The Top SEO Trends for Local Businesses in 2023
As a small local business owner, utilizing SEO to help grow your business is essential. By improving your website's search engine ranking, you can attract more potential customers to your business. With SEO, you can target keywords and phrases relevant to your company and optimize your website to appear higher in search results. This can increase your visibility to potential customers searching for businesses like yours. Investing in SEO can increase your online presence and compete with larger businesses in your industry. Take advantage of the potential growth opportunities that SEO can bring to your small local business.
Conduct an SEO audit.
In an SEO audit, you should consider four factors: data accuracy, landing page optimization, citations, and online reputation.
Data Accuracy. When customers search for terms surrounding your company, you need to ensure they find the most current information when they find you online.
Landing Page Optimization. SEO and user optimization are part of landing page optimization. You need to optimize certain pages for search engines like Google and Bing to rank those pages. A few examples of SEO best practices include identifying and using the right keywords, optimizing titles and meta descriptions, and ensuring your pages load quickly. Your page will rank higher on search engines if these things are in place.
Citations. Consumers today rely on review sites and online directories to find what they want. Your business will be more visible to potential customers if it is linked to niche sites and directories in your industry.
Online Reputation. Most customers will not buy a product or service without checking reviews. Customers in 2021 were more likely to read online reviews when looking for local businesses - up 17% from 2020. Getting as many positive reviews as possible is ideal for ranking your business and attracting customers.
Create your Business Profile
Several fields are available within Google's business profile. Your products and services can be helpful to those who are searching for them! You can share a lot of information about your business with your customers. Create a detailed Google Business Profile by following these tips.
Be as detailed as possible. The Google Business Profile includes several categories that let you add a lot of detail. Categories include names, new products, and questions and answers that appear in search results. Using all of these will ensure that you get the most out of your Google Business Profile.
Don't be afraid to include as many images as possible. It is essential to feature as many photos of your products, location, etc., as possible while remaining selective about which images you choose to share. If you're posting images, test them with an online tool that lets you know if the image is clear and recognizable by Google and your customers.
Use Google Posts to your advantage. Using Google Posts, you can keep your customers up-to-date on what's happening at your business. You can post events, share special offers, offer discounts, etc. These Google Posts are also an excellent opportunity to use focus keywords.
Create a robust system for managing reviews
Online success for small businesses depends heavily on reviews. Review management systems can help you get more reviews and manage the ones you already have. Whatever the size of your business, whether a small storefront or a franchise with multiple locations, review management systems can automate requests for reviews, track specific reviews, and respond automatically to those reviews. You can get more reviews online and attract new customers to your business by tracking reviews and automating responses.
Responding to reviews. To build a successful review management system, you must have a thorough response process, especially with multiple locations. You can set up your platform to notify you of all negative reviews at or below two stars, for instance, if you want to address them directly. Afterward, you can create a report that shows how many of those reviews were received over time. As a result, you can respond to negative reviews quickly and efficiently.
Developing a Content Strategy
It is crucial to adopt a comprehensive approach to content creation that considers various factors. Your content should meet your audience's needs while aligning with your business objectives. In addition, creating valuable content for your customers is essential, helping them find what they are searching for instead of merely targeting specific keywords. This is particularly important for local businesses seeking a robust online presence.
Maximize productivity on Google
You need to make the most of all the features that Google offers. Google is a powerhouse with many tricks, so utilizing every feature available can help boost your SEO. Additionally, encouraging your employees and customers to use these features can further optimize your business.
Google assesses your business profile to determine its level of activity. As leads search for your business, leave reviews, and use directions, the more Google sees your business as legitimate and operational. Wiideman offers a simple way to optimize your Google activity to ensure that your business is viewed as credible.
One effective strategy to increase your visibility on Google is encouraging your employees to use Google Maps for directions when commuting to work. Google takes notice of this activity and ranks your business higher in search results. You can also encourage your employees to post pictures, write reviews, and engage in other activities that can help improve your business's SEO.
Similarly, asking your customers to leave reviews, post pictures, and provide directions to your business on Google Maps can significantly increase your Google activity and improve your SEO ranking. By maximizing these Google features, you can enhance your online presence and attract more customers to your business.