Everyone wants to go global and reach customers beyond their borders. But there is still great value in promoting locally. In fact, working with a local search engine optimization (SEO) marketing company is now more important than ever.
“Local marketing and local SEO are important aspects of any digital marketing strategy that targets clients in specific locations. It helps you rank higher in local search and Google Local Pack,” said Ronnel Villoria, lead SEO strategist at Thrive.
To demonstrate the continued importance of local online marketing, let’s recap Google’s major updates and their impact on search engine optimization (SEO).
Then, let us explore how to keep up with this year’s trends, by looking at:
• Google and Local Digital Marketing
• Vital Local Online Marketing Strategies for Mid-2023 Onwards
○ Google Business Profile Optimization
○ Google Maps Optimization
○ Local Business Listings Optimization
○ Local Delivery Apps Integration
○ Review Generation
○ Website Reponsiveness
○ Social Media Profile Optimization
○ Social Media Marketing With Paid Ads
Google and Local Digital Marketing
Local digital marketing is heavily influenced by Google, the world’s largest search engine. The latest StatCounter data shows Google commands 86.19% of desktop searches and 94.88% of mobile searches worldwide. For this reason, core updates to Google’s search algorithm set the direction for local digital marketing strategies.
Here’s why local online marketing remains relevant thanks to Google: The company launched Multisearch, one of its “most significant updates to search” that lets users do a Google search using both text and images so they can find exactly what they’re looking for.
Multisearch is an added function to Google Lens. It is especially helpful when you’re curious about an object but don’t know enough about it to create a straightforward phrase to type in the search box – like when the person next to you in the cafe has a laptop case you fancy, but you don’t know what brand it is or where to buy it. Similarly, if you’re agonizing over 20 options in the grocery store and want to narrow it down to the items that have what you need, or if you find something in a print magazine that you want to buy, Multisearch is the tool to use.
The clincher for Multisearch is the “near me” search feature that uses Google’s powerful AI search technology to identify objects and locate sources in your vicinity. But even without adding the “near me” phrase in the search query, Google switches to its local search algorithm when it detects localization tells, like names of cities and terms popularly used in a specific locale.
Multisearch is available to mobile users globally where Google Lens is already in service. Google also released supporting algorithms throughout the past year, inevitably changing how people use the search engine in the future.
With the world’s biggest search engine leaning towards local search, it stands to reason that local digital marketing and working with a local SEO marketing company should be a priority from 2024 onward.
Once you take this approach, local SEO strategies like creating a social media profile, maximizing local listings and Google Business Profile optimization will follow naturally.
Vital Local Online Marketing Strategies for 2024 Onwards
These are the local SEO strategies that will continue to hold water in 2024:
1. Google Business Profile Optimization
One of the first things Viloria recommends is creating and optimizing a Google Business profile.
“This is where people find information about your business such as website links, address/location, descriptions and, most especially, the reviews where they can see how good or bad you are in your field,” said Viloria.
A Google Business Profile (previously Google My Business) is a free business listing that, if properly optimized, can bring your business to Page 1 of the search engine results pages (SERPs). If you used to have a Google My Business account, you may still access and update it using Google Search or the Google Maps app.
Your Google Business Profile will show the following information about your business:
• Name, address, phone number (NAP info)
• Business hours and operating days
• Photos of your establishment
• Photos of your products or menu
• Information about the services you offer
• Customer reviews and ratings
Google designed this listing for brick-and-mortar businesses that interact face-to-face with customers, such as restaurants, cafes, retail stores, laundry facilities, etc. If you run a purely web-based business, using Google Business Profile to promote your business might be more difficult.
Here are some tips for Google Business Profile optimization (they can also apply to all page optimization strategies discussed below):
• Provide your NAP details.
• Provide additional business information (i.e., operating hours, menu, services offered).
• Upload high-quality images of your establishment and products.
• Provide your website URL.
• Include links to your social media accounts.
A Google Business Profile is essential for local SEO for location-based businesses. Google owns 92% of the search engine market share and, in effect, acts as your biggest referral source.
If you optimize your Google Business Profile correctly, your establishment can appear on the SERPs’ first page or at the top of Google Maps search results.
2. Google Maps Optimization
Savvy SEOs know that Google Maps can boost search engine rankings for businesses with physical stores.
Consider the following:
• 72% of map app users use Google Maps.
• Location-based searches (i.e., queries with “near me” or mentions of a specific neighborhood, city or state) on Google show results from Google Maps.
• Relevant Google Maps entries often appear on Page 1 of the SERPs, sometimes before the Top 1 organic search result.
Google Maps optimization can drive traffic to your website and foot traffic to your store even if you don’t rank first on the organic search results. It can also be a way to land on Page 1 of the SERPs if your listing appears in Google Local Pack.
Google Local Pack is a feature in Google Search that shows three local businesses relevant to the user’s query and a map showing their locations.
Below is an example:
You’ll need a Google Business Profile to create and manage a Google Map for your business.
