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Local Marketing and SEO: Website & Google Business
Local Marketing and SEO: Website & Google Business
Local marketing is potentially the most effective way for a small business to promote themselves, they will usually supply to their geographical area so it is essential to work on getting your brand seen online to a local audience.
The important factor to bear in mind is that Local Marketing should be a constant & continuous process, unlike large nationwide brands that will launch short term campaigns, your local marketing needs to be continually working & building relationships with your local clients. Small businesses work far more on relationships & repeat customers so give some time & effort to your online presence in your local area.
In this article we take a look at how you can build your Local Marketing SEO strategy via your website and Google Business profile (formerly Google Local Entry).
Website
An important fact to know is that ranking highly in local searches is much more achievable than other searches, search engine algorithms are well set up for geographical searches & Google will bring up local businesses above those further afield. Therefore, you need to ensure that your website has the right keywords & searches that your local audience will use. Use geographical keywords & search terms such as ‘plumber in Muswell Hill’.
The more localised the keywords the greater chance of your ranking higher so if your company services all of North London you may want to add keywords for specific locations within that area as well as using North London in your SEO.
Create blogs and news articles which local customers might find of use to read. Are there other businesses in the area you can cross-promote? They could give you a little mention and you can mention them in return.
Double check your website is mobile-friendly. Local searches are more likely to happen from a phone to search for directions, reviews or contact information.
Finally, keep your website constantly updated with good information. Gone are the days when customers or clients will give you a call if they have a query, they are much more likely to search for you online.
Google Business
Your Google Business profile is an essential part of Local Marketing. Make sure your profile is optimised with all the current information, such as opening times, telephone number etc.
Do check your location is marked correctly on Google Maps, you can move the marker if for some reason Google has your location wrong (this has happened with a few of our clients).
Add good images & ask for Google Reviews, you can add a link to your email encouraging reviews. You should also monitor your Google Reviews & respond. If by chance you get an unfavourable review if you act quickly you can get your reviewer to remove it or indeed approach Google if you feel the review is unfair.
Lastly, Google Business does now allow you to post to it, much like posting to your other social media, each post lasts a week & it’s a brilliant way of bringing more information & valuable keywords to your Google entry.
If you would like help with your Local Marketing then send us an email mel@reddesk.co.uk
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Google Business Profiles for Schools
Google Business Profiles for Schools
Following on from our Social Media for schools blog post recently we thought we’d look in a little more detail at Google Business profile (formerly Google Local Entries). We were surprised at the number of schools who attended the training that had not actually claimed their Google Business profile.
Anyone searching your school will more than likely see your Google Business profile before anything else. They may not even go to your website but simply look at your google search return (what comes up when you search your school). Your Google Business profile contains important basic information such as your location & contact number but it also shows any reviews that have been submitted plus you can now post to your entry allowing you to add some valuable content about your school.
How to Claim Your Google Listing
If you search for your school in Google, your website should come up in the main body of the screen and then on the right hand side, your Google Business Listing should be visible:
If you can’t see it or you don’t have access just yet then you will need to claim your entry by going to Google Business. You can create an account with any email but best practice would be to use generic email created to manage your school’s social media rather than an individual account.
Once your account is created type in your school name and check that the rest of the address is correct.
Verify and then confirm your school. You will be sent a post card with a verification code that will need to be entered online.
If your entry has been claimed before, Google will show you a snippet of the email address that owns your entry, you many recognize the email or it may be an old or defunct email from a past employee. If this is the case you can request access either as an owner or as a manager.
How to Improve Your Google Business profile
Are the pictures of your location attractive? Sometimes the Google image of the exterior of your school isn’t the most attractive. You can upload your own images, or try to move the Google pin to show off your school from a more attractive angle rather than showing the back alley way or your bins!
Do you have any reviews? Encourage supportive parents to give reviews. Do take note that you may end up with a random score like 4.8 (even if all your reviews are 5 star) due to their algorithm. Your Google Business profile will gather the ratings from other websites such as Facebook and Yelp. Your school should be monitoring your entry for reviews as part of your online reputation management.
Summary
- Google Business is the dashboard by which you manage your Google Business profile and Google Posts, Insights and Google AdWords.
- Google Business gives a location of your business on Google Maps plus a brief overview of your business
- Google Business Post is a snippet of information that you can post to your entry, these posts only last one week but can add some valuable content to your entry.
You may also be interested in our article on How To Manage Negative Reviews.
If you need any help with your Google Local entry do contact us at mel@reddesk.co.uk
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