Learn how to dominate local search results. Explore local SEO strategies, tips, and tricks, and boost your business visibility and attract local customers.
Local SEO is the process of optimizing your website and online presence to rank higher in local search results. Local search results are the ones that show up when people search for products or services near their location, such as “pizza near me” or “dentist in Lagos”.
Local search is a key factor for businesses that want to attract more customers in their area, as it helps them reach potential customers who are looking for products or services near them.
Some of the benefits of local SEO include increased visibility, as your business will show up in relevant local searches, maps, and directories; increased credibility, as your business will gain trust and reputation from positive reviews and ratings; and increased conversions, as your business will drive more traffic, leads, and sales from local customers who are ready to buy.
In this blog post, you will learn how to dominate local search results by following a comprehensive local SEO strategy, implementing some effective local marketing tips, and measuring your local SEO performance.
Basic Local SEO Strategy
Local SEO differs from regular SEO in that it focuses on specific geographic areas and factors that influence local relevance, such as proximity, prominence, and user intent.
A successful local SEO strategy consists of several key elements that help your business stand out from the competition and attract more local customers.
Elements of Local SEO
1. Claiming and optimizing your Google My Business profile
Google My Business is a free tool that allows you to manage how your business appears on Google Search and Maps. You can claim your business listing and verify your ownership, as well as add important information such as your name, address, phone number, website, hours, services, photos, and more.
Optimizing your Google My Business profile can help you improve your local ranking, increase your visibility, and showcase your brand identity.
2. Adding relevant keywords, categories, and attributes to your website
Keywords are the words and phrases that people use to search for your products or services online. You need to research and use the keywords that match your local audience’s search intent and language.
For example, if you are a plumber in Akwa Ibom, you might want to use keywords such as “plumber in Akwa Ibom“, “emergency plumbing service in Akwa Ibom“, or “best plumber near me“.
You also need to add relevant categories and attributes to your website, such as your industry, niche, location, and unique selling points. These can help you describe your business more accurately and match your website to the user’s query.
3. Getting positive reviews from your customers
Reviews are one of the most influential factors for local SEO, as they can affect your ranking, reputation, and conversion rate. Reviews can show Google and potential customers how trustworthy, reliable, and satisfactory your business is.
You should encourage your customers to leave reviews on your Google My Business profile, as well as other platforms such as Facebook, Yelp, or Trustpilot. You should also respond to your reviews, both positive and negative, to show your appreciation and professionalism.
4. Building citations and backlinks from other local directories and websites
Citations are online mentions of your business name, address, and phone number, usually on local directories and websites. Backlinks are links from other websites that point to your website.
Both citations and backlinks can help you boost your local authority, credibility, and relevance, as they can signal to Google and users that your business is popular and trustworthy in your area.
You should build citations and backlinks from reputable and relevant sources, such as local newspapers, blogs, magazines, associations, or organizations.
5. Creating and updating local landing pages for each business location
If you have multiple locations for your business, you need to create and update local landing pages for each one. Local landing pages are web pages that are tailored to a specific location and target a specific audience.
They can help you rank better for each location and provide more relevant and personalized information to your local customers. You should include your location-specific keywords, content, images, contact details, map, and call-to-action on your local landing pages.
Local Marketing Tips
Local marketing is the process of promoting your business to your local audience using various channels and methods. Local marketing can help you increase your brand awareness, customer loyalty, and sales in your area.
1. Utilizing social media platforms
Social media platforms are great tools to connect with your local customers and prospects, as well as to showcase your business personality and values. You can use social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Nextdoor to:
- Share your business story, mission, vision, and goals.
- Post engaging content that showcases your products or services, such as photos, videos, testimonials, or tips.
- Interact with your followers, answer their questions, and solicit their feedback.
- Join or create local groups, communities, or pages that are relevant to your niche or industry.
- Run contests, giveaways, or polls that encourage participation and engagement.
2. Starting a YouTube channel
YouTube is the second most popular search engine in the world, and it can help you reach a large and diverse audience with your video content. You can start a YouTube channel and post local content that showcases your products or services, such as:
- How-to videos that demonstrate how to use your products or services, or how to solve a common problem that your customers face.
- Behind-the-scenes videos that show how your products or services are made, or how your business operates.
- Customer stories or case studies that highlight the benefits and results of your products or services.
- Educational or entertaining videos that provide value and information to your audience, such as tutorials, tips, or trends.
3. Doing paid advertising
Paid advertising is a fast and effective way to reach your target audience and drive traffic, leads, and sales to your website or landing page. You can do paid advertising on Google Ads or Facebook Ads with geo-targeting options, such as:
- Choosing your location, radius, or zip code to target your ads to people who are near your business or who are interested in your area.
