Here are seven ways to boost your local SEO to enhance your company’s visibility and increase your local SERP rankings. Understand what they are and how to implement them.
Traditional organic SEO and local SEO have distinct approaches. Google uses distinct algorithms to determine map pack rankings than those employed in organic Search, making it crucial that we adjust accordingly.
This article will explain how to gain new customers and enhance local SEO visibility.
Here are several ways to improve your local SEO.
1. It's Worth Checking Out Your Rivals' Google Business Profile Q&As
The questions and answers feature on Google Business Profile (GBP) can help expand your company. It can also be effective for converting prospects who are otherwise skeptical.
Beyond that, spend time researching your competitors’ Q&As as well. Look at what questions your potential clients are asking others in your industry.
How GBP Q&A Works
Users are taken through to a screen where they can ask a question if they see the “Ask a Question” button on their Google Business Profile.
The critical thing to remember is that the question is not sent to the Google Business Profile owner; it is sent to the profile instead. That means anyone who views a Google Business Profile listing can see it.
Once a question has been posted to your competitors’ Google Business Profile listing, you can see it.
And once the question is answered, that information – and the engagement – is there for all in the future to see.
What are the benefits of this?
Asking questions on your business’s Google My Business listing is a fantastic way to draw in new clients. People seeking services will often ask questions before visiting for the first time, and these inquiries are a fantastic opportunity to engage with them and inform them about your offerings.
For Your Listing – You can seize the chance to engage with a prospective local consumer who is near the end of the conversion funnel if you are on your GBP. If they have found you and are thinking enough of you to ask questions, a thoughtful response may be all it takes to convince them to visit your establishment.
On A Competitor’s Listing – Look at what queries your competitors and prospective customers are posing. Use this information to enhance your profile and website to answer customers’ queries. Suppose many people in your area seek gluten-free pizza from other pizza restaurants. In that case, you should emphasize the availability of gluten-free items on your website and listings.
Keeping one step ahead of local competitors is one benefit of this kind of research, mainly if the queries are slightly negative. For example, “Do you still play loud music?” This question makes a potential restaurant-goer consider the environment where they will eat their meal as soon as they see it being asked of another establishment.
If they see such comments on their competitors’ websites, consumers might question whether they can enjoy a catch-up meal with their friends after a long day at work. Before anyone asks, answer the questions being asked on your website about your competitors’ services. Let your customers know that they will enjoy a relaxing, ambient meal with music accompanying their meal.
It can give you an edge over your competitors in winning new business in your region if you answer a potential customer’s question before they even ask it. By demonstrating that you comprehend the needs and wants of your customers, you proactively answer a question before they even ask it.
2. Improving a Google Product Listing Can Increase Visibility
Businesses can post product details on Google to be seen by potential customers on mobile and desktop search results.
Products are listed on Maps and in the Products tab in Search in a carousel format. Both formats allow for that. Users can click on product cards to get more information, call, or visit the website.
GBP product listings function as follows:
It has become simpler to post your products to a Google Business Profile. A pointy is a new approach from Google that connects the barcode scanner to the point-of-sale device. As items are scanned, Pointy adds them to Google. You may quickly upload your product inventory to your Google Business Profile using Pointy. Pointy is only accessible in some nations and is not usable for items without barcodes (such as bouquets).
You can still upload products manually. Log in to your account and select Edit Profile > Products > Add Product.
What are the benefits of this?
There are several reasons why you may wish to highlight specific items over others. You can target specific products to more appropriate audiences based on their location. For instance, you may have excessive stock in one of your stores. By placing that stock at the forefront of that location’s GBP listing, you will be able to notify local consumers of it.
Consider prioritizing seasonal items when displaying your car repair shop’s products on the carousel. For example, you could move the snow tires to the front of the carousel if you expect an unseasonal snow flurry. This may help make your products visible to new customers in your target location at the right time.
3. There's Still Time to Take Advantage of Google Business Messages
Businesses can use the GBP to connect with customers directly from the SERPs. When GBP is activated, a Message button will appear on the SERPs that users can click on to start communicating with the firm directly.
How do GBP Business Messages work?
Google Business Profile and Maps have offered this functionality since 2017 and 2018. It just recently appeared on the desktop, however. As a GBP owner, you should see a message under the Messages tab in your desktop dashboard to Turn on messaging.
With this function, you can set an automatic reply to be sent when a visitor first contacts you. Google recommends that you respond to all messages within 24 hours to keep the service timely.
If you don’t respond to messages, Google will shut down the messaging function on your account. Your response times may also be recorded in Google Search and Maps. Google may display ‘Usually replies in a few minutes,’ ‘Usually replies in a few hours,’ ‘Usually replies in a day,’ or ‘Usually replies in a few days,’ depending on your average response time.
What are the benefits of this?
Some people need more time or interest to contact a business they have yet to use. It’s an excellent method of simplifying conversations with potential local customers if you can message them directly from your GBP. If you respond quickly, you’ll have a better chance of converting that potential customer.
It is particularly beneficial to local businesses that do not employ centralized call centers or messaging services. This approach can be another way to show the firm’s personalization based on the consumer’s geographic location. Offer, services, and tone of voice most suitable for customers in a specific location are the things to consider. You have the chance to emphasize once again how well you know your clients.
Because web applications can now be accessed virtually anywhere, it would be a shame to reach out to your potential customers in a different way. Having a proper understanding of the local community can help you make a better relationship with clients in your area. You can reinforce your relevance by mentioning local events and causes your business supports. Mentioning any local populations that your business serves specifically can help you build a better relationship with potential clients who contact you.
