Ebunoluwa Akinola
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving your website to increase the chances of it being seen when people search terms related to your business.
Local SEO is a similar venture but with a particular focus on local keyword terms.
Your local SEO can center around increasing sales, drive traffic to your website
However, each of the tips below can greatly benefit your local business, both online and offline.
Target Local Keywords
As a local business, you actually have an edge when it comes to keyword targeting “Near me”.
This means that targeting a combination of high volume and local keywords can work .
The goal should be to optimize your website with local keywords.
You don’t have to target only your specific town and zip code, Consider areas within 10 or 15 miles of your business and target those local keywords, too. This is especially good practice if you live in a smaller town outside of a larger city
Encourage Customer Reviews
Customer reviews are the lifeblood of your business. This is particularly true for new and small businesses.
How can you get online customer reviews?
First, ensure there is a place for customers to leave reviews.
Second, offer an incentive to customers who leave reviews. Whether by word of mouth or marked on in-store receipts, let customers know they will receive a discount or a complimentary item for their rating and review.
You must respond to all reviews, negative and positive. This gives you an opportunity to engage with your customers, and it can also instill faith in your brand by those who have yet to purchase.
Create Local Content
Above we talked about targeting local keywords while avoiding keyword stuffing. The best way to do this is to create local content for your website or blog
Local content can be a blog post, a news release, or a static web page. You can use these various content types to highlight local events (past and upcoming) or even to educate the public on your product or service.
The more natural content you have on your website, the more easily you can target local keywords. It can also help to establish you as an expert in the field, which is crucial for small business owners competing against larger businesses.
Implement a Local Backlink Strategy
A backlink is a link to your website from another site. Depending on the quality of the third-party websites and the number of links to your website, this can have a considerable impact on your website’s authority.
Become Mobile-Friendly
Considering 82 percent of smartphone shoppers conduct “near me” searches, you can’t afford not to have a mobile-friendly site. If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, then local searchers will quickly leave your site and consider a competitor instead.
The four basic elements that every mobile-friendly site should contain include: responsive page display,
readable fonts, proper text formatting, optimized media display
Get Involved on Social Media
Social media isn’t just for big brands and influencers. A local business page can benefit from social media usage, too.
More specifically, a local business page can be a great place to keep customers up-to-date on the latest sales, events, and changes (e.g., hours of operation). That’s because even with a website, a social media profile is more like a “living” version of your business.
Perhaps Facebook users benefit most from local business pages. After all, ⅔ of Facebook users across all countries surveyed say they visit the Page of a local business at least once a week. However, other social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok can also offer your business an edge.
