Before getting to a national or even international level, any small business usually needs to start with a local market. Even though the local market may seem much smaller, it’s in no way less challenging. Employing a good local SEO strategy is the way to win the competition.
What Is Local SEO
Local SEO focuses on ranking well in a specific location whereas national SEO targets the whole country. Local SEO is especially beneficial to businesses having a brick-and-mortar store. It’s with effective local SEO that small businesses can manage to compete against national brands with unlimited budgets and a big marketing department.
The Elements of an Effective Local SEO Strategy
Optimise Your Google My Business Account
The very first step is to claim your Google My Business account if you haven’t. That way, when a user searches for local registered dietitians, your business will show up not only in the search results but also on Google Maps.
Encourage Happy Customers to Write a Review
The number of positive reviews does impact your rankings so don’t hesitate to ask for a review from happy customers. If the sale is online, send the customer an email thanking them for their support and suggesting that they leave a review if they are happy with their purchase. Even when you get negative reviews, act professionally and try to resolve the problem that the customer is experiencing.
Create a Mobile-Responsive Design
Research has shown that local mobile searches often result in an in-person store visit within 24 hours. The shift to mobile is happening very fast. If you don’t want to lose out on potential revenues, consider optimising your website for mobile browsing. To take full advantage of mobile traffic, customers should be able to comfortably place an order on their mobile without having to switch to a desktop.
Choose Your Target Keywords Wisely
Use Google’s Keyword Planner to pick the right keywords. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes when brainstorming keywords. Highly competitive keywords will take a lot more time and effort to rank for than less competitive ones. For a small nutrition business, relevant long-tail keywords are gold.
How Can a Good Local SEO Strategy Help You Boost Your Revenues
Local SEO Helps You Achieve Top SERP Rankings
Appearing in the top three positions when a user performs a local search is the goal of many businesses and the aforementioned local SEO strategy will help you achieve that.
Beat Your Competitors
There are also many analytics tools you can use to spy on local competitors and figure out what they have been doing with their SEO. By modelling only the best strategies and keep adding your own twists, you should see an increase in traffic after some time.
Establish Yourself as a Local Expert in the Domain
Content is king when it comes to digital marketing. It’s a means to connect with your customers and create a voice for your brand. You can start by posting regularly about the subjects that interest your target audience. If they are able to solve their own problems with your advice, they will come back for more content. Once you have managed to establish yourself as an expert, the sales will automatically come.
As you can see, running a business is hard work, especially when it comes to marketing. Instead of wasting time going through trials and errors doing something you are not an expert in, why not let SEO professionals help you, so you can focus on what you are good at instead? Contact us today to see how we can best help youe