4. You Must Update All Available GBP Attributes
Make sure you keep your Google Business Profile up to date with the latest features. Google has been updating the features available on the platform.
How are new attributes used?
Some new features on Google Business Profile may be available to your business. However, only some new features are available to some types of businesses. Whether you can access new updates depends on what category is your primary in GBP.
Visit Google’s GBP announcements page to find out about the latest features and who is eligible.
What are the benefits of this?
An example of an attribute is the business’s ownership information. You can include attributes like ‘women-owned’ and ‘black-owned’ on your Business profile, for example. Google also introduced the option to express support for the LGBTQ+ community through ‘LGBTQ+ friendly’ attributes.
Businesses can attract customers from diverse backgrounds by demonstrating that they are inclusive and supportive of minority groups. For some people, knowing they will be welcomed there rather than at a competitor where support is not guaranteed can be the difference between going there and not.
5. Participate in Local Marketplaces and Forums
The secret to marketing your regional business properly is figuring out what your target audience desires. Spending time where your audience is may be a terrific way to understand what they want. This includes online. Put your business in local directories and forums to be where your customers are. The traditional citation benefit is less important than being where your potential clients are and hearing what they’re talking about.
What Are Local Marketplaces & Forums?
Online Marketplaces – Look for marketplaces relevant to your location and products on platforms like Facebook. For example, suppose you sell locally handmade crafts in your store. In that case, you may gather how much your audience will pay for products by looking at what comparable items are sold in your town’s Facebook Marketplace. You do not necessarily need to interact with the audience to understand who they are and what they prefer.
By paying attention to your local audience’s comments about prices, quality, shipping, and product sourcing, you can better understand their preferences.
Forums – Are you a local pizza restaurant? Then you should join local Reddit pizza subreddits and read the threads about your area’s restaurants to see what your local audience has to say about your competitors. Do your customers think that there are too many pizza shops and that someone should bring something new to the area? Alternatively, are they enamored with local independent shops and want to support them more?
What are the benefits of this?
Target audience members talking freely about your local area can help you tailor your search marketing strategy, tone of voice, and more. Go to locations where people congregate to find out what they want from their local businesses.
If you’re feeling courageous, there are ways to get in touch with your audience on these platforms. This should be done carefully and truthfully. Most people do not want to be mined for information without consent, so be open and honest when requesting feedback. When you can watch and learn from your audience, you are more likely to be able to offer products and services that they will appreciate.
6. You Should Pay Attention to Bing, DuckDuckGo, and Other Search Engines
You should be worried about more than just Google when searching for local businesses. Other search engines exist, and users may be more likely to use them first.
What do other search engines do?
It is doubtful that your profile appearing in the SERPs will generate a click. Thus, it will only be recorded in your web analytics program if you track impressions across several search engines. For example, you need to track impressions across Bing or DuckDuckGo to know that your organization has been seen there.
Apple Maps power the DuckDuckGo maps. To have your business appear in the DuckDuckGo local map pack, you must set up an Apple Maps Connect profile.
Bing places are the Bing local map function. Creating and optimizing a Google Business Profile listing will not help you gain organic visibility on Bing.
In addition, we are seeing other search engines become more popular over time, and in some locations, there are other search engines besides Google.
It’s worth looking at which search engines are popular outside of the U.S. if you have physical stores or business locations. Make sure you use the local map functionality of those other search engines.
What are the benefits of this?
Being where your competitors are not will put you in a good position. If your competitors do not appear in the Apple Maps results in DuckDuckGo, local searchers using that platform will be much more likely to choose you.
7. Pay Attention to Your Reputation
Are you keeping an eye on sites like TripAdvisor for reviews? Do you check your Google Business Profile regularly? Are you overlooking some SERPs that might give customers an outsider’s perspective of your business?
How reputation monitoring works:
A variety of features can appear in the SERPs for top and middle-of-the-funnel local search queries, such as [car mechanic telford].
Directory and Review sites that are listed prominently –
Customers can gather information about your company on these websites, including large directories, social media sites, and niche directories. Do these sites contain inaccurate information about your company or even reviews? Is there anything said about you by customers, former employees, or competitors? These websites are listed as the first feature in the Google SERPs for this query so that they may receive a lot of attention from your prospective customers.
People also ask:
When customers narrow their choice of business, they often seek specific information about them. A “People Also Ask” box might appear when searching for [is (name of a mechanic) in Telford any good]. When seeking information about that brand, this box appeared.
There’s no denying that this question concerns the value for money of [brand]. It does not, however, inspire much confidence. How can you affect the way people perceive this question? You can’t control what questions appear in the “People Also Ask” section, but you should try to influence them.
Try to get your answer to this inquiry ranked on a page so that when local business consumers search for “high-quality service,” “not using low-cost components,” and “highly-trained technicians who are well-compensated for their expertise,” they will find your response.
What are the benefits of this?
When a customer is researching a business, they may need to look at the information provided on the company’s website or Google Business Profile listing. They may also be viewing reviews posted on websites where the company actively monitors and responds to customer comments.
A local business may attract a lot of reviews, as these establishments tend to be promoted by websites that invite customers to leave their opinions. Because the opinions and experiences of others heavily influence potential customers, you may lose a new customer if you have a negative perception.
It’s crucial to keep an eye on the SERPs around your most important lead-generating search terms. You should monitor for places where negative perceptions about your business may be formed.
In Conclusion
You must consider various SEO factors if you want your local business to succeed. How your website appears on Google Maps for local searches or the standard SERPs can make or break your business.
Create a strong local SEO strategy if you want your brick-and-mortar business to succeed online.
You may also like How to Avoid These Five SEO Mistakes That Can Impact Your Google Ranking.
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