Using Local Search To Boost Your Brick And Mortar Business
Several years back, a brick and mortal business would conjure up an image of an antiquated building, struggling beneath the all-conquering digital empire of online sales. Today the news is full of stories of major retailers announcing shut down plans for physical locations. Think JC Penney, Barnes & Noble, Sears and many more.
On the other hand, Amazon has grown in leaps and bounds. Many e-commerce websites make a lot more revenue from their Amazon storefront than they would through their own website.
Despite these gains, there are real reasons for brick and mortar businesses to think big. After all, Amazon started off by selling books. Through a combination of superb customer service, and strategic digital marketing it has grown into the giant retailer it is today.
Brick and mortar businesses can access many of the same digital marketing strategies that made e-commerce as big as it is. By incorporating cutting-edge digital marketing plans, excellent customer service, and improved online technology, they can supercharge their marketing efforts, and generate an excellent return on investment.
According to HubSpot, 72% of users who used a local search visited a store within five miles. 58% of these users search for a local business daily. Presently, it is estimated that 46% of search queries on Google are related to local business.
Critical Factors for Local Search
If you have a brick and mortar business, you need to to optimize your website for local search. The following factors are critical in your business showing up on a local search.
- Google my business. This is a canonical business listing. It includes phone number, address, hours and more.
- Links. The more high-quality websites link to your site the better.
- On-page signals. These signals include your keywords, name, phone number, and address.
- Reviews. Recent reviews send good signals to search engines.
- Social presence. Being active on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook will boost your visibility.
How to Use Local SEO To Boost Your Brick and Mortar Business
Now that you know some of the factors that Google looks for in ranking your website on a local search, there are some steps you can take to boost your rating
1. Optimize your website
Design a website that is optimized for a local search. It should be simple and easy to navigate. Include pages that show your contact details on the map, and testimonials.
2. Produce local content
You need to start producing content that is relevant to the local area. Maintaining a high-quality local blog is a great way to get backlinks from other authority sites to your business page.
3. Reviews
Most local search users take account of reviews before patronizing a business. The way to get great reviews is to offer outstanding products and services. You should politely request reviews from your customers on sites related to your products or services.
4. Claim your profile
This is essential. Always ensure your profile and business information is up to date. There are many businesses on Yelp, TripAdvisor and Google that are incomplete. Google local search ranks businesses with consistent and up to date profiles.