There is so much business conducted online these days, and it can sometimes be difficult to remember that there are still in-person businesses out there. The pandemic hasn’t done those businesses any favors either. From keeping customers at home to labor shortages, local businesses have had a tough time over the last few years.
A recent survey by Sensormatic Solutions reveals how tough business has been for in-person retailers. The survey reports that traffic at in-person stores was more than28% lower than 2019 levels in 2021, and that was on Black Friday, traditionally one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
This dip in in-person traffic makes bringing in customers even more important for local retailers. Fortunately, a robust search engine optimization (SEO) strategy can help bring in more potential customers from the area near you.
What is local SEO?
There is a name for SEO that specifically works to bring in more customers from the area near your business. It’s called local SEO, unsurprisingly. Rather than targeting more general searches, local SEO seeks to improve the ranking of your website and content in local search results. For instance, if a person went to their Google browser and typed in, “Restaurants near me,” a local SEO strategy would work to get you in the list of restaurants that appears at the very top of the search results.
3 ways you can improve local SEO and bring in more customers from the area near you
It can be beneficial to create a local SEO plan to complement your general SEO strategy. After all, HubSpot’s 2021 Marketing Statistics survey found that 60% of smartphone users contacted a business directly by using things such as the “click to call” option in search results. This level of interest makes it more likely that a potential customer will come visit your business.
Here are three ways you can easily improve your local SEO:
- Creating and updating your Google My Business listing — Ever clicked on a business in Google search results? Odds are this simple action brought up a page that gave you all sorts of necessary information, such as the business’s address, phone number and store hours. This page is also known as a Google My Business (GMB) listing. If you haven’t set up a GMB listing for your retail location, you should. Immediately. It’s easy to do, and it can greatly improve your ability to rank highly in local search results. If you already have a GMB listing, make sure you regularly update it if you do things like change your business phone number or adjust your hours.
- Optimizing your website for voice searches — People don’t just type things into search engines anymore. A HubSpot marketing survey for 2021 reveals that 62% of people in the U.S. say they’ve used some type of voice-assistance technology. This means your business might not be showing up in local search results if it’s not optimized for voice searches. Doing this optimization basically means working longer, more conversational keywords into your website. Typically, these keywords answer basic who, what, when, where, why and how-type questions that Google users might ask when searching for your business.
- Creating locally relevant content — Another way to improve your SEO and bring in more customers from the area near your business is to create a different type of content. You can start by looking up local news stories or events for your area. Then, these things can be matched with local keywords. This combination can help you create content that’s more relevant for potential customers who live nearby, which can help you get them into your business.
Want to supercharge your local SEO? BURG+CO. can help
Increasing traffic to your website plays a role in increasing conversions and bringing in new clients. However, it’s difficult to attract visitors to your site or brick-and-mortar location when you don’t know what to do. Fortunately, BURG+CO. can help you find ways to boost your local and general SEO and attract more visitors.
Our team has years of experience in helping businesses improve their digital presence to attract new leads and retain existing ones. If you’re looking to perform better in search engine results and attract more visitors to your online or in-person site, we’re ready to talk to you to see how we can help. Contact our team today for more information about our digital marketing services or to schedule a complimentary consultation.
