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