Local GMB Marketing
The web has become a more competitive place, but the internet is also big enough for everyone. Most companies nowadays use their websites for marketing themselves and their products.
As a result, they forget an essential component: Local SEO. With SEO, you can compete against the big players in your area or even against your competition.
This post will show you 10 ways to improve your local marketing and stay on top of your game with google my business listings!
- Make A Google My Business Profile
Google has a lot of products that are slowly being integrated into one another. The Google My Business listing is an online portal for small business owners to give information about their businesses and stay updated with their clients' reviews.
Many people don't know about this website or ignore it because they think it won't do anything for their business. Well, they are wrong!
You can use google my business to update your business hours on your website, create or update a brand page and even optimize it to rank higher in organic results.
There are over 246 million Google users in the US alone. That number is more significant if you include other countries around the globe.
Imagine what your exposure would be like if only the person living in your city could see your page on Google Maps. As you understand, your Google my business page is the first thing they will see.
- Optimize Your Homepage
It is one of the most important pages for any business. Your homepage is like your advertisement board; people will walk away if you can't do it right. When optimizing your home page, make sure to include some keywords in the title of your page or put them in the text where possible.
Also, don't forget to add your phone number, social media profiles, address, or anything that will make it easier for people to contact you or find you!
Your name, address, and phone number are all relevant information for your customers if they need to contact you or find your business location right away.
- Get Good Reviews
Positive reviews are the lifeblood of any business. A good review can turn a new customer into someone who will recommend you to all their friends.
Online reviews can be just as critical, especially for SEO. With Google My Business, you can now connect with your customers and send them a link to where they can leave you a review on Google.
Negative reviews will hurt your business, so make sure that you have an excellent customer service system in place.
If you're not getting enough reviews, try some marketing campaigns! Offer special deals or discounts to customers to encourage them to leave a review or provide you with valuable feedback.
- Optimize for Voice Search
Voice search is becoming the new normal. Talking into a device and having it do what you want, or need is convenient, but some pros come with voice search. Search engines like Google or Bing have rolled out voice-activated services that allow people to look up information about anything just by using their voices.
This new feature has the potential to bring more people into your business because they don't have to go through the hassle of typing out what they want.
Most businesses don't know that voice search is a thing. If you market your business right, then you can easily take advantage of this newfound technology!
Google my business can also help you rank higher in voice search based on the information that you can provide.
So, go ahead and optimize your website to make it easier for voice-activated services to find, index, and understand what you have to offer.
- Add your Website to Business Directories
There are a lot of business directories that you can submit to your website. One example is MapQuest (yes, the map website), which only lists local businesses in its guide to help local search results. Aside from MapQuest, there are many other directories that you can add your website to, such as Yelp, Foursquare, and Better Business Bureau.
Remember that these websites provide a significant amount of traffic because they're designed to help customers find the best deals and services for them.
It's portable too; potential customers who search for a business in a search engine like Google usually end up using the same business directory to find information about a local business.
- Optimize for Local Keywords
Your content is essential — you need to optimize it for keywords to get good rankings. Focus on your business name, where it's located, and the services you offer. Keyword research and content marketing are not easy to do, but you will have to consider them.
It's time-consuming; however, if you want to stay on top of SEO, then it's something you will have to learn how to do.
Keywords have their ups and downs — they are easier to rank while being more competitive.
A simple google search will show you that there are many local keywords, but not all of them have the same traffic.
So, if you want to rank well, make sure that your content is specific. Adding more relevant keywords will help organize your SEO faster.
- Let's not forget about Link Building
This step is for more advanced SEO's out there, so if you're trying to perform SEO for your business, don't worry about this step because it's unnecessary. The main thing to remember is this: don't build links for the sake of making them — quality over quantity.
As a business owner, If you're trying to rank at the top, then your SEO will suffer if you build too many low-quality backlinks.
Don't bother with blog commenting and guest posting links because they won't help you get more traffic to your website.
A link to your website is like a road to your business; if the road is broken and in bad shape, it won't get more traffic.
Google is smart enough to know if a link has no value, so don't waste your time building them unless they're high-quality.
- Be Active on Social Media
Digital marketing is a tedious job, and it can be challenging to keep up with social media. Unfortunately, social media is also a primary method for you to use when you want to rank well on local search results.
Social networks have always been about socializing. But now, it's not just the younger generations who are taking advantage of this trend; older people, too, are becoming a part of the online experience.
It's also beneficial because it gives your business a chance to connect with new customers and potential leads!
- Optimize your Metadata
Optimizing your meta descriptions and titles will increase your chances of showing up in search results. Meta descriptions are like ad copy — they're the first thing that potential customers will read about your business, so you better make it count.
Although Google has been trying to improve its algorithm for years, meta tags still exist. If you can use them correctly, then you can gain a lot of readership from search engines.
Title tags are also important. If you fail to optimize them, you won't show up higher in search results.
10.Create A Different Page for Each Product or Service You Offer
Your products and services are what will bring in your traffic. If you want to rank well for a specific product or service, create an individual page explaining everything there is to know about that particular product or service. For example, if you run a restaurant business and offer delivery services, create a page just for your fast-food delivery.
You can even include the URL that your customers use when they want to order delivery services. Make sure that information is easy to find on all your pages, too!
Anything relevant to your business should be found on the page so that your customers can easily access it.
Google has stated that it will rank pages higher if there is a more vital user experience. It's essential to create a page that has a clear call to action.
Frequently Asked Questions
How easy is it to make Google my business account?
Creating your Google My Business account is easy. All you must do is fill out a few details and wait for it to be approved by Google.
If your business already has an official website where people can find more information about you, then this step will be even more accessible.
Once you login into your google my business dashboard, you'll see a few options that will help you make your profile better. You can add pictures, logos, and other images to make it look even more professional.
You should continuously optimize your google my business page with high-quality, relevant images of your products or services.
How can I improve my local SEO?
Search engine optimization is not a quick fix. It takes time to improve your rankings, but it will be worth the wait once you do.
SEO is about making changes that benefit your website and increase your ranking day by day.
Is Domain Authority relevant?
If you're trying to achieve local SEO, you'll want to know if domain authority matters. Here's the answer: yes, it does.
Google considers all the links that point back to your website. If any of those links are from low-quality domains (ones with a low domain authority), Google will ignore them and place your website lower in the rankings.
The more links you have from domains with high domain authority, Google will rank your website.
Are social signals a ranking factor?
Yes, social signals are a ranking factor. The more people visiting your website through Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram posts, the higher Google will rank your website.
Is there any faster way to boost my local SEO?
There is no magic bullet to boost your SEO. As mentioned in this article, you must be consistent with your SEO strategy and make improvements on a day-to-day basis.
It will take time for Google to find all the changes you've made, so expect it to take a while before your rankings improve significantly.
Should I verify my business on Google?
You should verify your business on Google if you want to improve your local SEO. That's because when you verify your business, you help search engines find all the information associated with your business.
How do you promote GMB?
A GMB listing is a great way to boost your local SEO. However, there's no natural way to promote it unless you already have an active social media presence.
Should I Make a Google Business Email?
Google+ offers a great way to create an email for your business. You should make one if you want to get more customers using your Google My Business page.
Don't worry. We Can Help You Grow!
As experts in SEO and online marketing, we know how important it is to have an online presence.
The internet has turned the world into one global marketplace, and there are more customers than ever before, just a few clicks away from your products or services.
We're here to help you grow by giving you access to our years of experience with search engine optimization (SEO) strategies that will increase your visibility on Google My Business and improve your website traffic.
If this sounds like something you want to learn more about, give us a call—we can't wait to work with you!