Does the thought of search engine optimization overwhelm you? If it does, you’re not alone. Attracting customers with local SEO is perhaps one of the most important ways to get seen on the Internet by people who are looking for your particular products or services.
Importance of Google Maps
Since we are talking about local SEO here, the importance of getting your business to show up on a Google map near the top of a Google search results page shouldn’t be understated. But it’s also important that you rank high in the business listings too.
I just did a search for “dentists near me.” The image below is fairly typical of what you’d see, including the Google PPC ad at the top of the page and then others following. But very quickly you’ll notice that Google Map listing the dentists near my location.
Your business won’t show up on Google Maps unless it is listed on Google My Business, which has taken the place of the former Google Places.
Optimizing Your GMB Listing
It’s easy to create one and then forget about it. But if it’s properly optimized, you’ll have a better chance. When creating your Google My Business profile, keep the following strategies in mind:
- When including your address, use the one that USPS suggests.
- If you are a brick and mortar business, make sure you state which areas your business serves.
- Add the appropriate categories for your business (you can have more than one).
- Write a short but well-optimized description of what you do. Think about what someone would type into a search engine to find you and then use some of those keywords in your description.
- When posting photos use square images if possible, ones that are at least 750 X 750 pixels.
- Google gives you the option to create a one-page Google website that is connected to your GMB listing. You don’t have to do that if you already have your own website, but some business owners do as an additional way to optimize their listing.
- Once your listing is verified by Google, you’ll be able to update a blog post, photos, videos and more. The current posts go away after 7 days, though.
- Lastly, ask your customers for a review. I find the easiest way to do that is put the GMB on your smartphone, click on the Reviews button and follow the prompts.
Content Marketing
This is equally important when attracting customers with local SEO. In addition to maintaining a blog on your own website, you might want to consider branching out and posting content on other sites.
Think about submitting content to a local website like Patch or some of the other local news sites. This is especially relevant if you have some good news to share. It will also showcase your expertise and earn you valuable backlinks, not to mention driving traffic to your website and the possibility of attracting prospective customers.
Be sure to keep all of the pages on your website updated and optimized with the appropriate keywords.
Whatever content you’re publishing, always keep in mind the importance of choosing the right keywords that will help attract local customers. Those keywords should include words and longtail phrases that are relevant to your business. Don’t forget to also add your location keyword to further optimize your content.
Writing blog posts that are chock full of useful information is best for optimization purposes. You don’t want to come off as too sales-driven. Your goal should always be to inform.
Be sure to promote that content by sharing it across your social media channels. You could further your reach by sharing useful information on Facebook groups or pages, with the administrator’s permission of course. Again, remember not to sell. You’re there to inform. The same strategy could also work on LinkedIn.
Have you tried any of the above strategies to attract local customers? Share this post if you thought it was useful or drop me a line at [email protected]. And as always, feel free to sign up for my regular e-newsletter.