Importance of Local SEO in 2021 for Tradies & Small Businesses
The importance of Local SEO in 2021.
We live in a society of instant information. If you need to know a business location, their opening hours or phone number, you Google it! And if you can't find the information you're looking for, chances are you'll move on to another business that does have the information you want.
For this reason, it's essential that as a local business, your information is accessible to the people who are trying to find you and presents yourself in the way you want to be seen. The best way to do this is by utilising local SEO!
Be the one they find
For service based businesses (eg. carpenters, plumbers, cleaners, electricians) as well as traditional brick and mortar stores, local SEO is a vital strategy to connect you to your customers.
Research shows that 46% of Google searches include local intent, and 28% of these end in a purchase. Usually this is one of the first businesses they find (a study shows 75% of people never scroll further than the first page of google results). So how do you make sure that when people are looking, yours is the page they find?
Google my business - win the snack pack
'Google My Business' is a powerful tool for local SEO, and a huge part of this is the 'Snack Pack'. These are the first options that Google shows in a local search, and as such tend to be the first option people consider. These Snack Pack suggestions appear even before paid ads on Google, so is the ideal spot to help your business page get noticed.
Optimising your local SEO, ensuring your business NAP (Name, Address and Phone Number) are consistent across the web, utilising your keywords to appear in searches and creating content that targets your user are all going to help you rank higher and ideally, nab that coveted spot at the top!
We'll cover more ways to optimise your Google My Business profile in another post soon!
Build their trust - use testimonials
Focusing on Local SEO for your business is a great way to build authority and trust in the neighbourhood - people do business with people they 'know', 'like' & 'trust.' When people do a search for a service online, you can be sure that this means they don't already have a 'go-to' person for the job, so are hoping that Google will help them find the right person.
Whilst word-of-mouth might be a great way to establish trust with clients, this limits you to only people that you know or have worked with in the past. So how do we translate this trust into the online sphere?
Your 'Google My Business' profile is the easiest way to utilise the trust and positive experiences you have from previous clients and share these with the community. By compiling a great list of testimonials and reviews that are easily visible to people searching for your business, you can establish yourself as the go-to in your area, and build trust with a whole new spectrum of clients.
Stay in front - long term SEO
SEO is a long game. To really see powerful, sustainable results, we recommend a 6-12 month SEO campaign. Any less than this and you risk seeing superficial results that don't last and won't continue to connect you with the customers you want.
By investing the time and energy into a strong, long-term SEO campaign, you can be sure that your results will continue to connect you with clients and help you grow your business into the local expert in your trade.
Book a SEO Audit
If you would like to know how your website is performing or discuss how you can make changes to fuel growth in your business, click here to arrange your personalised website audit.
