4 Ways to Get Your Business Found by Local Searchers
If you are like most small businesses, the success of your company is dependent on attracting local customers, whether they are in your region, state, county or even town. While it’s great to see that your website is pulling in visitors from around the country and maybe even around the world, you don’t want to waste the time or resources worrying about leads and inquiries that you can’t possibly follow up with. So, how do you ensure you are doing everything in your power to pull in those valuable visitors from across town? Check out this list:
1. Optimize your site for geographic-specific keywords.
Depending on the competitiveness of your geographic region and industry, this is a quick and easy way for you to start ranking for various keywords that local shoppers are using to search in Google, Yahoo! and Bing. To do this, make sure that the Page Title, URL, H1 tag and page content of your web pages include your geographic keyword phrase and that you are consistent across all elements. For example, check out this page, which illustrates geographic keyword optimization done right. By doing this, this company is more likely to pull in consumers in Newington, CT who are looking for replacement windows and siding. Remember, if you have multiple pages for each town/city you service, make sure they are different enough so the search engines don’t tag them as duplicate content!
2. Blog!
A blog is a great way to talk about your local services and commitment to your local market. Share case studies or success stories of work you’ve done in the past in each town, city or county. Customers love being in the spotlight, so use your blog as an opportunity to showcase them and highlight your great work. Remember to use the geographic location in your blog title and URL and promote your blog to generate inbound links!
3. Engage with local bloggers and city-specific websites.
When you engage with local bloggers from your area and share your knowledge and expertise, you begin to establish yourself as a great resource and expert in your industry. You’ll be getting your name and company in front of local readers and begin to develop relationships with influential bloggers who may be more likely to do feature stories about you in the future. While HubSpot doesn’t pull customers in from any one specific geographic location like your business may, we frequently engage in conversations on the Boston Globe‘s website, Boston.com, as well as with local technology and business bloggers, Mass High Tech and the Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange (MITX). See what’s in your local area, and start interacting.
4. Sign up for accounts on ratings & review sites.
As we have seen, consumers are more and more likely to start their research process online for a local vendor, handyman, car mechanic, doctor or marketing professional. Armed with that knowledge, you need to make sure your business is listed on the major websites that provide ratings and reviews for various services.