If you run a small business, you know how difficult it can be to get your name out there and bring in the customers that will ensure lasting success. Maybe you’ve tried ads in the newspaper, rented billboards in your area to attract the locals to your establishment, or have even placed ads with the big social media networks to target those who may be interested.
The big question is this: Are those working well enough, and are people who are looking for your business able to find it?
In today’s fast-paced climate, more and more people are looking to the internet to find local businesses that provide what they need. They’re doing this by using both their phones and PCs to ask search engines, “What’s the best [business type] near me?”. A search engine like Google is going to then return results using its complex algorithm that determines relevance to the search and provides a SERP (Search Engine Results Page) that is calculated will have the most benefit to that user. But if your business isn’t relevant enough in Google’s eyes your business will not be displayed on that page. So how are potential customers supposed to find you? The answer is SEO.
Get an Edge Over Your Local Competition
Off the top of your head, what would you say is the most popular search engine? If you said Google, you’d be right; and that’s exactly where you should start building your online presence that targets those in your area.
Google My Business, commonly known as GMB, is essentially your business’s “profile” for Google. It gives Google all pertinent information about your business, including its location and contact information. So, when someone is searching for something relevant enough, all of the most important information gets displayed for quick consumption.
Keeping all of your information on listing sites (such as Google or Bing) as updated as possible is crucial for making sure potential customers are able to make quick decisions about your business. Anywhere your businesses name, website URL, phone number, or address can be found online is called a ‘citation’. These citations are very important because if you aren’t able to be found in the places your customer base is searching, they’ll find your competitors instead!
Local SEO Offers a Great Return on Investment (ROI)!
What better reason do you need to get working on your local SEO than money? Once done correctly and consistently, local SEO can provide a greater return on investment over traditional advertising, as your business is only being displayed when people are truly interested in it. This results in no wasted display advertising that fell on the “wrong” crowd. A small, local business has enough to worry about without dealing with the pressure of an ever-increasing advertising bill that may or may not be creating lasting connections between your business and its audience.
The decision to create a local SEO strategy is one of the best decisions any small, local business can put in place to ensure success year after year. Don’t let 2019 be another year when you swept the prospect of local SEO under the rug. Instead, capitalize on the benefits of local SEO and edge out competitors in your area!
Contact our team and SEO experts at Peppermonkey Media for a free consultation to see if your website makes the grade.
