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Last updated on April 18th, 2024 at 12:02 pm
As a local business, you’ll want to attract customers who live nearby. You need to focus on local SEO. But how do you do that? A good first step is to be found on Google and other search engines. So how do you get your local business ranking online? Here are five tips to help your local business online.
What do the top 5 Google search results have in common?
Do you know what the top 5 Google search results have in common? They’re all local, they’re all relevant to your query, and they’re all optimized.
In other words: if your business doesn’t show up on the first page of Google’s search results for a particular keyword (or keywords), it’s highly unlikely that anyone in your area will find you. You’ve got to optimize your website so that it stays at the top of the rankings—and there are many ways to do this.
So how do you get your local business ranking online? Here are 5 tips every local business should follow:
- Focus on one or two search terms related to your business
- Create a location page for each physical location
- Solve your customer’s problems
- Optimize for local SEO
- Create a Google Business Profile
Let’s break it down for further clarity…
Focus on one or two search terms related to your business
While it’s good to have a broad focus, you should also focus on one or two search terms related to your business.
For example, if you’re opening an Italian restaurant that specializes in pasta dishes and wine, then you might want to rank for the phrases:
– Best Italian restaurant in town
– Pasta places near me
By choosing two related keywords like these, you’ll get more traffic than if you tried ranking for everything.
Create a location page for each physical location
When you have multiple physical locations, creating a location page for each one is important. This will help customers find, book and interact with your business in the right place.
A great way to do this is by using a landing page where the user can click to go to the relevant location.
A map of your city showing all your physical locations is also a great idea. If you have multiple locations, we recommend adding a field called “Nearby Locations” where you can add hyperlinks to other pages that are relevant to that location.
Solve your customer’s problems
- Listen to your customers
- Use customer feedback to improve your business
- When asking for feedback from customers, don’t be afraid to ask questions like: “What was the most frustrating part of working with us?” or “What would you do differently if you could start over?”
If possible, create a reward system such as a discount on their next service when they refer you to a friend. The more locals who know you exist, the more you grow locally. It’s free advertising! 😃
It’s important that you use customer feedback to improve your business and not just as a way of fixing problems that already exist. By solving customers’ problems and building trust, your existing customers will market you naturally; by word of mouth!
Optimize for local SEO
It’s important to optimize your website for local SEO. You can use this as an opportunity to get more exposure, while also reaching out to potential customers in your area who are looking for businesses like yours. But what exactly is local SEO?
Local SEO is different than general search engine optimization (SEO). It’s a way of optimizing your website with keywords that relate directly to where those people who use it are located and what they’re searching for. Think about it: when you’re on the go and need something done quickly, chances are you’ll look up everything from plumbers close by or restaurants nearby before making a choice. That’s why it’s so important!
There are several strategies you can employ when optimizing for local search engine results.
Create a Google Business Profile
A Google Business Profile, previously Google My Business, is an important part of your search engine optimization strategy. It allows you to create a profile for your business or organization and then add the location, contact information, hours of operation and other relevant details. People looking for local businesses will see your listing in Google Maps or Google Search when they search for businesses that are close by.
Google Business Profile is free to build and manage, but you must claim the page before you can edit it. Here is a great guide by Semrush to get your GBP profile set up.
Conclusion
If you follow these five tips, your business will be well on its way to succeeding online. Just remember that developing a strong local presence takes time, so don’t get discouraged by slow progress. And if you need any help along the way, feel free to contact us! We’d love to help with any questions or issues that you need assistance with.