How to attract more customers with these simple local SEO tips 

It can be tempting to forget about your website or SEO if you’re focused on attracting a local audience. You might wonder whether traditional advertising or marketing methods, like leaflet distribution, would work better. However, taking some time to work on your local SEO can help your potential customers find you, call you or visit you.

What is local SEO?

Local SEO is the practice of optimising your website and digital presence so that it ranks better for local searches. This includes aspects like making sure you show up in map searches, listing your contact details correctly and building up a bank of reviews from customers.

By creating or improving your listings, website content and reviews, you’ll start to become more visible in local search results and attract potential customers.

Ready to jump in and work on your local SEO? Here are 7 activities to help you show up better in local search results. Most of these you can DIY, but you might want to bring in an expert to help with the content writing or SEO mentioned later in the article.

Let’s start with something easy. Google My Business is a free service created by Google to help you create and manage a business profile that can appear in search results. This takes the form of a listing which, if optimised, will show up in what’s known as the ‘local pack’ – shown below.

If you don’t have one already, create a business profile on Google My Business. Next, you’ll be asked to verify your address. This is done by post so it can take a few days for the verification code to arrive. Once it does, complete the verification process and you’ll be able to start building your profile.

As you update your profile, keep these guidelines in mindand you’re more likely to stand a chance of appearing for relevant searches. The most important aspect of your listing is to make sure that your business name, contact details and opening hours are correct and the same as those listed on your website. You can also help potential customers get a feel for your business by adding photos and creating posts – for example you could add a post to promote a special offer or an upcoming workshop.

We all know how valuable online reviews can be – just think of all the times you’ve read online reviews before buying a product or service. They can influence whether you part with your money or look elsewhere.

To make the most of the power of online reviews, try and get into the habit of asking your customers to consider leaving you one on Google. You could do this through a sign in your café, add a reminder to your email signature or add a window sticker to your shopfront.

Google Reviews appear on your Google My Business listing, offering potential customers a quick snapshot of others’ opinions of your business. Having a high star rating can influence both your position within the ‘Local Pack’ (the top listings shown) and how potential customers feel about your business.

Positive reviews are always great news, but if you do receive negative or neutral reviews you can turn these into a positive too. Be sure to reply to criticisms or negative remarks in a thoughtful, productive way. Keep things factual and offer to discuss it further with the customer. Responding in this way allows potential customers to see that you value feedback and are open to hearing from your customers, whether they’re glowing reviews or not.

When you search for a local service or product, chances are you’ll come across directories or listings websites like Yell and Thomson Local. If these directory websites show up when you search for “[your product/service] in [your area]” e.g. web designers in Exeter, then it’s a good idea to create a listing for your business there.

As well as the popular directories, there may be other niche or trade-specific listings websites which could be beneficial. Examples of these include Checkatrade (for tradespeople) and TripAdvisor (for travel and accommodation).

In many cases, a free listing on one of these websites should give you enough of a presence in your local area.

For any new listings you create or for existing directories, make sure that your name, address and phone number (NAP) are correctly listed. It helps to make these consistent too – if you refer to your business as being on “Fore Street, Exeter” keep this the same on all listings, avoiding alternatives like “Fore St”.

Use the same phone number for all listings and make this your main number if you can. It helps to provide consistency for potential customers and reassurance that they’ve found the right listing.

The same goes for your business name. Use the business name or trading name which your audience knows you as, which might not be your limited company name. Whichever name you decide to use, stick with it for all your online listings.

One aspect of SEO that can often be forgotten is looking at what your competitors are doing. This research can provide you with a useful insight into their marketing strategy and suggest opportunities for you to do something better or in a different, standout way.

Run a few searches, as a potential customer would, and see what your competitors are doing. Do they rank highly? Do they feature in the ‘Local Pack’ or map searches? Do they have lots of positive Google Reviews and an engaging profile?

Spend some time researching your competitors’ activities to see if any elements of their SEO strategy are missing from your own. You could also research other niches in your local area for inspiration or look at what similar businesses are doing in a different area of the country. We don’t encourage copying ideas outright, but this kind of research can often encourage you to think creatively about how you could enhance your own.

A great way to attract local customers is to create content that specifically appeals to them. This could be in the format of a review of a local destination, a blog post about an upcoming event or a guide to the town or city that you operate in.

If you’re stuck for ideas on what to create, Moz has some useful tips on content planning for local SEO.

Finally, optimising your website for local visitors is only part of the puzzle. To give your business the best chance possible of appearing in front of potential customers or clients, make sure that your website is fully SEO optimised.

Websites which are slow to load, hard to navigate and contain content which isn’t the best can have a negative impact on your ability to attract and convert visitors. Mobile optimisation is especially important for local search, as a high number of local searches are made on mobile devices.

To help you get started, we’ve created a helpful On Page SEO Checklist which guides you through how to optimise your website for search engine results.

Mastering your local SEO is within your reach if you have enough time, interest and enthusiasm in digital marketing. If that’s not you, why not work with us to set up and manage your local SEO activity? Get in touch with us in Exeter today to discuss a new project.