Do you want to be a leader in your local market? Attract more customers and grow your business?
As a local business, you most likely want to appear at the top of Google, so more people can find you and choose your business—this is where local SEO for small businesses becomes essential.
Nobody wants to be at the bottom of the list. That is exactly where you are at the moment if you don’t use any search engine optimization strategies.
Sound familiar?
This is your chance to appear in front of thousands of new potential customers with the right looking for local SEO in Melbourne services for your business. Read this article to the end to learn exactly how you can start growing your business.
Let’s dive in!
Why Local Businesses Need to Prioritize SEO?
Local SEO services have never been more important in local business marketing than they are today.
Here’s why.
Your customers are searching for you.
Statistics indicate that 46% of all Google searches have local intent. This implies that nearly half of all the searches that are made every day are being done by people who are looking for businesses in their local areas.
When a person is searching for a local business that matches their needs, they will type something like “plumber near me” or “best pizza in [city name]”.
We need to remember that they aren’t just looking for a business — they are also ready to buy something.
And what does that mean?
If your business appears on the first page of search results, your business will win.
In fact, 80% of American customers search online for local businesses on a weekly basis.
People have become so used to being able to find local businesses online before visiting them in person.
Local Search Can Significantly Increase Sales
Do you know something else that may surprise you?
Local SEO services not only bring more traffic to your website but also bring real customers who will buy your product or service.
One study suggests that 78% of mobile local searches result in an offline purchase within 24 hours. In other words, most people who search for local businesses on their mobile devices will buy something from the results list within 24 hours.
Here is why local searches are so valuable for businesses.
When a person needs to buy a service and they know what type of service it is, they just need to know who can provide them that service.
Compare that with advertising, for example. Advertising involves interrupting someone in order for them to choose to pay attention.
With SEO, it is different.
When people use search to find local businesses, they are there because they are actively looking for your type of business.
Companies who choose to focus on local SEO for small businesses as their main marketing channel see consistent increases in website traffic, calls and inquiries, foot traffic to brick-and-mortar locations, and overall revenue and sales.
The good news is that with an optimized online presence, local SEO services can work 24/7, day in and day out to increase the number of your customers.
What Local SEO for Small Businesses Tactics Really Work?
There are various local SEO strategies that can work for you. But what exactly is working right now?
Local SEO is not a difficult process; it simply requires a strategic approach to yield success. Businesses who focus on the tactics listed below will gain a distinct advantage over their competition:
1. Your Google Business Profile Needs to Be Everything
Your Google Business Profile is your online presence’s cornerstone. It is the listing for your business that will appear on the map pack when potential customers search for local businesses, making it a vital part of local SEO for small businesses.
The problem is that most businesses create a listing and just leave it at that.
That is a big mistake.
Your Google Business Profile should be complete with all of the correct information, updated on a regular basis, populated with high-quality images, and optimized for the right business categories.
Businesses that optimize their profiles and stay active will have a much better visibility than the ones that don’t.
2. Local Keywords Are More Important Than Ever
You can’t just optimize your online presence for generic keywords and expect people in your local area to be able to find your business.
You need to target your location-specific keywords that your potential customers will be searching for.
What’s important to understand is that you don’t need to force these keywords into your website. That will backfire.
Instead, you want to incorporate them naturally into your content, meta descriptions, and title tags.
3. Citations and Directories Are Extremely Important
Google wants to trust your business in order to show it to customers. Building credibility through local SEO for small businesses ensures your brand gets noticed.
One of the easiest ways to build authority with Google is to have consistent information about your business all over the web.
Citations are any websites that publish the name of your business, physical address, and phone number.
Your goal is to have your business name, address, and phone number listed in the same format all over the web.
Consistency is the key here.
If your business name is spelled differently on different websites, Google will not trust your business and this will have a negative impact on your SEO results.
4. Reviews Are An Important Ranking Factor
If you don’t know this already, let me tell you something most business owners don’t know.
Reviews are one of the major ranking factors for local SEO services.
Google wants to provide the searchers with the most trusted businesses.
What’s the best indicator of trust?
Customer reviews.
Recent studies show that 83% of consumers use Google to find local business reviews before they make their final decision.
Your reviews matter.
The more positive reviews you have, the higher your local search results will rank.
Google also cares about how recent your reviews are, how you handle your reviews even if they are negative, your average rating across all platforms, and the quality and content of reviews—making these factors critical for effective local SEO for small businesses.
Businesses that take an active approach to managing their online reputation see better local SEO services results and more sales.
The best approach is to make it a part of the process.
If you ask your happy customers to leave you a review on your website, most of them will be willing to help you out. It is just that they often need to be reminded.
Summing It All Up
Local SEO services have changed how local businesses are growing within their communities.
Local search is how people are finding local businesses, and those businesses who understand the importance of this type of search are the ones who are winning.
Customers are actively searching for local businesses, and nearly half of all the searches have local intent, while the majority of people who search on their mobile devices end up buying something within a day.
If you want to be visible to the thousands of new potential customers, you need to make sure your Google Business Profile is complete, active and fully optimized, research the right location-specific keywords and use them naturally on your website, build citations by listing your business on the most important local directories, and focus on getting more customer reviews—these are essential steps in local SEO for small businesses.
Local businesses who are serious about growing are those who focus on local SEO as their main marketing strategy.
Are you one of them.
