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Did you know that 76% of people doing a local search on their phones visit a store within a day, with 28% of those searches leading to a purchase.
If you’ve got a physical store, office or a service based business, you can increase your footfall with local SEO, which includes having a well optimised online presence that gets noticed when people search for terms related to your business. Although mostly overlooked, local SEO combined with other marketing strategies can boost your revenue in the long run.
How to Boost Local SEO in 5 Steps
The point of executing a Local SEO strategy (Search Engine Optimisation) is to enhance your business’s online visibility. Here’s how you can garner local traffic and grow your business with a series of simple steps:
1. Optimise Your Google Business Profile
Having a well-optimised Google Business Profile (GBP) is the foundation for local SEO as this is where most of your customers end up landing. This profile features your local keyword search phrase. For example, if people are searching for “bento cakes near me” and you have mentioned “Monica’s bento cakes”, then there’s a good chance that Google might show your business for that search term.
For optimising your Google Business Profile for local traffic, the best practice is to include a keyword-rich description, select relevant categories, and incorporate a map of your location linked to your website’s URL. Added to that, don’t forget to upload optimised images of your store, products, or services to your Google Business profile and regularly check your listings — this gives maximum visibility into your business and generates interest in users to visit your store.
2. Create Localised Content
Creating local landing pages can fortify your local SEO efforts. To start, include search terms that your target audience is using to find what they need. Landing pages that include local search terms like “in auckland” or “in wellington” act as a localised homepage, provided they mention your USPs (unique selling points), providing personalised information when they need it. Since your customers can also leave reviews, also reply to them promptly as high responsiveness can help build trust and credibility for your business.
3. Build Local Links
Another great thing about local landing pages is that they drive significant local traffic to other pages of your website. For this, get backlinks from other locally relevant websites to your website.
In order for this to be successful, the websites you choose should have a good Domain Authority (DA), preferably over 30. Authoritative websites not only give more exposure to your business but also ensure that it is mentioned on a legitimate platform where your targeted users can find you.
4. Building Local Citations
Local citations for your business means listing your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) on online directories and platforms.
You can generate citations automatically or add them manually, often by using platforms such as Yellow Pages, or industry-specific business directories.
Having several location-specific pages on your website can greatly enhance local SEO for small businesses. In order for this to be effective, you will need to post original content. Don’t settle with changing only the names or locations, as this may lead to unpredictability or skewed results.
5. Encouraging Customer Reviews
One way to boost your Google Business Profile is to inform your users that they can leave reviews after trying your products/services. To gather reviews, you could either ask your customers to add their reviews on:
- Link your GBP or on your website or on Email after they complete a purchase
- In-person persuasion
Make sure you are not only encouraging positive, but honest responses. Authentic responses can go a long way to support your local SEO practices.
Get Started with Local SEO
This was all about improving your local SEO ranking, guiding you. The key is to write high-quality content, current ranking keywords for your industry, and keep yourself abreast of Google updates to keep getting consistent local SEO traffic.
Does managing local SEO seem overwhelming for yourself or your marketing team? Trust seasoned local SEO Agency in New Zealand to increase your website’s ranking. Contact us today to discuss how we can help with our customized SEO plans to support your business goals.