SMEs – here’s how to use local search to own the markets in your own backyard

By , 15 April 2014 at 12:51
SMEs – here’s how to use local search to own the markets in your own backyard
Business

SMEs – here’s how to use local search to own the markets in your own backyard

By , 15 April 2014 at 12:51

@EverreachUK  give us a taster of their “Ultimate Small Business Guide to Local Search Optimisation” with some tips and tricks for small businesses looking to exploit local search.  

15 April 2014:  The majority of people looking to find a business, product or service nowadays won’t go digging out the phone book, or wandering up and down the high street; it’s simply faster, easier and far more efficient to find what you need online – whether you’re looking for takeaway food for delivery, a dentist, or that very rare 7” record for your collection.

Up until 2010, it was widely accepted that only the long surviving, expensive, multinational behemoths of business could compete on internet search engines for popular products and services. Small, local, family-owned businesses weren’t really online, let alone appearing in search results for potential customers. There was no reason to take local business online.

Citations are the lifeblood of any local search marketing campaign – use them.

That is, until late 2010, when local search results began to appear in Google search engine results pages. Occasionally, search terms with place modifiers, such as “barbers clapham,” would begin to return local results – people were clearly searching for local businesses on their doorstep, and Google responded to this. In 2012, Google introduced the “Venice” update to its algorithm; which essentially rolled out even more local results to users. Key metrics became highly important to searches, including users’ locations, whether local businesses had websites, customer sentiment about a business, and how closely a business’ services matched a customer’s needs.

Cue the rise of local search optimisation. As soon as it became apparent that local businesses could compete in Google search results with big, well-established businesses and increase their conversions and revenue as a result, local search grew.

But, how exactly does local search optimisation work?

First, a business must have a registered and validated Google Places for Business page. This is free to register, and has space to contain all the key information potential customers are searching for; business name, address, phone number, opening hours, products and services and good or bad reviews. Much like a phone book entry, a Google Places for Business page is the first step to being found on the internet for a local business.

The page will need to be validated with Google, using a code delivered by postcard or telephone, before the business will appear on Google’s results or maps.  Once once a Google Places page has been registered and validated, will it start to appear in search results for keywords with “local intent” for example; search terms prefixed or suffixed with a place name, or searches carried out from a specified location.

This is only the beginning of local search, however, as there are several ways to ensure your business appears in local results more frequently:

  1. Citations.  Citations are the lifeblood of any local search marketing campaign. A citation works much like word of mouth in real life – it’s the relaying of your business information by either yourself or someone else. For example, whenever your business appears in an online directory, such as Yell.com, 192 or Thomson Local, that acts as a citation. Whenever a customer recommends your business on their website or forum, that acts as a citation. Whenever your business information is contained in a job advertisement placing on a recruitment website, that also acts as a citation. They must contain your business’ name, address and phone number – and these must be uniform across all citations. There are many inventive ways to create and improve citations – and the more high quality citations your business has, the better your chances of appearing in local search results!
  2. High quality links. Much like with standard search engine optimisation, links are highly important for a site’s strength metrics – and, as a result, their rankings. Any strong, highly reputable site linking to your business page, such as the BBC, a government site or a charity, will improve your business page’s strength metrics – thus increasing your chances of ranking in local search.
  3. Quality of your business data. If your opening times, your phone number or your selection of products and services on your Google Places page are inconsistent with your actual business, this could cause issues for customers looking for you online. Ensuring your bricks and mortar address is consistent with your online listing could mean the difference between a tyre-kicking wine taster and a converting, valued customer!
  4. Customer reviews. What customers have said about your business is another significant aspect of local search. Much like reviews on shopping sites, these not only tell Google whether your business is decent, and worth higher rankings, but it also tells other potential customers whether your existing customers would recommend your business – the same way word of mouth gets around in real life. Encouraging your customers to write quality reviews for your products and services can not only raise your profile amongst potential customers, but raise your rankings and extend your reach through local search.

Being able to connect with your local customers online and use local search as an extra way to draw in new business is key to competing with bigger companies. It can be a highly critical way to attract customers, advertise services, raise your business’ profile through word of mouth and improving your overall business as a result.

Any good, hardworking business; however small, should be optimising and using local search to connect with those customers looking for their services, and own the markets in their own backyard.

To see the full Everreach Ultimate Small Business Guide to Local Search Optimisation click here.

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