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4 Ways Small Businesses Use Local SEO
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| Credit: Unsplash |
Welcome to the final blog post from my Local SEO blog post series. Today's blog post focuses on why your business needs to consider creating localised content for your website.
In a world full of complications, you need to make it as simple as possible to drive new customers to your website. Localised content is a cost-effective way to achieve this, but is often overlooked by so many businesses.
By understanding who your target audience is and what drives their decision making, you can create a content strategy to support building localised content.
Search Engine Watch defines localised content as:
“Localized content, or content that is specific to users in specific geographies.”
Below are 4 examples of how some businesses are using local SEO:
1. List your business on Google My Business Listing
4 in 5 consumers conduct a local search on search engines such as Google, by creating a free Google Listing you are increasing your chances of consumers finding your company online.
The example I would like to share with you all is of a local business I discovered last week, that used Google My Business listing. I was desperately trying to find a local sports bar for me and the family to watch the Wolves Vs Liverpool Premier League match...I'm a big Wolverhampton Wanderers Football fan. So, I went onto Google search and typed in the search term.... “Sports Bars Near Me”.
At the top of the search results was the “Local Google 3-Pack “ which presented 3 local sports bars in Wolverhampton. You can only appear in the Google Local Pack if you have a Google Listing. Out of the three sports bars in the pack, Jacks Sports Cafe Bar had the most customer reviews and highest customer ratings. I decided to visit Jacks Sports Cafe Bar website and based on how positive the reviews were we decided to go there to watch the match and had a great time.
By Jacks Sports Cafe Bar optimizing their free Google Listing, they made it simple for me to find the information I wanted to know quickly. For me, this is a great example of how a local business I've never heard of, used the Google My Listing tool to attract me to their website and visit their venue.
The example I would like to share with you all is of a local business I discovered last week, that used Google My Business listing. I was desperately trying to find a local sports bar for me and the family to watch the Wolves Vs Liverpool Premier League match...I'm a big Wolverhampton Wanderers Football fan. So, I went onto Google search and typed in the search term.... “Sports Bars Near Me”.
At the top of the search results was the “Local Google 3-Pack “ which presented 3 local sports bars in Wolverhampton. You can only appear in the Google Local Pack if you have a Google Listing. Out of the three sports bars in the pack, Jacks Sports Cafe Bar had the most customer reviews and highest customer ratings. I decided to visit Jacks Sports Cafe Bar website and based on how positive the reviews were we decided to go there to watch the match and had a great time.
By Jacks Sports Cafe Bar optimizing their free Google Listing, they made it simple for me to find the information I wanted to know quickly. For me, this is a great example of how a local business I've never heard of, used the Google My Listing tool to attract me to their website and visit their venue.
2. Creating local PR and blog post content
According to the 2015 Cone Communications/Ebiquity Global CSR Study, 80% of consumers would tell friends and family about a companies corporate social responsibility efforts.
If your business supports the local community or a charity and you are unsure of how to raise your company profile, using earned media otherwise known as local press coverage is a cost-effective way to stand out and gain credibility amongst the local community. Earned media is information published about your company you haven't had to pay for.
Wolverhampton based car insurance company, Premium Choice support local charities. Some of their employees are scaling Mount Ben Nevis to raise money for Birmingham Heartlands Hospital and Dementia UK. To share this good news story they have used local press coverage and blog post content to raise awareness. Local PR is great for reaching a large number of people and attaching credibility to your brand.
Does your business support local community initiatives or work with local charities? If yes, get in touch with your local journalists and let them know what you're up to.
If your business supports the local community or a charity and you are unsure of how to raise your company profile, using earned media otherwise known as local press coverage is a cost-effective way to stand out and gain credibility amongst the local community. Earned media is information published about your company you haven't had to pay for.
Wolverhampton based car insurance company, Premium Choice support local charities. Some of their employees are scaling Mount Ben Nevis to raise money for Birmingham Heartlands Hospital and Dementia UK. To share this good news story they have used local press coverage and blog post content to raise awareness. Local PR is great for reaching a large number of people and attaching credibility to your brand.
Does your business support local community initiatives or work with local charities? If yes, get in touch with your local journalists and let them know what you're up to.
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| Credit: Express and Star |
3. Partner With Local Influencers
With social media becoming more prominent in our lives, according to the Digital Marketing Institute, "49% of Consumers Depend on Influencer Recommendations." Why not harness the power of micro/ local influencers. When you
think of influencers you automatically think about celebrities or famous
people, but there are so many local people gathering large followings on social media due to the great content they are publishing.
A recent example I've come across is the launch of Go Ape Coventry. Go Ape is a popular UK attraction and they have teamed up with local/ micro influencers to raise awareness of their Coventry outdoor course.
The image below is of a West Midlands lifestyle blogger called Emma Victoria Stokes who is using her Instagram and blog site to promote Go Ape's new Coventry base. Her website reviews the venue in Coventry and provides some fun images of her time at Go Ape Coventry. This approach instills a sense of trust because it's a third party providing a fresh perspective on your brand.
Why not find out who are the local key influencers in your town/ city? Are there any popular bloggers or sporting heroes in your city that could help to spread the word about your products /services?
The image below is of a West Midlands lifestyle blogger called Emma Victoria Stokes who is using her Instagram and blog site to promote Go Ape's new Coventry base. Her website reviews the venue in Coventry and provides some fun images of her time at Go Ape Coventry. This approach instills a sense of trust because it's a third party providing a fresh perspective on your brand.
Why not find out who are the local key influencers in your town/ city? Are there any popular bloggers or sporting heroes in your city that could help to spread the word about your products /services?
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| Credit: Instagram |
4. Local Social Media Messages
According to Hubspot "Consumers are 71% more likely to make a purchase based on social media referrals". Social media is another great way to raise awareness of your company brand and provides your business with the opportunity to reach local and global markets. Your social media messaging should connect with your target audience and their needs.
Find out what local hashtags are being used, what events are popular with your target audience and who they aspire to be and use this content to promote your brand.
According to Hubspot "Consumers are 71% more likely to make a purchase based on social media referrals". Social media is another great way to raise awareness of your company brand and provides your business with the opportunity to reach local and global markets. Your social media messaging should connect with your target audience and their needs.
Find out what local hashtags are being used, what events are popular with your target audience and who they aspire to be and use this content to promote your brand.
Their branding is fun, bold and colourful. Their target audience is women all over the world wanting to emulate their favourite celebrities on a budget. The company's Instagram profile description explains what their purpose is and the account has endless glamorous shots and popular hashtags which are popular with their target audience. They also use social media influencers to promote their brand and show Hidden Fashions target audience how they too can look glamorous in their clothing.
Is your social media content resonating with your target audience? If not, speak to your existing customers and find out what's important to them, what are their challenges and then create content to address their challenges.
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| Credit: Instagram |
The examples I've discussed during today's post demonstrates the many ways you can drive new and existing customers to your website through the creation of localised content. So how are you going to use local content to make it simple as for customers to find your business?
There are all sorts of ways to create local content, but I'd love to know if you've found my Local SEO Blog Post Series helpful and whether you plan to introduce any of the ideas discussed in today's post. So come and say hello
Nicola xXx
Check out my other blog posts from my 4 part blog post local SEO series:
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