How Google My Business Helps with Local SEO
Whenever you think about buying something nearby, how many times have you opened your phone, typed it in and added ‘near me’ on the end? Whether it’s ‘cafe near me,’ ‘haircut near me’ or the one I type in more than I like to admit, ‘locksmith near me,’ it’s a go-to for many people looking to satisfy a want or need.
Well, this is a huge element of what’s called local SEO. If you’re looking for a product in a particular region, lots of businesses are competing to be the first brand you see when the search engine results pop up.
I shouldn’t need to tell you why local SEO is so important, but this isn’t like normal SEO.
78% location-based searches result in an offline purchase, which means that the majority of these people are ready to buy.
By prioritising local SEO, you can skyrocket your small business.
But what does this mean for the buyer? Well, it gives all of the information they need to purchase. It tells them where to go, what time they can go, who to call to verify something, and they can look up products on the website (if the business has them).
When somebody is ready to buy and they get all of the information they need to buy, you’re a local trip away from a sale.
Want to get a Google My Business Listing? Follow the instructions here this link
What Content Can I Put on my Listing?
You can manage your listing by putting in all of the information possible.
Your listing needs to be complete if you are to get people to visit your store and purchase from you. The more information people have, the more likely they’ll choose your store, so make sure there is as much information as possible on your listing. For example, if your store is in a shopping mall, you may want to put which floor of the shopping mall in the address, to allow people to find it more easily.
Secondly, all of the information needs to be accurate. Google allows people to ‘suggest an edit’, and if your information is incorrect, people may be able to change it to something that may be more suitable for them. This doesn’t mean that it’s going to be more suitable for others, so you must make sure that you periodically check or update your listing to avoid this problem.
And, lastly, just like everything else in SEO, it has to be optimised.
Got any offers on at the moment? You can put them in your Google listing. You may as well put some photos up of your store, restaurant, products etc. - anything that may entice people to visit.
You should also make sure that your website is optimised for people who want to find out information (e.g. if you don’t sell specifically online, you should at least give people the means to find out what you sell offline).
One thing Google My Business can’t control is your reviews. That is solely down to you, but by offering a good service and letting people know that they can write a review on your Google listing (and that it would really help you out), you can place your business above the local competition.
How Google My Business Helps with Local SEO
Of course, local SEO turns into footfall, which should turn into revenue if your offline marketplace is as optimised as your online counterpart. But how can you make sure that you’re going to get those local SEO benefits?
Let’s take a restaurant in Newtown, within Sydney’s Inner West. Whilst it is in Sydney, how likely is it that somebody from the CBD is going to travel to Newtown when there are so many options on their doorstep? Not only that, but with so many competitors from all sides of Sydney, a restaurant in Newtown would find it hard to match a user’s search criteria enough to become one of the first organic listings.
Instead, the restaurant should be optimising for searches that are hyper-local i.e. within walking distance. Not only that, but they should be optimising for details about the business as well as location e.g. “Thai restaurant Newtown”.
The more narrow you get, the more closely you will match a user’s search criteria, and the higher the reach and thus conversion rate.
But just like any SEO strategy, if you go too narrow you lose out on reach. However, as people who search based on location are more ready to buy, we can be a little bit more specific and place less emphasis on reach.
This may not be the approach needed for a more obscure business, however - or those with solution-based products.
For example, a mechanic in Gosford can expect to have a lot less competition than a restaurant in Newtown. And those with a problem would be willing to travel a little bit further, especially when it comes to something that costs sizeably more than a meal for two. In this case, the mechanic has an offer on new tyres, so is willing to optimise for all of the Central Coast, as they know people will travel further to save money.
The more narrow you get, the more closely you will match a user’s search criteria, and the higher the reach and thus conversion rate. But just like any SEO strategy, if you go too narrow you lose out on reach. However, as people who search based on location are more ready to buy, we can be a little bit more specific and place less emphasis on reach. This may not be the approach needed for a more obscure business, however - or those with solution-based products.
For example, a mechanic in Gosford can expect to have a lot less competition than a restaurant in Newtown. And those with a problem would be willing to travel a little bit further, especially when it comes to something that costs sizeably more than a meal for two.
In this case, the mechanic has an offer on new tyres, so is willing to optimise for all of the Central Coast, as they know people will travel further to save money. In both of these cases, it is based on the business, the location and the competitors surrounding them. By assessing the marketplace around you and knowing where your business sits within that, you can optimise for local SEO and send your sales through the roof!
If you’re looking for assistance with local SEO - send us a message: hello@chutzpahcreative.com