Making sure your business appears in Google search results and all other search engines is one of the best ways to sell more online — there’s no debate about that!
In an increasingly fierce competition for people’s attention — and their credit cards — SEO is what makes someone discover and access your website or blog among so many options!
Even more important is the role of Local SEO for regional businesses or small and medium-sized businesses that want to build the authority they need to avoid having to worry about cash flow every month — and can focus on what matters: growing!
My name is Gaurav Rajput, I am the Director of Strategy and Planning here at Enjoy Minder, and this guide is the definitive manual for making your company be found by the right audience on the Internet : the ones who buy!
What is SEO?
SEO is the acronym for Search Engine Optimization: Search Engine Optimization, after being translated from English!
SEO brings together a number of strategies aimed at ensuring that your website is found by those who need it, and that it captures the attention of the perfect audience, placing your company in the first search results.
Whether it’s Google, Bing or Yahoo, this is done:
- Collecting data about your ideal audience;
- Creating and optimizing your brand’s content using the most promising keywords;
- Making your website recommended by other companies;
- In addition to many other actions aimed at building your authority among all the alternatives on the Internet!
When it comes to Local SEO, imagine you are a tourist who has just arrived in a new city:
- You don’t know where to go to eat;
- You have no way of knowing what the reputation of sidewalk restaurants is;
- And much less whether the city is really safe or what the best prices are for the activities available!
If you’re a tourist like the billions of people around the world, you’ll probably Google your questions and concerns — and the first results of those searches will be your go-to references for the rest of your trip!
Did I get this costume right?
This is what Local SEO is for: to make your business stand out among the options near your location (whether in a neighborhood, city or country) and by all the audience that is interested in your profitability!
How important is Local SEO for small businesses?
The adjective “local” often gives the impression that regional SEO is only used to get small businesses found by the right audience — but that’s not true!
Medium and large companies also have some level of local activity in different contexts (such as franchises, for example).
Furthermore, even if a company does not have a physical headquarters operating in a limited region, the potential to attract and captivate the public in a specific area can be fundamental to the success of an Internet sales strategy!
It’s best to think of the role of Local SEO as getting a company found (both digitally and physically) by an audience that needs what it offers — and who may also be browsing the Internet because they’re planning an in-person visit!
Of course, the more localized a business is, the harder it will be to close new sales without a sharp Digital Marketing strategy to make the physically nearby public find (and trust) that company — making Local SEO a pillar in increasing profitability in the short, medium and long term!
Regional visibility
The most obvious advantage of planning and executing a Local SEO strategy is to make your business be found and recognized by the regional population: in the area of interest for your next sales!
This recognition fuels attraction, as most Brazilians research a brand’s reputation online (and what other people think about it through available reviews) not only before leaving home, but also when they are already inside the physical store!
If your local business doesn’t have a digital presence with SEO applied to it to be found in searches by your target audience, you’ll be lucky if it’s not invisible at all: as the competition for dominance in the top positions of search engines and social networks will convince your audience that such competitors are the only right option — and you, a waste of money!
Local reference
When I said that after recognition comes attraction, I meant that the same weapon your competitors are using against you, you can use to establish your expertise — and mark your brand’s territory through Local SEO!
From the moment your company is seen, it has the opportunity to captivate people through Content Marketing and other Digital Marketing initiatives.
The moment these people are captivated, they will stop looking to your competitors for what you have already proven you can solve or make easier for them: be it a doubt, a problem or a desire!
That’s when you become a local reference and steal the spotlight from your competition, becoming the only option in front of (and in the hearts of) your potential buyers!
New consumers
The more authority you build from the recognition and captivation of the public looking for what your brand offers, the more trust your company will inspire in potential new customers — bringing the perfect opportunity not only to sell and profit more, but also to expand your business!
Another benefit of Local SEO is that, in addition to reaching these new customers, you will also be able to nurture the relationship you develop with your current customers, ensuring that they will buy from you again and not switch to any of your competitors!
How does Local SEO help your business?
You need to mark your territory — and I couldn’t be more literal!
Without taking the lead and showcasing your business’s qualities (and offerings) when your potential customers are looking for answers, someone else will do it for you!
Especially when it comes to regionality, the amount of people available to buy from you (instead of your competition) is very limited!
It’s up to you to apply Local SEO to ensure that the only choice in front of your consumers is your brand and no other!
And it doesn’t stop there: Local SEO is just the beginning!
Even if your company is based in a specific region, the only way to feed your business’ authority — to transform your brand into a reference, which directly increases your sales, wherever you are — is by executing a complete SEO strategy, to:
- People become familiar with your company;
- Be educated towards the cultural and financial goals of your business;
- And become super fans, coveting what your brand name represents beyond the products or services it offers!
The kind of value generated from an SEO strategy like this is invaluable — and the resources invested in this process can bring exponential returns!
On the Internet, losing the ball means losing the goal. That’s why I’m teaching you how to dominate the entire field at once, so that every step becomes a point scored!
When the field is yours, even opposing teams end up playing in your favor — whether they know it or not!
How to improve Local SEO?
To dominate the field, you need to know what the crowd in the stands wants to see at your game!
Therefore, the first step to improving Local SEO is to have a good idea of who your ideal audience is:
- What is the gender of these people?
- What is their age range?
- What do they work with?
- What is their purchasing power?
- And, most importantly, what places do they frequent or live in?
