In the past, it was assumed that the growth of digital marketing would negatively affect small local businesses.
(Newswire.net — December 10, 2018) — In the past, it was assumed that the growth of digital marketing would negatively affect small local businesses. Local businesses still play a crucial role in the business world today. With the changing landscape in the digital advertising now focusing on local search, local businesses can now take advantage of the power of the internet to help grow their customer base and reach.
The significance of local search engine optimization (SEO)
In the past, businesses were concentrating on SEO without confining themselves to the local market. This was quite wasteful and yielded almost no return on investment. For example, a restaurant owner in New York City does not have to pay for ads that do not target his/her local market. It is better to use these resources to optimize the business website for local search as it will yield better results.
Here are the benefits of investing in local search engine optimization (SEO):
- Local SEO advertising is timely and more targeted
- Results in higher conversion rates
- Leverage influence of the mobile internet
- Higher trust levels from local community
- Higher return on Investment
A 2016 Go-Globe study shows that 50% of consumers who do a local search using their smartphone devices will always visit a local store on the same day. In addition, 18% of all local mobile searches will convert into an actual sale within a day.
87% of all smartphone users will carry out at least one search on the common search engines daily. Considering the fact that 60% of all American adults utilize internet devices to look for local services and information, then local search is crucial for businesses that want to succeed.
Effective local SEO strategies
Local SEO is the best way for local businesses to exploit available online opportunities. It is recommended to hire the best SEO expert who can come up with and implement effective link building strategy. These professionals have the necessary expertise and resources to use the best local SEO tools to guarantee successful campaigns.
Here are a few strategies that an SEO consultant will use to boost the visibility of your brand on local search.
1. Optimizing business information on the website
For your business to succeed online, you must ensure that your website is optimized for local search. All the information included on your webpages should reflect on your target market. The idea is to boost the ranking on local search engine result pages for targeted keywords. For best results, your domain name should reflect the location and type of business, business name, phone number and address on the individual pages.
2. Go mobile
Today, more than 80% of internet users are using mobile devices. Google declared in October 2016 that mobile internet traffic exceeded that from desktop traffic. This means that local businesses should come up with effective ways of making their websites ready for mobile usage. Google stresses on mobile and businesses should focus on ensuring that their websites are mobile friendly.
Local businesses must have a responsive website design to target mobile users. They can also win over consumers using mobile devices by offering special promotions and mobile-only deals.
3. Business listings on local listings
Ensure that your business listing information is available readily on common 3rd party platforms to help boost your local SEO. This is important because search engine crawlers are consistently looking for new information to help them understand local web better. You risk getting a poor ranking if information on your business is not available.
You should also consistently update your business listing information. For example, when you change your business location, all your 3rd party listings should show your new business address. Some helpful online resources for your business listing include Yelp, Facebook, TripAdvisor, Yellow Book, Google, and many more. Be sure to add images and video content that will help consumers to have a better understanding of your business.
4. Leverage online user reviews
If you are running a genuine business, you should appreciate the power of online user reviews. You need to encourage your visitors to review and rate your company and take the time to respond to these comments. You should also offer forums for your visitors to leave their positive or negative comments. When handled correctly, online user reviews can take your business to a whole new level.
A good SEO consultant will assist you to leverage social media engagement to boost local SEO. They should build effective strategies for maximizing on these networks. With all the above tips, you can easily tap into the local internet market to grow your business.