4 Tips for Mastering Local SEO
Did you know that four out of five consumers rely on search engines to find local information? It’s a fact, according to Google research. Furthermore, 50% of consumers who conducted a local search on their smartphone visited a store within a day. Approximately 30% of consumers who searched on a computer or tablet had the same outcome.
Local searches give way to more purchases than non-local searches. For example, 18% of local searches on smartphones led to a purchase within a day, while only 7% of non-local searches had the same result. As you can see, local search is an essential aspect of the customer journey and deserves to be nurtured by marketers.
It’s important for you to create and optimize a search marketing strategy that promotes your business locally. This will help drive website traffic as well as generate leads and conversions better. The following search marketing tips geared towards local SEO will put you and your business on the road to success.
Improve Titles and Meta Descriptions
Title and meta description tags are HTML elements worth customizing to reflect your website content, with the text versions shown in search results. This text is like a mini-ad you need to word carefully because it’s ultimately what will draw in consumers.
Note that Google increased the width of the main search results area to 600px. Therefore, your title tags can be about 50 to 60 characters, and your description tags can be about 155 characters.
Make sure your text is unique and compellingly descriptive, or else your CTR will struggle. Arrange your words in a way that helps them avoid being cut off in search results. To achieve this, avoid wasting text space on page or location names that aren’t beneficial to consumers. Use target keywords as close to the beginning of your text as possible.
Implement Localized Blog Content
And don’t just apply your title and meta description tags to direct product or service info; apply them to localized blog content centered on your target audience’s culture. Create a community with your blog content by addressing local problems, concerns, or priorities they have. You can gain blog ideas from this community through interviews or even customer feedback.
And without a salesy tone, indicate how your products or services suit their values and unique situations. Include location modifiers to make it easier for locals to find your blog content. It’s important to mention the address and contact info on the site as well. Also, having specific pages for locations can work too.
Prepare Your Google My Business Page
Another essential element of your search marketing strategy should be a Google My Business page – as part of a search directory. Claiming and optimizing this page could provide your business with substantial exposure – and it’s free!
To begin, you will need to go through a verification process involving a PIN to your business’s physical location. Next, optimize your page listing with a suitable description, categories, business hours, and more. Don’t forget to include your logo and business photos.
Ensure that all information and images are relevant to your target audience. On a side note, if your business lacks a physical location, you can hide your address area when setting up your listing. There are various places to do this on local platforms, such as Bing Places, Yelp, Superpages, Foursquare, etc.
The Power of Online Reviews
Online reviews also hold power for your search marketing strategy. And more businesses are starting to understand this. Besides, 84% of people confide in online reviews as much as personal recommendations. On top of this, 70% of customers will leave a review if requested by the business.
This kind of content provides searchers with personalized information about your business’s performance. Can you get insight more authentic than this? The more positive your online reviews are, the more visible your business is, according to Google.
Besides your Google My Business page, social media platforms, such as Facebook, are good places to get reviews since many people turn to them to learn about business perspectives from family and friends.
Practicing local SEO the right way does pay off. For more search marketing insight, read how SEO guidance helped a financial advisory site boost traffic 19%.
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