Local SEO (search engine optimization) is one area of search marketing that many retail stores and restaurants neglect. It's unfortunate, because the ones that embrace local SEO can see a greater payoff than those who ignore it.
Local SEO basically means you are making sure your restaurant, retail store, practice, or service can be found on search engines. Many people are beginning to use search engines to find local services, like restaurants or plumbers, rather than the Yellow Pages.
Go to Google and type in your city and the type of service you offer. Did you appear on the list? If not, then you need some local SEO, stat! More people are doing searches on Google, and if you don't appear at the top of the page, you've lost. There are three local SEO tactics you can use to insure it is your store or service customers find, rather than the competition.
Three Local SEO Tactics You Can Do Now
- Optimize Your Google Listing: Go to Local.Google.com, and search for your business. Click the "More Info" button on your map listing, and then click the "Business Owner?" link at the top of the page. Follow the instructions, and give as much information as you can. By filling out this information, you're providing all the Yellow Pages information, and more, for a big local SEO boost. Plus, as people leave comments on the different review sites (see below), they will appear here. This makes Google a one-stop shop for people trying to find out more information about your business. After you do this, go do the same for Yahoo Local.
- Social Media is Great for Local SEO: We just read an interesting SmartBrief survey of social media use by restaurants. The survey says that 81% of restaurants are using social media of some kind, compared to 60% in other industries; 52% of restaurants have seen more positive mentions as a result of their social media presence; and, only 3% of responding restaurateurs don't use Facebook.
While we don't have the space to tell you how to use social media, we can at least tell you to get a Facebook page, and to use it. Whether you own a restaurant, a plumbing service, a chiropractor's office, or a second-hand clothing store, you need a Facebook page. For one thing, Facebook is indexed by Google, which helps your local SEO efforts. For another, you build relationships with customers through social media. As they talk about your place on their social media accounts, you get another boost to your local SEO campaign. - Use Review Sites for Local SEO: Sites like Yelp.com and CityScape can give you a local SEO boost as people review your store or service. Encourage your customers, clients, or patients to leave reviews about you on these review sites. While you don't need to obsess over them and check the listings daily, it's a good idea to check them at least once every 2 - 3 weeks and make sure you're getting positive reviews.
How Do Negative Reviews Affect Local SEO Efforts?
We're not sure if the Internet has a sense of humor, but if it does, you'll see it when someone posts a negative review of your business, and that is when your business will appear at the top of the search rankings.
Don't panic if that happens. All is not lost. In fact, this may work to your benefit. If you receive a negative review, your first instinct is to either get it removed, or to give your own negative response of the reviewer. Suppress that urge, and instead, leave a positive response. Thank the people for visiting your business, explain how you're going to fix their problem, and then fix it. Then, as new people see their complaint, the very next thing they'll see is that the owner took care of a complaint.
"Ah," they'll think. "This place cares about its customers, and takes care of them. I want to do business with a place like that."
These local SEO techniques, social media, review sites, and optimizing your Google and Yahoo Local listing, can greatly improve your search engine rankings, which will lead to more customers and increased sales.
