. Most consumers have embraced technology, and most of them now spend a lot of their time on their devices.
For you to reach your target market, it is crucial to learn several tactics that will increase traffic to your website, and increase your customer base.
One thing that you need to know is that SEO strategies change all the time such that new strategies have now replaced the old techniques that used to work. You, therefore, need to maximize your on-site and off-site SEO techniques to attract clients who might be searching for your local business.
The other reason you need to embrace local SEO is that competition gets stiff by the day. If you aren’t on top of your game, it goes without saying that your competitors are.
You, therefore, need to play smart. Below are some of the local SEO tactics that will help your business rank better in local search.
You Need Great Online Reviews
The new generation values online reviews and greatly rely on them. Businesses, therefore, need to ensure that they have great reviews on online platforms because any negative remarks about their product may discourage potential customers from engaging with them.
Since most people trust online reviews, you have to ensure that you find a reputable marketing software to help you track, manage, and seek reviews from clients.
Besides, several social media platforms enable you to get alerts any time your product or brand is mentioned anywhere.
Ensure you respond to all reviews on your page, whether negative or positive. Responding to reviews shows the online customers that you value what they think and this motivates them to engage with you.
By responding to negative reviews, you can showcase yourself as the hero of the situation. Be kind in your response to negative reviews and patiently explain the whole situation. Don’t try to make yourself look good and don’t try to make the other person look bad. Just thoroughly explain. If there was an error on you or your businesses side, publicly apologize and let them and the world know the steps you’ve taken to resolve the issue.
The awesome thing about reviews is that ultimately you get the last word on the review so you can turn a good review into a great one or a bad review into an amazing one! It just all depends on your response.
Some of the platforms you should focus on getting reviews on include Facebook and Google My Business Page. This is because most people are on Facebook, and they depend on their friends’ opinion, to determine whether a particular brand is good or not. Also, having positive reviews on Google My Business Page is vital because the reviews tend to show up on google when people search for your product or service. Remember, if your online review volume is low, you will not have a high ranking.
Add Local Structured Data Markup To Your Site
Use of structured data markup will help you attract more local customers. It enhances the search experience such that it tags specific details about your business such as the products you sell, the services you offer and displays reviews from your clients, allowing the potential customers to know a lot about your business, within a short time.
You are therefore required to add the markup to your site if you want to increase the visibility of your business as well as conversion.
Some of the other structured data you could include are the types of payment you accept, the cost of your products, business hours, and customer ratings.
Also, Google wants businesses to use this structured data markup because it enables its spiders to determine the content of your site. It provides you with a testing tool to check whether your data markup is functioning. Also, it shows you any errors that are on your structured data and allows you to fix them.
Create A Mobile Friendly Website
Since most people use a mobile phone for their day to day activities, you have to ensure that you create a mobile friendly website. If potential customers can easily access your site without having to deal with slow loading time, you will be able to increase traffic to your page and engage more with your customers.
Ensure that your page loading speed is high to avoid losing potential customers.
Some of the ways to deal with slow loading time are to optimize your images such that they are not very large. Large images tend to increase the loading time of your page.
The other ways to optimize your website for mobile users is by using bigger fonts that are easy to read. If you find that your website is not responding well to mobile phones, you should consider doing a website redesign or using page speed tools that are provided by Google developers.
Do not dismiss these tips to help optimize your website for mobile phone users. Remember, most clients do local searches using their phones.
Local SEO is crucial if you want your business to do well. Without it, you lose the opportunity to expand your customer base. If you wish to optimize your business, it is good to embrace the current SEO strategies that are being used by your competitors.
Work on creating a mobile-friendly website, getting positive reviews from customers, and using structured data markup to expand your business.