If you are responsible for driving sales, you are probably familiar with the terms “local search marketing”, “local SEO”, and “local search” by now.
Local search marketing, AKA local SEO (short for search engine optimization), is essential to a successful digital marketing strategy.
Properly executed, local search marketing elevates your online profile, ensuring consistency in search results, and most importantly – connecting your business with customers.
What Is Local Search Marketing?
Your local SEO and local search marketing efforts are the actions you take in the online world to connect your business with customers in the offline world. For local businesses, this is a crucial part of your overall marketing strategy and the primary focus of your online marketing efforts.
Why Local Search Marketing Matters
The online world is both crowded and complicated and it can be difficult to gain traction. However, as a local business that operates within a defined geographic area, your operating area is significantly less cluttered. Local search marketing can position your services in front of the right people, in the right region.
When customers are looking to purchase something locally, they begin their search online. Your local SEO is what puts your business’ name and information in front of them when they’re searching.
The numbers:
- 72% of consumers who performed a local search visited a store within five miles
- “Near me” or “close by” type searches grew by more than 900% over two years.
- 30% of all mobile searches are related to a location
- 28% of searches for something nearby result in a purchase
- Local searches lead 50% of mobile visitors to visit stores within one day
- 78% of local-mobile searches result in an offline purchase
[source: HubSpot]
Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. How many of us have pulled out our phones to search for a type of store or restaurant? These searches often start off by searching for something like “pizza delivery near me” or “mattress store nearby”.
Improving Your Google My Business Profile
Google My Business listings may be the most important listing related to your local search strategy. Here, customers can read reviews, view photographs of your store, product, or location, and most importantly: find out how to contact you.
It is important to set up, maintain, and ensure the accuracy of your listing to enhance your results and stand out from the crowd. Other local directories such as Bing, Yahoo, and Yelp are important as well. Equally important is ensuring the information contained in these listings is consistent across the board.
Search engines are tuned into a business’ contact information, particularly the name, address, and phone number (NAP, for short). If your business is listed as “Joe’s Pizza” on Google, “Joe’s Pizzeria” on Yelp, and “Joe’s Italian Pizza Restaurant” on Yahoo, search engines may become confused. As smart as they are, they won’t necessarily know it’s all the same business! This applies to your address and phone number formatting as well.
Improve Your Local Search Ranking
Getting your name and information into the hands of local customers when it matters most is what local search marketing is all about. Your customers are out there looking for you, so isn’t it time you made yourself easy to be found?
Local search marketing from Arcminute Marketing optimizes your 20 of the top online business directories, including Google My Business. Using keyword research and custom content creation, our team will maximize your Local SEO presence to increase website traffic and sales opportunities for your business.
