Online search is a fiercely competitive battleground, so if there’s anyway you can get an edge you need to capitalise on it. Local search gives local companies a platform to compete with larger corporations and reach the customers that are the most relevant to their business.
Google’s local packs are now elevated to the top of the page and give you the best chance of grabbing your customer’s attention:
Search term – “Digital Marketing Agency Willerby”
So, follow these steps and up increase those local leads.
Google My Business (GMB)
There’s no point in even trying to optimise without a Google My Business profile. This is your route into the Google Local Packs and top of the page glory.
You don’t even need a website to have a Google My Business Profile, so it’s the first thing you should set up.
Once you have your profile, make sure that you fill out as much detail as possible. Google likes to be confident with the results it shows to users, so the more information you can give, the more it will trust your result and the better experience it is for users.
Dedicated local landing pages
Your landing page needs to include your local information, with an address, phone number and email address, as this helps to validate the data within you GMB profile.
If you have multiple locations, have a dedicated contact page for each one, alongside a Google My Business profile for each location. Then use this local contact page as the link in your GMB profile.
If you haven’t yet got a website, give us a call and we’ll be happy talk you through our web design process.
Encourage reviews
Now that you’ve got your GMB profile set up and dedicated local page, you need to prove that you’re a great business that Google wants to show people, so ask your customers to review you on Google.
The more reviews you get (as long as they are positive) will help to propel you up the local rankings.
Local links
Links are another signal to Google that you’re are a legitimate and trusted site, and there are a number of quick and easy ways to get local links into your website.
Firstly, submit your business to other local directories, such as:
- Yell.com
- Bing Places
- Hotfrog
- Yelp
- Cylex
Then consider other sites from the area that you might already work with who could link to your site, this could include:
- Customers
- Local newspapers/magazines
- Suppliers
- Event organisers
- Other business owners
When getting backlinks, always remember quality over quantity, don’t start paying for links or joining spammy link networks.
Local content
Lastly, make sure you are writing content about the local area. If you have a site mentioning your local city or town, then search engines will have a better understanding about the location of your business.
This content could include:
- Work you’re doing in the local area
- Local events you’re attending
- Collaborations with other companies
- Or just giving suggestions about the city/town
Follow these steps and you’ll be on your way to an improved local presence. If you require any help or advice, give us a call to see how we can help.