Use local SEO to increase the visibility of your business on Google
Companies’ positioning through local SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategies has become an increasingly common practice for those who want to stand out on Google at the regional level.
Local SEO means having greater chances of attracting customers to a physical store, clinic, restaurant, office, among other places.
Therefore, it is a matter of offering a quick answer for a solution in their location.
Why bet on an SEO strategy for your region?
Whoever develops a local SEO strategy to position a physical establishment on Google is far ahead of competitors who still do not understand that the consumer profile has changed and is now much more demanding.
Imagine that a person travels for work in your city and is looking for a Japanese restaurant to arrange an important meeting at lunch.
As she doesn’t know anything about her region, the chances of searching for the nearest places, opening hours, reviews, and even the possibility of making an online reservation are very high!
Suppose you are among the first results and meet the expectations of this potential customer. In that case, the customer will want to go to the restaurant instead of hitting the street – and wasting his precious time searching for other possibilities.
So here’s the tip from the example above: having a presence on Google is essential for your business to stand out, attract new audiences, receive more visitors and, consequently, sell more – all without having to invest in paid media.
Besides, local SEO helps to increase your authority. The more complete the information is made available, the more confidence you generate in the users who find you on the search engine.
Four tips to start working with local SEO
Like general SEO strategies, local ones also follow the optimization rules for searching and ranking on Google.
Of course, some extra tools and tips can make all the difference to get good results for your region. Below, we have listed what cannot be left out of your actions!
1. Create a profile on Google My Business
This is, without a doubt, one of the essential tools to start your local SEO strategy. If you don’t already have a profile on Google My Business, consider making yours as soon as possible!
When entering your company on the platform, you can register your address, phone, website, opening hours, location map, and other information that can directly influence the decision of users who want to find you.
You can also publish photos and videos of your establishment or posts about your daily life events and news.
The more you move your profile and keep it updated, the greater the chances of winning Google’s trust and appearing in the results’ top positions.
Do you want to go further? Then, take the opportunity to enable functions for potential customers to make appointments or send messages by chat to answer your business questions.
With this, you facilitate the users’ routine and generate a closer relationship with them.
2. Encourage your customers’ reviews
One of the most relevant features of Google My Business is permission for reviews by customers who have purchased your products or services.
Remember that we say that consumers are increasingly demanding? So it means that they want to research and learn about other people’s experiences before they have their own.
Digital word of mouth is getting stronger and can be an essential decision point for your audience.
Therefore, in addition to encouraging your customers to make evaluations on Google My Business (or on other platforms, such as TripAdvisor), you should use this resource as a way to generate interaction and relationship.
Therefore, always respond to all evaluations, even if they are negative. Trying to understand your customers’ side and offering solutions shows that you care about their experiences and are willing to improve your service or product.
3. Have an optimized website
Every SEO strategy must take into account the optimizations of the company’s website.
To do this at the local level, you can bet on simple actions, such as filling in the contact information (phone, address, and map of how to get there) on your pages and bringing testimonials from customers to increase your authority further.
Besides, you should search for keywords specific to your location and work with them in your content. This will help a lot in ranking for your city or region.
Finally, never forget that your website needs to be responsive. In other words, it should also offer a good experience for users of mobile devices who want to know your company.
4. Produce content for your region and partner
Producing content can make a big difference in attracting more potential customers to your business.
Therefore, if your website does not already have a blog, consider building one and directing it to disseminate information, events, news, and subjects related to your city or region.
Do keyword research to understand what people are looking for most and help offer their solutions.
If possible, also partner with local blogs that are related to your area of expertise. After all, receiving backlinks is an essential step in any SEO strategy and can make a massive difference in recognizing Google’s authority.
Now that you know the top local SEO tips, it’s time to make your business stand out even more in your city or region.
