Five Pillars to Local Visibility: How To Get More Local Customers
Local visibility on the internet was once a marketing strategy that local businesses could use, but those days are gone.
Local businesses that don’t invest enough in online visibility are at risk of being forgotten and left behind by Google-recommended service providers. It’s now a must-have for all local businesses.
Why?
Because customers are looking for local service providers online, more than ever before. According to Social Media Today, 97% of search engine users used Google to locate local businesses in 2019.
It’s not too late to reap the benefits of local SEO.
This article will discuss what local SEO is and why it’s so important. It’ll also talk about the five pillars that help you get more customers and website visitors.
What is local SEO and why are you interested in it?
Local SEO (search engine optimizing) is a marketing strategy to help your business rank in local searches on Google.
If I searched for “local landscaping companies near me”, the results I get would be:
Based on the results, one of these businesses will be chosen and I’ll either visit their website or contact them to use their services.
They have gained a customer in a matter of minutes, and they didn’t even spend any advertising.
This is the power of local SEO.
Local SEO can help you get more customers and sales.
- Establish trust with your customers
- Increase your online visibility and presence
- Your industry should be a leader
- You can reduce the amount you spend on advertising
- You will get more and better reviews
- Increase the number of repeat customers
- Increase your ROI
Five pillars to local visibility
These are the top steps you can take in order to increase the visibility of your company within your local community.
Pillar 1: Google My Business
Google is the most popular search engine in the world and accounts for around 83% of the global search market. It makes sense to concentrate your efforts there.
The first step in setting up a Google My Business page (GMB) is to create one. This page serves as a Google directory page for your company. Google will use this data to display your business in local searches.
To set up this page, head to https://business.google.com/create and follow the steps.
After creating your business profile, be sure to include all relevant information such as your contact details, photos, list of services and full description.
Also, you should perform several weekly activities in order to improve your listing and get more Google customers.
Pillar 2: NAP
NAP is the second pillar in local SEO. Grab a pillow, but not that kind of NAP.
Here, I am referring to the NAP, which stands for “Name Address and Phone Number”.
Your NAP information must be consistent and accurate when marketing online (including on your website, Google My Business page, social profiles and other websites that may list your details).
NAP makes Google look more trustworthy and improves your online visibility. It also increases your customers’ experience by allowing them to easily contact you and go to your website.
Pillar 3: Citations
Citations are online mentions that include your NAP details. These can include both:
- Full citations: All the information (including your business name, address and phone number) is present.
- Partial citations are where only part of your NAP information has been mentioned. Partial citations: Where only a portion of your NAP information is mentioned. For example, the business name and address appear but your phone number is not.
These citations can help you with local SEO. Google considers full citations to be more valuable.
Google will begin to consider your business credible if you have more citations (be sure to include full citations) and your chances of being ranked for local searches are higher.
These citations will also be visible to humans. The more information you have about your company, the better chances you have of driving traffic to it.
Pillar 4: Reviews
Did you know that 9 out of 10 customers read customer reviews before purchasing products?
Local businesses are putting more effort into local marketing and reviews have become an integral part of customers’ purchasing decisions.
Your business will get more customers if it has more 5-star reviews than your competitors.
Google will consider your Google My Business Page as the primary review source for your local ranking. They also consider other authority websites such as Facebook.
Google gives users the ability to leave reviews in two different ways:
- Only one-star rating
- With a testimonial, a star rating
The first will increase your average rating. However, the second will make your listing more visible for the right keywords.
Pillar 5: Website Content
Your website’s content is the final pillar of local SEO. This includes:
- Google needs a complete listing of all your services in order to determine what services you offer and the type of customers it should send your way.
- Customer testimonials containing details about the customer, such as their name, address, and mention of the service used.
- Showcase your work by featuring projects that have been completed with before-and-after photos. This will make you an expert and help customers choose you over other competitors.
- Google can compile a list of your service areas to help it identify the areas where you are located and send people to you.
- You can provide useful content about your services to make it more valuable for the reader. You could write an article about painting services such as “5 Things to Remember When Choosing Paint For Your Roof”. This article will be very helpful and will help the reader build trust in your company.
- A FAQ section is where you answer the most frequently asked questions of customers about your services, your process, and any other queries they might have.
The more useful and relevant content you include, then the better.
Think about it.
Imagine two plumbing companies creating websites. Let’s call them Joe’s Plumbers and Pro Plumbing.
- Joe’s Plumbers does not include a complete listing of its services, testimonials or FAQs.
- Pro Plumbing, on the other hand has all of these features on its website.
What business do you believe will get more customers through Google?
Answer: Pro Plumbers
Are you ready to reach more local customers?
Your business will be more visible on Google if you incorporate the five pillars for local visibility into your SEO strategy. What does this mean for you?
Potential customers are more likely to call you if they are looking for your services.
See “How local businesses get 40+ phone calls per month from Google” to see the impact of these 5 pillars on our clients.
Your business will begin to appear in more local searches if you implement all five pillars. This will result in increased website traffic and sales.
