If you own a retail store, you definitely want to dominate the local search results in your niche
Websites targeting a local audience differ from those targeting national or global audiences. In most cases, when visitors find your services or products online, you will interact with them, either in person or on the phone.
Local SEO is for local business
But how do you make your profile stand out in those local search results, and what aspects should you focus on? Here’s how to maximize your conversion rate and sales. The goal is for your brand to rank for local search results: We want people in a specific neighbourhood to see it and visit your profile, or order your services. In most cases, you don’t intend to sell directly through the website. Instead, your profile invites people to come to your store, to your practice or to hire you for your skills.
Keyword research can be hard, but since you, as a local entrepreneur, regularly meet with your audience, you have a big advantage. Ask them about their search behaviour and what they were searching for when they first visited your website. Or what words or terms they would be using if they were looking for your type of business. That is valuable information.
Don’t stop there. Think about other search terms, too, because you might be missing an audience. Which queries does your local audience use when searching for your type of business? Get inside your audience’s head and figure out what they’re searching for.
For most local search queries, people will use the name of the city, town or village when searching for something. For instance, they’ll type in hairdresser Westmount or therapist downtown Montreal. But even if people do not use a local term in their search query, Google will probably recognize it as local search intent and will give search results based on your area.
Write ‘local’ headlines
Whether it’s in your profile wording or in online promotion, advertorial, or native advertising, we at WestmountMag.ca make sure the content is optimized for local SEO. We do this because we focus on a local audience and want them to recognize your brand as a local business.
Users search for a hairdresser nearby, a bakery around the corner, or a carpenter who will come to their house. They’ll click results that show they’re nearby. That’s important for local search. We make sure your snippet clearly states where your business is, and that your post and page do too.
Make an awesome first impression
Once we’ve convinced people to click on your profile in the search results, we convince them to visit your website and to not click away. A high bounce rate will eventually result in lower rankings, so we want to make an awesome first impression. Whether you’re a therapist, a doctor, a hairdresser or a carpenter, you have to sell yourself.
People want to know who they are dealing with. A strong photo is key to making a great first impression. Your profile, as well as your website, should reflect your business. If you have a practice or a physical shop, publish high-quality, optimized photos of your business and, if appropriate, your employees. Videos are also a great way to present your business to the audience.
Write about your business
To rank in the local search results, we publish content related to your local business. An advertorial is a great content strategy that also applies to local SEO. Write about what your clients ask you when they’re shopping for the service you offer. If you’re a carpenter, your content should be about your past projects. If you’re a dentist, it should cover the most common tooth problems. This includes comments about your customers, too! If people are exceptionally satisfied, they can leave a review on your profile or website.
Writing about local events is also a great local SEO strategy. In any local SEO content strategy, we make sure that your blog posts relate to your local community. And of course, we optimize your posts for the keywords you identified in your keyword research.
Social Media presence
Facebook should be part of your local content strategy. People connect with others from all over the world, but are most prone to connect with people nearby. If you have a local business, you can benefit from social media channels by multiplying exposure to your advertorials with our Social Media Blitz campaigns, which keep your local audience informed on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest. If you can write about your customers, your audience is more likely to share and engage with your posts.
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