TIP: Regularly upload photos and videos on your Google Business Profile so they appear on your Google Map. Google loves regularly updated pages with new content, so treat these two pages as you do your website. Adding photos also feeds the Multisearch algorithm, boosting search engine rankings.
3. Local Business Listings Optimization
Are there other popular local business directories and listings people in your area like to use?
Viloria advised taking advantage of those additional websites and platforms to promote your business. Most listings are free, so setting up an account for your business should be easy.
Multiple local business listings with consistent, SEO-optimized content can supercharge your local SEO efforts because it emphasizes your service locations to Google and other search engines.
Before anything else, ensure the NAP details are consistent across all local business listings, and your profile includes your website and social media accounts.
TIP: Consistency is key for these first three local marketing strategies: Your Google Business profile, Google Maps entry and local business listings should match the address indicated in your website.
4. Local Delivery Apps Integration
Registering as a merchant in local delivery apps like UberEats, DoorDash, GrubHub and Chownow is an unconventional but effective local marketing strategy.
These apps are highly geo-targeted: When users look for products, they automatically show establishments near them. Local delivery app users are sales-qualified leads (SQLs) who are ready and eager to buy at the moment. If they find your business profile and your products enticing, they can order them then and there.
Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. Find out which apps people in your service areas use most often and create an account for your store.
5. Review Generation
Let’s suppose you already have a Google Business Profile, Google Maps and accounts on local business listings and delivery service apps. The next thing you need to do is encourage customers to rate your business and leave positive reviews.
Ninety-five percent of customers check customer reviews online before buying an item or paying for a service. Meanwhile, 94% say they avoided a business because of negative reviews or lack thereof. As such, having a few low-star reviews among positive reviews is better than none.
Reviews and ratings are quality indicators that customers take seriously. Here are some tips for effective review generation:
• Maintain high standards for product and service quality. Consider constructive feedback and act on them.
• Offer free WiFi in-store and post QR codes linking to your Google Business Profile or social media pages.
• Offer a freebie in exchange for a review.
• Acknowledge reviews and share them on social media for greater exposure.
• Invest time and resources in producing high-quality video testimonials.
6. Website Responsiveness (Mobile Friendly Web Design)
It often gets overlooked, but a mobile-friendly website design is an asset in local SEO. Local searches often fulfill a need or curiosity of the moment – the whats, whys, wheres and hows of things currently being discussed. And when people have an urge to eat or shop while on the go, they will pick up their tablets or phone for a quick Internet search.
If your website isn’t optimized for smaller screens, there is a higher chance that people will exit your site and look for another that is easier and faster to navigate on their mobile devices.
• 58% of organic searches are on mobile devices.
• 72% of customers who did a local search visited a store within five miles.
• 78% of location-based searches resulted in an offline purchase, and 18% occurred within the day.
Given these statistics, it is vital that your website has a mobile friendly web design for your local SEO strategies to pay off in walk-ins, inquiries and sales.
TIP: Have your website audited by a local digital marketing agency specializing in WordPress web design. WordPress is a user-friendly web content management system that people with limited knowledge about web development can use to manage their websites. Creating a mobile-friendly website is easier when building off a WordPress web design.
7. Social Media Profile Optimization
Data shows that social media users worldwide reach 4.80 billion or nearly 60% of the world population.
But even without looking at the statistics, it’s obvious that many consumers today are savvy social media users. They use Meta (previously Facebook), X (previously Twitter), Instagram, TikTok and other social media platforms to keep up with events and happenings in their local communities. Many discover brands, products and services on social media through ads and posts of people in their network.
Using your social media profile to promote your products and services and interacting with customers will further boost your local SEO. Google will recognize the buzz around your brand and the location indicators in your posts, comments, replies, customer reviews, etc.
8. Social Media Marketing With Paid Ads
Amplify the reach and viral power of social media marketing by investing in paid ads. The best part about paid ads on Meta, X and other social media platforms is you can target audiences from a specific geographic area. This gives you maximum exposure to potential customers. You can also get higher returns in the form of higher click-through rates and conversions, lower cost-per-clicks and more walk-ins.
Start Optimizing Locally Now
Business owners must go where audiences are. In 2023, Google still holds the lion’s share of online search users. Adjusting your strategy to Google’s direction and giving more importance to local search is necessary. That means now is the best time to work with a local digital marketing agency specializing in local search optimization.
With specialists experienced in review generation, Google Maps optimization, social media marketing, paid advertising and mobile website development, your website can become the ultimate tool for lead and sales generation. Not to say that you should only do local SEO.
“An eCommerce website that doesn’t have any physical address can proceed with Digital Marketing,” said Villoria. Doing so would cast the net wider, but also increase competition.
This is Viloria’s recommendation: “For a franchise or enterprise, or a company with a physical address/es, then they definitely need to rank higher first in local search, before jumping to a much higher competition.”
Talk to a local SEO marketing company that knows the best ways to boost search engine rankings for websites targeting local audiences.
Contact us, and our local SEO specialists will gladly discuss strategy with you.
