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Did you know that 78% of “local” Google searches led to offline purchases?
This means that if you own a local business, capturing Google searches would lead to more customers.
So how can you improve your search engine optimisation to drive exponential local growth?
We will go through 8 proven SEO strategies that you should know.
Let’s get started!
- Localized keyword research and map intent to pages
Finding localized keywords when you have multiple locations/stores and multiple keywords with different intent is a challenge.
You will need a strategy to rank for multiple keywords in multiple locations:
- Build location pages on your website to capture the largest keywords
- Optimize each location’s Yelp page to capture smaller keywords
- Pitch to local media outlets for inclusion for the optimal keywords
- Put your efforts into “On page” improvements
Optimising the appearance of your website does wonder for local organic searches.
Here are some factors that you should consider:
- Mobile usability
- Keywords in page titles
- Embed Google Maps in your website design
- Reviews section
- Store images
- Store information
- External links
- Unique content (nearby landmarks, specific location details)
- Add structured data to location pages
Structured data, is also known as Schema or microdata, is a standardized format for providing information about a page and classifying the page content. It assists search engines in understanding your website content.
So how do you improve structured data on your website?
- Use Javascript formatting over HTML
- Implement through Google Tag Manager (GTM) which helps you add structured data to your page
- Add Local Business microdata to tell Google that your page is related to a physical location
- Add microdata for reviews
- Build, verify and optimize “Google My Business” pages
Here are some tips on how to optimize “Google My Business” pages to rank in multiple locations:
- Get verified by Google
- Fill out the information section completely, including opening hours and contact details
- Leverage keywords in the title (Brand and keyword)
- Allow reviews
- Consider citation pages
A local citation is an online mention of the name, address and contact number for your business which helps with local SEO as it shows Google that you are a real business that is discoverable.
Here is the 3-step process to manage citations:
- Clean up existing citations including removing incorrect information
- Finding new citations by using search operators or Whitespark
- Building the new citations by taking your list of sites and manually creating a profile on each.
- Local PR campaign
Contact local news outlets to publicize your business to secure local coverage and organic exposure.
If you have a new store announcement, a local news outlet would be delighted to cover that story.
If you think that you would bring substance in a news article, contact a media company or publication with your proposal.
PS. (We use beyond communications for our local & International PR.)
- Local influencer outreach
In this digital era, people love taking photos and many have even started a career in social media. These types of people are known as influencers.
Influencers offer businesses advantages such as local organic traffic, exposure to their following, and a boost in visual content.
Here is a couple of examples of great Mauritian based influencers:
- Camila
- Mauritius
- Stella
- Facebook ad campaigns
Many businesses swear using social media within their business plan.
Facebook ads offer a huge opportunity for local businesses to generate brand awareness and traffic.
This is because Facebook ads allow local businesses to market to people that have visited their website and are in close proximity to one of your locations.
In other words, Facebook offers a highly targeted ad that will search for consumers who match your target customer profile.
What are some of your SEO tips on how to improve local growth?
Related Tag: SEO Mauritius