- Using local keywords, phrases, or terms that match your audience’s search intent and language.
- Creating compelling ad copy and images that highlight your local value proposition, such as your location, offers, or testimonials.
- Setting a realistic budget and bidding strategy that suits your goals and resources.
4. Planning events or offers
Events or offers are powerful ways to attract new customers, retain existing customers, and generate word-of-mouth referrals. You can plan events or offers that appeal to your local audience, such as:
- Hosting or sponsoring local events, such as workshops, seminars, webinars, festivals, or fairs, that showcase your expertise, products, or services, or that support a local cause or charity.
- Offering discounts, coupons, or freebies to your local customers, especially during holidays, seasons, or special occasions.
- Creating loyalty programs, referral programs, or reward schemes that incentivize your customers to buy more, come back, or recommend your business to others.
- Partnering with other local businesses, influencers, or organizations that share your target audience, niche, or values, and cross-promoting each other’s products or services.
5. Sending emails
Email marketing is one of the most cost-effective and personalized ways to communicate with your customers and prospects. You can send email newsletters or campaigns that highlight your local value proposition, such as:
- Segmenting your email list based on your customers’ location, preferences, behavior, or needs.
- Sending relevant, timely, and valuable content that addresses your customers’ pain points, challenges, or interests.
- Using catchy subject lines, headlines, and calls-to-action that capture your customers’ attention and compel them to take action.
- Adding local elements, such as your address, map, or local news, to your email design and layout.
How to Measure Local Marketing Success
Measuring the success of your local marketing efforts is important to understand how well your strategies are working and what areas need improvement. There are different ways to measure local marketing success, depending on your goals, channels, and metrics.
Some common techniques you can use
1. Website traffic
Website traffic is the number of visitors who come to your website from various sources, such as search engines, social media, email, or referrals. You can use tools like Google Analytics or HubSpot to track and analyze your website traffic data.
Website traffic can help you measure how much exposure and awareness your local marketing campaigns are generating, as well as how engaged and interested your visitors are in your products or services.
2. New vs returning traffic
New vs returning traffic is the ratio of visitors who come to your website for the first time versus those who have visited before. You can use tools like Google Analytics or HubSpot to segment and compare your new vs returning traffic data.
New vs returning traffic can help you measure how effective your local marketing campaigns are at attracting new customers and retaining existing ones.
4. Number of sessions
Number of sessions is the average number of visits that a visitor makes to your website during a given period of time. You can use tools like Google Analytics or HubSpot to calculate and monitor your number of sessions data.
Number of sessions can help you measure how loyal and satisfied your customers are with your website content and offers.
5. Search impressions/views
Search impressions/views are the number of times that your business name, address, phone number (NAP), or other keywords appear on search engine results pages (SERPs) when people search for products or services near their location.
You can use tools like Google My Business or Bing Places for Business to claim and optimize your NAP information on various search engines. Search impressions/views can help you measure how visible and relevant your business is for local searches.
6. Phone call clicks
Phone call clicks are the number of times that people click on the phone icon on Google Maps when they see your business information on SERPs. This indicates that people are interested in contacting you by phone for more information or inquiries.
You can use tools like Google My Business or Bing Places for Business to claim and optimize your phone number on various search engines. Phone call clicks can help you measure how responsive and accessible your business is for local customers.
7. Referral traffic
Referral traffic is the number of visitors who come to your website from other websites that link back to yours, such as blogs, directories, social media platforms, or online reviews sites.
You can use tools like Google Analytics or HubSpot to track and analyze your referral traffic data. Referral traffic can help you measure how influential and trustworthy other websites are in promoting your business locally.
These are some of the techniques you can use to measure the success of your local marketing efforts. However, you should also consider other factors that may affect your local marketing performance, such as:
- Your target audience’s location preferences, behavior patterns, needs, challenges, interests, etc.
- Your competitors’ location strategies, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (SWOT analysis), etc.
- Your budget allocation, resources availability, time frame constraints, etc.
By using these techniques and factors in combination with each other, you can create a comprehensive local marketing plan that aligns with your business goals and objectives.
What is a Good Conversion Rate?
A good conversion rate for local marketing depends on various factors, such as your industry, business type, target audience, and marketing goals.
However, a general benchmark is between 2% and 5%, which means that out of 100 visitors who come to your website or landing page from a local source, 2 to 5 of them will take the desired action, such as filling out a form, calling your phone number, or making a purchase.
To improve your conversion rate for local marketing, you need to optimize your website and online presence for local search, as well as use various channels and methods to promote your business to your local audience.
Best practices for local marketing
- Claiming and optimizing your Google My Business profile.
- Adding relevant keywords, categories, and attributes to your website.
- Getting positive reviews from your customers.
- Building citations and backlinks from other local directories and websites.
