If you run a business that operates locally, you should concentrate the majority of your efforts on the local audience, perhaps your city or even a district. How can you do so effectively? There are marketing tools and strategies that will help you reach local customers. And in this post, we’re sharing some of the best tips and tricks that will help you conquer your local area.
Tons of companies operate locally, from restaurants to pest control companies. In fact, most service-based businesses operate locally. Of course, there are different forms of local operations. For really small companies, such as bike repair shops, local means one or two districts. For companies that work at the customers’ houses (e.g., pest control, painting companies, or plumbers), local can mean the whole metropolitan area. For larger companies, such as food delivery or transportation companies, local can mean the entire state or even the country.
However, for the sake of this article, we’ll concentrate on businesses that operate within a specific district, city, or metropolitan area. Let’s have a look at what you should focus on to increase your local visibility.
Concentrate on Google (Ads and Maps)
In 2023, BrightLocal.com published a study showing where customers are looking for local business information. Unsurprisingly, the answer is Google:
Source: https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-business-discovery-trust-report/
Over 60% of surveyed customers go straight to Google. Many of them (45%) go to Google Maps as well. The conclusion is obvious: If you want to succeed with your local business, you HAVE TO be on Google. And there are two relatively easy ways to do so.
Google Ads
First of all, you can create an advertising campaign on Google Ads. Why it’s a good idea? For a few reasons:
- Google allows you to narrow down your campaign to just the area that you serve. You can select specific districts/neighborhoods, cities, or zip codes to make your campaign as accurate as possible.
- You can target local keywords. Let’s say you are a plumber. If you operate just locally, targeting general keywords (such as “plumber services”) probably doesn’t make much sense. It’s better to concentrate on local keywords (e.g., “plumber services Manchester”) because those searches are more relevant to your business.
- Lastly, with Google Ads, you can run your ads only when your business is open. So, for example, if you don’t serve customers on the weekends, you can turn your campaign off for the weekend. This way, you save money because you don’t pay for the clicks you will not be able to convert (turn into customers) either way.
Google Maps
When you create a Google Business profile, you automatically land on Google Maps. And here’s something that’s crucial and many new business owners don’t know. The mere fact that you created a Google Maps profile doesn’t mean that you will show up every time someone looks for your business on Google Maps.
Why is that? In a large city such as Manchester, there are probably dozens of businesses just like yours. And Google doesn’t want to overwhelm their users with too many options. That’s why, when you open the Maps, you will see only selected companies. To view more results, you need to narrow down the view or scroll down the results that show up on the left.
If you want to show up in the first batch of results, you need to work on your local SEO and make sure your Google Business profile is active. How can you do so? First of all, make sure you fill in every single field in your Google Business profile that’s relevant to your business. The business category is extremely important, and it’s usually better to add more than one such category.
To give you an example, a therapist can use the following categories:
- Psychotherapist
- Psychologist
- Mental health service
- Mental health clinic
Because people can look for your services in different ways, the more categories you use, the more likely it is you will show up in the results page. Photos and updates also matter. Make sure there are many photos in your account showing you at work, your equipment, your office, your car (if it’s branded), and your staff. This way, you build trust and the initial connection with your future customers.
And what about the updates? Google allows you to add as many updates as you want. Treat them as little blog posts where you can talk about your services, special offers, etc. Regular updates in your Google Business account show that you operate actively. It can be a signal to Google to gradually make your business more and more visible.
Focus on local SEO
The truth is that Google Maps is also a vital element of your local SEO strategy, but local SEO goes further than that. Here are some tips that will help you improve your local SEO:
Use local SEO keywords and place them on your website
Many people struggle with choosing the right keywords. A simple rule to follow is SiL – Service in Location (e.g., Florist Manchester, Dentist Berlin, 24h Tire Service Chicago).
These phrases should appear naturally on your site but don’t overuse them (so-called keyword stuffing can hurt your visibility).
If you have multiple locations, create a separate page for each (e.g., yourdomain.com/pest-control/new-york) to boost local visibility.
Keep NAP details consistent
NAP stands for Name, Address, Phone. These details should be consistent across your website, Google Business Profile, social media, and directories. Even small differences (like using “Flower Shop Daisy” vs. just “Daisy”) can confuse Google and hurt your SEO.
Get backlinks from local sources
Lastly, focus on getting backlinks from other trusted local websites. These could include:
- Local news sites
- Business directories
- Community blogs
- Nearby businesses (e.g., a pest control company can work with a cleaning business, and a florist can work with a local courier company)
Sponsoring a local event or joining a local chamber of commerce often comes with a link to your website. These local backlinks signal to Google that your business is relevant to the area, which can help you rank higher in local search results. However, keep in mind that you should focus on quality over quantity. You should get only links from reputable local sources. Low-quality links, while cheaper, will not help your local SEO.
Wrapping up: Let’s grow your local visibility!
If your business operates locally or has multiple locations, iPresso can help you improve your local campaigns. It’s possible with our GeoPoints. With this service, you can communicate with customers in your database who live near your store. This way, for example, the information about the promotion will immediately reach people who can immediately take advantage of it. Additionally, assigning a contact to a specific selling point makes communication more personal and effective.
There are other tools and features in our marketing automation platform that are helpful for local businesses. iPresso makes your marketing more effective and less time-consuming!
If you’d like to explore them, take a look at our website and send us this short brief. In response, we’ll reach out with a free demo of our platform. Let’s grow your local visibility together!
Leave a Reply