Google is one of the most popular sites on the web. You have a local business but why aren’t you getting more traffic and more customers from Google? Today I’m going to share a few tips on how to market your local business online.
If you google any of the localised search terms within your area, what you’ll notice is there’s going to be a map at the top and then there’s going to be three listings. This is called a local pack.
There’s always three listings, not five or six and you want to be in there. Here’s three easy steps on how you can be:
1. Set up Google My Business
So the first thing you need to do is set up google my business. When you set up google my business and you submit your corporate information, you’re much more likely to get placed there. Within there you need to also put in the proper name, address and phone number. Also make sure that data is consistent around the whole web. Whether it’s on Trust Pilot, Yelp or your own website. You’re much more likely to rank.
2. Optimise your site for SEO
The second thing you need to do is optimise your site for local SEO. Right beneath that all those map listings you’re going to see normal organic listings. You can also be there. You can take up double the spots. To do this, just make sure that you’re using localised terms on your website. So make sure your details are clearly on your website, the address, name of your company, your phone number. This way you’re going to rank way higher locally.
Once you have done that, go all the way to the Chamber of Commerce within your city. A lot of times they promote businesses within your city, so ask them to link to your site. You can even try to find other companies within your space and see if they can mention you. The more links you generate from sites within your region, the higher your business is going to rank.
3. Improve Click Through Rate
The third thing you want to do is improve your click-through rate. Just because someone sees your business listing doesn’t mean they’re going to click on over to your website. So if you want to improve your click-through rate, the first thing you need to do is generate more reviews.
So, for anyone that comes into your store or have done business with you, ask them to review you. The more reviews you get, the more likely people are to come and click through. Google reviews are universal, while Trust Pilot is popular in the UK and Yelp is used a lot in the US.
The next thing you need to do here is use schema markup. By using schema markup it gives Google all the data about your localised business. Google has a whole page about schema markup and shows you how to use that code. If you have a WordPress website you can use the Yoast SEO plug-in and it will add schema markup to your site automatically.
So in conclusion, if you use these tips you’re sure to get more local traffic from Google.
Did you find the strategies listed in this article helpful? How have they worked for you?
