Are you a small business wondering what options you have in the highly competitive and expensive world of online marketing? You might want to consider putting effort in local SEO. Still on the fence? Consider these figures:
- Local searches constitute 46% of all Google searches
- Every day, local businesses are being searched by 58% of mobile users
- 88% of mobile users search for local businesses once every week
- Of all mobile users, 72% of them patronize a store within five miles of their vicinity
Thus, if you want your small business to gain even just a bit of prominence in your area, it is crucial to adhere to the best practices of local SEO, starting off with making sure your local business’ website is optimized so that when a targeted local audience does a search, your website appears on the first page, if not the top, of search results. These searches usually happen on Google, Apple Maps, Bing, Yelp on both mobile and desktop devices.
If you are targeting an audience within your community, local SEO is what will get your website noticed and in turn, bring in more customers for your business. So, how do you do local SEO right? Here are some factors you need to look into:
Your NAP needs to be cited
NAP, which stands for Name, Address, and Phone Number, needs to be cited on search engines. The more NAP citations you have, the higher your chances of ranking high. That’s because Google and other search engines consider a high number of NAP citations as proof that your business is authentic and legitimate. Having NAP citations in as many online directories and legitimate websites is a great practice to establish yourself in local SEO.
However, having a consistent NAP is also important to the user journey as online directories and social bookmarking sites aren’t just used by Google, they’re used by humans too.
(Via: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/local-seo/why-nap-user-experience-are-crucial-to-local-seo/)
Get your link building strategy rolling
Link building is not just an important aspect of a general SEO effort, but in local SEO as well. By having strong links, you will be given direct referral traffic as you effectively improve your reputation and brand visibility. To build links effectively, try to be featured in directories, whether they’re of start-ups or of the more prominent brands in your industry. Local community and city websites can also be tapped on for more links, as well as local businesses that are complementary, not direct competitors, to your own.
So, by incorporating local link-building, there will be more chances of consumers visiting your brick-and-mortar store on the same day they found your business online with a local search.
Are you on Google My Business? How about Bing Places?
A high ranking in local searches would require you to have an optimized profile on listings of all major search engines. It’s a good thing that Google My Business provides local businesses with detailed instructions that they can follow to successfully optimize their online presence. A complete profile and an accurate location on map applications will help a lot in ranking high on these platforms.
Google Business is a free platform that displays business information on Google search and Google maps. This platform allows business owners and marketers to control information that’s displayed about their business and feeds this into Google’s knowledge database to increase understanding about your brand online.
(Via: https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2020/02/19/how-optimise-your-google-business-page)
Don’t forget the other sites
Yes, we’ve mostly mentioned Google My Business and Bing Places, but in our introduction, we have also mentioned sites that specialize in business listings, like Yelp and other cloud software directories, not to mention business directories and forums that cater specifically to your area. Also, don’t forget to optimize your business’ profiles on social media so that those looking for recommendations on platforms such as Instagram and Facebook can get substantial information on your business.
Basically, think about local business listings as a sort of a digital-era phonebook. Nowadays, whenever people need information on a certain kind of business, they’ll most likely look for it online. Local business listings can introduce them to a variety of companies offering the kind of service or product they need, based on the potential customers’ area.
(Via: https://www.globaltrademag.com/the-importance-of-having-local-business-listings/)
All Systems Go Marketing offers a wide range of digital marketing solutions perfect for your local HVAC business. Get in touch with us about your digital marketing strategy today.
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source https://www.allsystemsgomarketing.com/hvac-seo/getting-results-with-local-seo