If you own or manage a local brick-and-mortar business, you want to reach people in the surrounding area. If you aren't optimizing for local search, you could miss out on a significant portion of your potential customers. An increasing number of those potential consumers are using "near me" searches, so it would benefit you to know how to get found by these customers and their relevant searches, no matter your type of business.
Even with the exponential rise of eCommerce sales that started due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many consumers continue to shop offline. Supporting local businesses is a priority for many people, and online companies like Google, Yelp, Waze, and Facebook have created programs to help small businesses (SMBs) get more visibility in search rankings.
According to Google, "near me" searches have grown about 100% globally over the past year. Even with the pandemic, many consumers use these searches to confirm that an item is in stock at a local store before leaving home to buy it.
If a person looks for "Italian restaurant near me" or "plywood in Spokane," how can you ensure your business gets the most visibility? The answer is understanding consumer behavior and focusing on local SEO strategies.
While some "near me" search queries are completed on desktop or laptop computers, most are done via mobile devices. People on the go are not only looking for something "near me" but also something "near me now," meaning there is immediate urgency.
According to one survey of 1,000 smartphone users, 82% had done a "near me" search over the past week. The top categories for those searches were:
Just looking at the top categories, it's clear that these searchers intend to give someone their business.
Optimizing your business for "near me" searches should be a priority for any business with a local address and serves consumers in its community. If yours fits this bill, here are some of the ways you can increase the odds of ranking for these searches:
If you want your business to rank on the first page of Google for local searches, you need to show up in the Google Maps Pack. These map-based listings help people find relevant businesses in their search area.
Maps results are tied to your Google Business Profile, previously known as Google My Business (GMB) profile. Your first step will be to set up or "claim" your profile and then optimize it. Here are some steps you'll want to take:
You'll want to revisit your GBP often to make sure you have accurate and current information. Your NAP (name, address, phone number) must be 100% consistent across all web properties. Your business should also respond quickly and appropriately to its online feedback, especially any negative reviews.
Does your business have more than one physical location? If so, you must create different web pages and Google Business Profiles for each location. Likewise, your business will want to optimize each property for "near me" searches. Specifically, your webpage should have all pertinent business info, plus:
Schema markup is an excellent way for your business to reach customers through local search. Schema data helps search engines like Google gather the right information about your business listings and present it in a helpful way through rich snippets. You can use schema markup for your hours of operation, business address, and contact information.
Backlinks will always be a part of an effective SEO strategy. But, when it comes to local search engine optimization, you want to focus on relevant/high-authority backlinks with the correct geographical anchor text. If you want to rank for "near me" searches in Tacoma for the category "CPA," you wouldn't target the keywords "near me," but rather "CPA in Tacoma" or "Old Town CPA."
Google has significantly emphasized the user experience, meaning you should, too. Mobile searches dominate, so with this overwhelming use, make sure your website is mobile-friendly. This means it should be fast and made from a responsive design that works seamlessly on any mobile device; a clickable phone number for mobile users may ensure a more positive experience.
Most small businesses have a blog attached to their websites. When creating fresh content for your blog posts, make some locally focused. You can also secure local links by getting involved in your community. Join the Chamber of Commerce, interview local influencers, participate in a local business directory, and help out those in need.
Customer reviews are among the best ways to get customers to choose your local business over a competitor. Your business should find as many ways as possible to encourage current customers to leave online feedback so that you can build up your review profile. Beyond this, showcase your positive reviews on your website and use schema code for your reviews so that your star rating will appear below your listing in the search engine results.
As 'near me' searches grow, these best practices should become fundamental to business owners who want their websites to target local customers. Search optimization for location-based searches can only help regarding online visibility and conversion rates.
But local search is just one component of a comprehensive digital marketing strategy. At Connection Model, we thoroughly assess your online footprint and offer results-based solutions to optimize your search terms, ranking factors, keyword strategies, and much more for better results. Please feel free to contact us today to learn more about our services.