When business discovered the Internet,
they were eager to reach the global market. Many businesses, particularly those already online, began investing in search engine optimisation. Since then, things have changed. While the ability to achieve global reach is achievable, this not especially helpful to many businesses. For hotels and car manufacturers, reaching a global audience is essential. However a local restaurant or a one-shop specialty store will want to attract the people who are in (or visiting) the local area. This needs a more specifically targeted approach to internet marketing. This is where you should utilise local SEO, to improve your local listing on Google.
Local search engine optimisation brings your business to the attention of consumers from your location who are looking for your products and services. Say your Italian restaurant – let’s call it La Ristorante – is in Hastings, Hawkes Bay; you don’t need to show your products or services to Innsbruck, Austria. You will want to make yourself known to people in and around Hastings that are wanting to dine out.
There are ways to do this effectively. As search is becoming the predominant way of looking for information, products and services, it is likely that someone in Hastings or travelling through Hastings will search on “Hastings restaurants”. How do you make sure that the La Ristorante website or Facebook page is towards the top of the results?
When print was king, it was necessary for local businesses to have a listing in the local section of their yellow pages phone directory. Registering your website in local directories now is the current equivalent, especially now that local directories are starting to show more on the web. Register your site with every local directory that covers your specific geographical area.
Google is the top search engine; you should register your site with Google Places and Google Maps. This will ensure that you’re found on Google searches. If you’ve made a profile for La Ristorante in Google Places, whenever anyone in Hastings searches in Google for restaurants, even without adding the word “Hastings” to the query, he will be directed to restaurants located in Hastings. An additional benefit from having a Google Places profile is that positive reviews from customers will be added to your profile; these will boost your rankings. Other search engines also have local business directories. For example, Bing has Bing Local.
Always include your physical address, including postal code, city, and region as part of your website titles. Search engine spiders index this information. Always use targeted local keywords – such as “Italian Restaurant Hastings”; these will prove valuable in localised searches.
Posting current or upcoming events and promotions to your site is a great way to keep your listing updated and to improve your local listing on Google and other search engines. Another excellent way to attract locals is when your listing includes coupons or promo codes.
There are different local SEO techniques that you can employ. Remember that localising will get more mileage from your efforts and turn your listing into a profitable marketing tool.
It’s important to learn SEO strategies and techniques as they develop to position your marketing strategies favorably.
See how we can help you maximise your local listing on Google.