Modern business strategies. Local SEO as a method of gaining customers

Modern business strategies. Local SEO as a method of gaining customers
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Do you run a local business and offer interesting services or products? If so, the ideal solution to promote your image is to use the strategy of local positioning and website optimization. This will increase your chances of being visible in organic SERP results for local customers as well as for those who travel and seek exclusive deals from the places they visit. Find out where you can start.

Introduction: local SEO

As the world of online marketing continues to evolve, so do the strategies businesses use to reach new customers. One modern strategy that businesses are using more and more is local SEO. By optimizing their website for local search, businesses can make themselves more visible to potential customers in their area who are looking for what they have to offer.

Geolocation

SEO is critical for any business that wants to be found online, but local one is especially important if you want to be found by customers in your area. Geolocation is a key part of this strategy, and it helps search engines understand where your business is located. By optimizing your website for geolocation, you can improve your chances of being found by potential customers who are searching for businesses like yours.

That’s because when people do searches on mobile devices or desktops, they usually include their location with the search query. With geolocation enabled on your site, you could show up as the top result when someone near you searches for a coffee shop or grocery store – even if there are more popular sites with more traffic that come up first in the rankings.

How does it look in practice?

There are more than 1.7 billion websites on the Internet, and that number is growing every day.  In this situation, having a strong online presence becomes essential for any company who wants to be competitive in their industry. 

After all, statistics show that 92% of people who use Google to find local businesses do so while at home or work. Furthermore, 82% of searchers are more likely to visit a business if they see their location on the first page of search results. What’s more, 63% are more likely to purchase something if they find what they’re looking for on the first page. With such great odds, it’s no wonder why 87% of marketers consider local strategy to be one of the most important forms of digital marketing.

Who should reach for this strategy?

Any business that wants to increase its customer base and reach new markets should consider local  optimization. This is especially true for businesses that rely on local customers, such as brick-and-mortar stores, restaurants, and service providers. By optimizing your website for local search, you can improve your chances of being found by potential customers when they search for businesses like yours online.

What are the benefits? You’ll be able to save money on advertising by using targeted marketing, not wasting money on people who don’t live in your area. You’ll also be able to more easily attract clients with special offers that only apply in the area you serve. The bonus is that this strategy will help you build positive word-of-mouth because many consumers won’t bother going through an unfamiliar company’s site if it doesn’t provide what they need at first glance.

On-site optimization: basic steps

  • Start with your website’s structure and content. Make sure your website is organized in a way that is easy for both users and search engines to understand.
  • Use keyword-rich titles and descriptions. Use the keywords you want to rank for throughout your website, especially in the titles and descriptions of your pages.
  • Optimize your images. Include keywords in your image file names and fill out alternate text fields with keyword-rich descriptions of your images. Don’t forget to optimize your meta tags, including title tags, metatags and metadata by providing accurate descriptions of what your site offers. 
  • Create an XML sitemap and submit it to Google Webmaster Tools (WMT). XML sitemaps tell Google about all the pages on your site so that it can index them more efficiently and rank them better in its search results.
  • Add social media buttons to your website. By doing this, visitors will be able to share your content on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter which helps spread awareness of your products or services.
  • Test your site’s speed. The faster your site loads, the higher up it will appear in search engine rankings. Test how quickly your page loads on different devices and fix any issues that might be slowing down load time. 
  • Your website needs to be optimized for mobile devices if you want to rank well in search engine results. When designing your site, make sure it is responsive to look good on desktops, tablets and smartphones.

Off-site optimization: basic steps

Linking to other websites is one of the most important off-site optimization techniques. By linking to high-quality websites, you can improve your website’s search engine ranking and visibility. When linking to other websites, be sure to use keyword-rich anchor text to improve your website’s chances of being found by potential customers. So think about blogs, social media, directories.

Google My Business listing and NAP

As the internet increasingly becomes the go-to source for people looking for goods and services, it’s more important than ever for businesses to have an optimized website that comes up high in search engine results. And part of that is making sure your Google My Business listing is accurate and up-to-date. Your NAP (name, address, phone number) should be consistent across all platforms. Your location data should also be precise—make sure you list your zip code and country as well as your city. 

You can optimize your Google My Business listing by adding photos and videos, ensuring accurate categories and hours of operation, updating contact information if necessary, providing relevant customer reviews to showcase your experience level with different industries or service offerings.

Wrapping up

Local SEO is essential for any business that wants to be visible online to potential customers in their area. The first step is to make sure your website is optimized for local search. You can try to do local strategy on your own, but you’ll be better off teaming up with an agency that specializes in it, just like SEO services Galway. That way, you can focus on running your business while they take care of driving traffic to your website. They know the ins and outs of the local market and how to optimize for it.

(fot. pexels.com)

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