Local businesses can benefit from a vast number of online marketing tactics which can help them attract and keep potential customers. According to statistics, around 46 percent of all online searches are local. In 2009, Google began including location when returning results for generic queries.
This means that if you are in London and looking for the closest flower shop, the results you are going to see at the top of the page will be for flower shops in London and not Timbuktu, for example, even if you don’t specifically state where you are at the moment.
This characteristic opens a great opportunity for business owners to attract more customer traffic by boosting their online presence in local search results.
Web Presence vs Website Optimization
Google is continuously putting emphasis on delivering mixed search results that have a number of characteristics which are not website-specific but relevant to the search query being performed. For example, business details and user reviews rank higher than other website data. So, in order to show up at the top of the search results pages nowadays, a company needs to put more effort into optimizing their online presence, rather than their website presence.
Google + local pages are currently a top ranking factor. That is why if you want your business to succeed, you need to create an account in Google My Business and obtain a local listing of your own.
You will have to pass a verification process of having to enter a PIN sent to your physical place of business. This is required in order to confirm your GMB page will represent a legitimate entity. You can grant the Montreal SEO experts you are working with the permission to manage the page for you. However, you are the one who needs to claim it on Google +, since stating your identity as the business owner is a must.
The process might seem a bit of a hustle but is totally worth the effort. This will give you a much better placement than your local competitors’, who are not on Google My Business yet.
Create Local Business Listings
Apart from Google + local, there are thousands of places on the web where business owners create company profile pages, providing the name, address, phone, and any additional details necessary.
And the best part about that is these listings are free. Google + is essentially the most important place to begin establishing your online presence, but efforts in that direction should definitely not stop there.
Customer Reviews Matter
Google’s local search algorithm devotes as many as 10 percent to reviews. It means that the more reviews a page has, the higher it ranks in the search engine results page. Even though not all of these reviews are five-star, they still count. And positive reviews, such as those on a Yelp page, might result in that page ranking even higher than the business website it is promoting.
Apart from SEO tactics, positive reviews speak a lot about your credibility, they help attract clients and keep them. Of course, do not try to force your clients into writing reviews about your services, rather nudge them gently in that direction by providing details of your Google + page on the receipts you are issuing.
Don’t Forget About Traditional SEO Techniques
When working to implement your local SEO strategy, don’t forget that success with it will rest on a properly implemented SEO foundation. You can get a broader idea as to what it needs to include at https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2017/07/11/15-simple-tips-for-improving-local-seo/#592bc7231466.
Basic rules apply to both traditional and local SEO and should not be ignored. Error-free code, fast loading speed and a website built on search-engine friendly CMS will all contribute to getting a higher rank on Google.
Create Locally Relevant Content
Relevant and compelling content is at the center of every successful SEO campaign. This is equally true for local SEO optimization. The more well-written and to the point are a website’s pages, the higher they will rank on Google.
Starting a personal blog is an awesome way to incorporate industry-specific content and local topics and areas of interest. With local SEO, you not only need to establish yourself as an expert in a particular subject matter. You also need to be the go-to expert in your town or the area where you live.
