Google has revealed that 46% of total search queries have ‘local intent’. This means users were looking for information specific to their area. These include searches made on Google Maps or searches with the phrase ‘near me’.
Even without the phrase, search engines are now able to recognize ‘local intent’ if the user is searching for restaurants, businesses or other services. Local SEO marketing focuses on optimizing your business’s online presence for a targeted audience looking for something specific in their vicinity. To promote businesses locally, digital marketers need to deviate from standard SEO practices.
Here are some proven strategies that work for local SEO marketing:
- Google My Business (GMB)
Just like your personal profile, Google My Business (GMB) is designed for business profiles. Creating your business profile will display details such as timings, services, location, contact number, reviews, and site link right on top of the results page. Instead of going through websites and contact information pages, users can conveniently get the required information from the search result page. You’d think that being the first step in implementing a local SEO strategy, most businesses would be using GMB; but, only 44% of local retailers actually use this valuable tool!
Google Reviews and GMB attributes are generated by the users themselves. Google has certain checks to keep bots from handling accounts and posting fake reviews or links. That is why reviews on Google are more trustworthy and credible for consumers looking for a service. GMB attributes are of two types: Objective attributes are fact-based and provided by the managers themselves. Subjective attributes are determined by users. Google inquires users after they’ve visited a business about its services. This information is processed and displayed to the owner and other users as well. The ‘Customer Actions’ section can be used to find out the number of users who looked up directions to your store, viewed photos, called you or visited your site.
Other online business directories such as YellowPages and Yelp should also be updated with consistency in business details.
- Develop Local Content
Content marketing is one of the most popular digital marketing strategies used today. In fact, 86% of B2C marketers use content marketing. However, what many fail to understand is the importance of producing localized and targeted content that consumers are able to relate to.
Before developing localized content, do not make the mistake of ignoring the culture and conventions of that area. Some companies have faced tremendous backlash because they simply used Google Translate on their international marketing copy to target local audiences. These turned out to be quite offensive. Always conduct market research and analyze consumer behavior and local conventions. If you’re unable to find an employee of that locale who can guide you, hire someone to do the research instead. Secondly, do not shy away from controversial topics. Nowadays, consumers want to know a brand’s opinions. Humanizing your content will help consumers resonate with your brand. That being said, always proceed with caution. Localized content will help you differentiate from competitors. Also, there’s the probability of your posts going viral. These strategies will rank your site higher and generate organic traffic.
For a guide on creating viral content for restaurants and cafes visit this page.
- Utilize Local Keywords
Your rank in search engines is primarily determined by the number of keywords on your site that match the search. For example, queries for “Italian coffee” near “Washington Park” will only display your site if you have included those keywords in your site.
Understanding what your target market searches for when they require your service is the first step. Industry related keywords that relate to your product/service such as “imported” or “organic” should be included in your site content. Create a list of the top-performing keywords but make sure not to overdo it and include keywords that do not reflect on your product/service. This will only lead to consumers feeling like the business is inauthentic. Keyword modifiers are phrases that describe the product/service. Phrases like “free delivery” and “best” will differentiate your site when users add these modifiers to their search queries. The top performing keywords are now becoming increasingly irrelevant as search engines focus on providing more personalized results tailored to the user’s location and personal preferences. The rise in mobile searches means more users are logged in to their Google or Microsoft account when looking for a product/service. Understanding your consumer segment demographics and preferences will help you shortlist the more relevant keywords and track your performance by the segments you have divided your audience into.
- Optimize Mobile Experience
52.2% of search queries in 2018 were generated through smartphones. Also, Google recently announced that websites that are in the mobile-first index database will be indexed and ranked using the site’s mobile version. That means, in order to reduce your bounce rate and get users to explore your site, it’s crucial to optimize your site for better smartphone experience.
If your site takes more than 3 seconds to load, 53% of smartphone users abandon the site. That is half the number of users that could’ve generated sales for your business. Realizing this behavior, search engines accounted for the site’s response time in determining its rank. Optimizing for mobile does not change the content that’s displayed for any user; it simply changes the arrangement and the way users access that information. Designing your own template will produce complications in the future because of the site’s complexity increases. Instead, use a template that’s ready for all platforms. Flash animations are unsupported by Android and iOS and reduce a site’s response time. To avoid a decrease in ranking always use HTML5 for animations.
Sometimes, users have to scroll horizontally to read the complete text. There is a simple solution to this problem; the Viewport Meta tag configures a webpage’s width according to the screen width of the device. Here is the small script that needs to be added to each page:
<meta name=”viewport” content=”width=device-width, initial-scale=1″>
Perform diagnostics regularly using Google’s Mobile Usability Test to make sure your site is still mobile friendly.
- User Reviews
78% of consumers place the same level of trust in online reviews as they do in personal recommendations. Developing a forum for users to provide product/service reviews is an easy way to gain the trust of your site visitors. Encourage satisfied customers to post reviews on social media sites such as Yelp, Facebook and TripAdvisor. Original content provided by users will increase your search result ranking and ultimately drive organic traffic.