Understanding the basics of your ideal audience (those with the greatest potential to buy from you) gives you a direction for your SEO strategies to follow, using information such as:
- The proximity of this audience to your brand;
- The relevance of your offers to him;
- And the role of your authority in these people’s purchasing decisions!
By understanding your audience’s behavior and what they expect from your company, you can think about how to approach them by:
- Decide what tone of voice you will use to communicate with him;
- Through which social networks , search engines or geolocation platforms will you do this;
- And what to show to attract, fascinate, educate and convert this audience — from stranger to buyer!
Once you have an idea of who your audience is, you can use the Local SEO tactics and tools I’ve listed below.
Google My Business
Google My Business is a free tool from Google to help businesses like yours connect with customers based on their physical proximity to the business (whether in the neighborhood, city or country, through geolocation).
This platform has features that:
- They make it easier for potential customers to find the company;
- They help update and correctly display your company information on Google Maps;
- Enter the address, contact details, list of products or services, and opening hours of your establishment;
- And it allows for evaluations and comments from consumers, increasing your chances of gaining the public’s trust and nurturing a direct relationship with them!
It is one of the most powerful and versatile Local SEO tools!
Foursquare
Foursquare is a geolocation-based social network, allowing people to find businesses physically close to where they are!
This platform is so important for Local SEO strategies that creating a profile for your brand on it is essential for your company to be seen — and for your customers to buy from it!
Waze
Waze is an application for cell phones and tablets that works like a GPS, helping drivers locate themselves and find the best traffic routes — and business routes in the region!
In addition to being one of the biggest complementary alternatives to Google and Google Maps, Waze provides the certainty that, if the driver is on a route, he will see the offers, information and qualities of your business in real time!
Local partnerships
Not all competition is negative!
If your brand’s competitors have complementary (rather than antagonistic) products or services, engaging in an audience “swap” with them can benefit both companies by fostering the regionality that attracts new customers — and closes more deals!
This mission can be achieved by sending strategic Local SEO content to the audiences of both brands, ensuring that both (or more) always benefit from this partnership!
Online presence
If your target audience spends all day on Instagram, that’s where you’ll need to build a large part of your business’s digital presence — and improve your Local SEO from there!
When I talk about convincing someone to choose your brand as their number one choice (to the point where they leave their house to buy from you), I mean that the process that leads to this involves going directly to where the public is!
The best way to do this is on the Internet: using Digital Marketing to create a content strategy and execute an SEO plan capable of placing your company at the top of searches and in the feeds of your future buyers!
Business tools
I imagine that, when you read me talking about Local SEO and regionality, the first thing you think of is Google Maps — and you couldn’t have thought differently, because Google is still the largest search platform in the world!
In addition to creating optimized profiles on maps and filling out your business information on Google My Business, Local SEO also takes advantage of:
- Implementing a review system on your company’s website;
- To aggregate people’s opinions on regional business recommendation portals, such as TripAdvisor or iFood;
- From ads on social networking apps or on communities and platforms focused on human interaction around common interests!
Consulting a reliable Inbound Marketing agency (even better if it has won awards and been elected as the best agency in India, as is the case here at Enjoy Minder) will ensure that your company will have the fundamental business tools to handle Local SEO using a single program: one that directly updates all the local platforms necessary to increase your sales!
Local SEO is also content
So what happens after your local business is discovered and attracts the perfect customers?
You need to put a lot of effort into the content!
Content is not just a post on social media. In the digital universe, content is any form of communication with the right audience :
- Speaking his language;
- About the needs he faces;
- And with the solution he needs — which is you!
If your brand doesn’t have a website, you need to create one urgently, as it serves as a hub where your audience can find all the other channels, social networks and, most importantly, your business’s address or phone number!
Even better would be to create a registration system on your website, precisely to enable personalized service and the collection of information about your audience that can be used to target a similar quality audience to the current one — and with future sales and authority strategies, such as using Paid Media for promotion!
Only then does the actual content creation begin: articles, videos, social media posts and whatever else is necessary to achieve your company’s goals by educating your audience about:
- The desires he longs for;
- The problems you face;
- And the questions it carries!
It is from this type of material that you will have extra chances of being found in local searches as the perfect solution for those who need what your company offers!
If you manage a hotel, for example, start by asking yourself what type of public frequents that space.
If you are an audience of businesspeople focused on events or seminars, you will have a guide on how to present yourself to them in the digital world and what content to create to answer their questions and ambitions with the aim of attracting them from the Internet to your establishment!
All this dynamic will only strengthen your Local SEO and ensure that your company is the best, biggest and most reliable among all similar options!
Be seen by those around you!
Did you see that Local SEO is not just for small businesses?
What you also learned is that:
- Local SEO is aimed at making your business be found by the audience that most needs what you sell;
- The authority of your business is essential to inspire trust in your potential customers;
- This authority can only be built if your business is found as the first option in search engine results;
- Something that is achieved through the use of tools included in Digital Marketing and Local SEO, which go far beyond Google Maps;
- And that always translates into more sales, more trust from your future buyers, new sales to the same people, and much more profit!
To find out the current state of SEO in your company, I recommend that you complete the free SEO Diagnosis here at Enjoy Minder!
I recommend it because I built it myself — together with my gigantic team of professionals from the most diverse areas of technology, sales and human behavior — with the intention of giving you the definitive solution!
I want to see you score more than just goals: I want to see you dominate the football team and the entire stadium!
Play to win — request our free diagnosis!