- Creating and updating local landing pages for each business location.
- Utilizing social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Nextdoor.
- Starting a YouTube channel and posting local content that showcases your products or services.
- Doing paid advertising on Google Ads or Facebook Ads with geo-targeting options.
- Planning events or offers that appeal to your local audience.
- Sending email newsletters or campaigns that highlight your local value proposition.
Implementing these tips can help you increase your visibility, credibility, and relevance for local searches, as well as attract, engage, and retain more local customers.
What are Some Common Reasons for Low Conversion Rates in Local Marketing
There are many possible reasons for low conversion rates in local marketing, but some of the most common ones are:
1. Poor targeting
If you are not reaching the right audience for your products or services, you will have a hard time converting them into customers. You need to do proper market research and segmentation to identify your ideal customer profile, their needs, preferences, pain points, and search intent.
You also need to use the right channels and methods to reach them, such as local SEO, social media, email, or paid ads.
2. Weak value proposition
If you are not communicating your unique value proposition clearly and persuasively, you will have a hard time convincing your prospects to choose you over your competitors.
You need to craft a compelling headline, subheadline, and copy that highlight your benefits, features, and differentiators. You also need to use relevant images, videos, testimonials, or social proof to support your claims and build trust.
3. Lack of relevance
If you are not matching your offer to your prospects’ needs and expectations, you will have a hard time converting them into customers. You need to create and update local landing pages for each of your business locations, and tailor them to your local audience.
You also need to use local keywords, phrases, and terms that match your prospects’ search queries and language.
4. Friction and distraction
If you are not providing a smooth and seamless user experience, you will have a hard time converting your visitors into customers. You need to eliminate any friction and distraction that may prevent your visitors from taking action, such as slow loading speed, broken links, confusing navigation, cluttered layout, or unnecessary fields.
You also need to use clear and concise calls-to-action that guide your visitors to the next step in the conversion journey.
How to Improve Value Proposition for Local Marketing
Improving your value proposition for local marketing means making it more clear, compelling, and relevant for your local audience. Your value proposition should communicate how your products or services solve their specific problems, meet their needs, and deliver value that they can’t get from your competitors.
Steps to improve your value proposition for local marketing
1. Research your target market
You need to understand who your ideal customers are, what they are looking for, what challenges they face, and what motivates them to buy. You can use tools like surveys, interviews, focus groups, or online reviews to gather feedback and insights from your existing or potential customers.
You can also use tools like Google Analytics or HubSpot to analyze your website traffic and behavior data. This will help you segment your audience based on their location, preferences, interests, and needs.
2. Analyze your competitors
You need to know who your direct and indirect competitors are, what they offer, how they position themselves, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. You can use tools like Google My Business or Bing Places for Business to see how your competitors rank for local searches, and what keywords, categories, and attributes they use.
You can also use tools like SpyFu or SEMrush to see what ads, keywords, and backlinks they use. This will help you identify your unique selling points and differentiators that set you apart from your competitors.
3. Craft your value proposition statement
You need to write a concise and catchy statement that summarizes your value proposition for your local audience. You can use the following formula to craft your value proposition statement:
[Your business name] helps [your target market] [achieve their desired outcome] by [your unique solution].
For example, “Bay & Bee helps parents and children in Jacksonville enjoy a fun and safe play space by offering eco-friendly toys, classes, and events.”
4. Test and optimize your value proposition
You need to test and optimize your value proposition to make sure it resonates with your local audience and drives conversions. You can use tools like Google Optimize or Unbounce to create and run A/B tests or multivariate tests on your website or landing pages.
You can also use tools like Hotjar or Crazy Egg to track and analyze your visitors’ behavior and feedback. This will help you measure and improve your value proposition’s effectiveness and performance.
By following these steps, you can improve your value proposition for local marketing and increase your visibility, credibility, and relevance for your local customers.
To learn more about SEO, you can check out our blogpost on how to win the SEO game, our SEO 101 course for beginners.
Final Thoughts
Local SEO is a vital part of any business that wants to attract more customers in their area. By following a comprehensive local SEO strategy, implementing some effective local marketing tips, and measuring your local SEO performance, you can dominate local search results and boost your business visibility, credibility, and conversions.
Local SEO can help you reach potential customers who are looking for products or services near them, and who are more likely to buy from you than from your competitors. Local SEO can also help you build a loyal and satisfied customer base, and generate more referrals and word-of-mouth.
If you want to take your business to the next level with local SEO, you need to take action now. Don’t let your competitors get ahead of you in the local market. Contact us today and let us help you create and execute a winning local SEO plan that suits your goals and budget.
We have the expertise, tools, and experience to help you succeed in local SEO. Don’t miss this opportunity to grow your business locally. Get in touch with us now and get a free consultation.
