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In the digital age of today people turn to the Wild World of Web looking for answers to most of their queries and why not! It’s just a click away. For instance, if you are looking for high quality leads for a newly launched product you will search for a lead generation agency. If you don’t know one, you would just look it up on google right? This is where the Local SEO comes into picture. Now, what is local SEO exactly? As the name suggests, it’s Local Search Engine Optimization.
Interesting facts to consider here would be- according to socialmediatoday 46% of all Google searches have local intent and as per seoexpertbrad 88% of the people visit or call the business within 24 hours. In such scenarios the online presence and ranking of your business becomes the deciding factor if you would be a successful venture or just another invisible player.
If you are a local business, this is welcoming news. It simply implies you do not have to compete against the whole world to attract customers; the game has limited participation. But this does not mean the work is going to be simple, but with educated efforts it isn’t rocket science either. For starters let us have a look at some highlighting features of local SEO which would make your business the talk of the town.
1. Local Pack
2. Google My Business
3. Customer Review or User Experience
4. Citations
Local Pack
Whenever you search for some product or service online, the local map with a snippet listing three businesses appears on the SERP (Search Engine Results Page). The information listed here is company name, business information, description, location and distance of the business from your current location. Generally people tend to select one of these listed business rather than the organic search results simply because they are the ones with best ratings which ensures quality and it’s just three to decide from so it’s easier which is the end game right?
Factors playing key role in featuring of your business in this snippet are-
- Customers reviews on your business portal
- Easy navigating website – user experience while navigating the website is more likely to convert to sales.
- Smartphone optimized website- most of the customers tend to use smartphones for localized searches.
- Last but not the least location of your business.
Google My Business
Google my business or GMB is basically your business profile on google. The online snippet that lists-
Business logo
Accurate location
Contact information
Website
Product listing / services offered
Working timings
Acceptable payment methods
GMB is like an online business card, it’s the first impression of your business hence needs special attention. For as the saying goes first impression is the last impression, we are here to make a strong first impression by capturing customer’s attention so they look no further. The details listed on the GMB should be accurate and must be updated regularly to keep the clientele growing. Incorporating Google map links and geo-tagged images of the products or services on a regular basis to your business makes the customer’s work easier which is always a plus point for you as a business.
CUSTOMER REVIEWS
In today’s fast moving world where there is no limitation to available options, quality and favorable user experience are the deciding factors that could draw more customers to your side. Customer review has been one of the primary forms of marketing; the only difference today is addition of the web to it. Previously it was the word of mouth that made your business popular, now online reviews do that for you.
For example, if someone wishes to go out for desserts, the first thing they would do before stepping out would be to search for best bakery near me; the local pack appearing on the SERP followed by organic search results tends to catch everyone’s attention. Good ratings and positive reviews provide for that extra push that makes the ball drop in your court. In simple words, people need assurance that their action is the right one.
So next time your customers visit you- ask them personally to post their reviews about your services online. The work does not end here, make sure you respond to positive as well as negative reviews courteously and try to understand and solve the customer’s issues. This will always fetch you a positive impression as a business. You can also text or email your customers requesting for their feedback about the services, helping to develop strong personal relationship with the clientele that reflects positively on your social reputation.
CITATIONS
Local citations are the instances where your business name, address, phone number (NAP) are mentioned online in directories, social media platform,apps , etc. It may contain information like website, tagline, reviews and other aspects of the business but NAP is more or less the core of it. Accrued positive citation plays a very vital role in building the image of your business; make sure the information in citations are accurate. If you come across any information that is incorrect or outdated take time to rectify them. Take control over how your business is represented across web. These little steps are going to add to your revenue and social image you as well may invest resources to get it right for it will definitely reap you profits in future.
To put it in simple words- in this internet driven world where consumers lack neither choice nor knowledge, business be it big brands or startups are very much concerned about their brand image because this is what attracts a customer, which in turn drives the revenue wheel. The Local pack, GMB, customer reviews and citations all act as bricks in building the social image you aim to achieve. If you wish for a long lasting structure investing resources and time in local SEO will automatically seem like the right path to take.
