We live in a digital world and if a small to medium-sized business is to survive, then it needs to learn digital marketing for local business. Whether you’re a brick-and-mortar store that needs more people through the front door or a service business that covers a geographic area, a digital marketing strategy for local businesses is essential.
We’ll examine five tips to grow your business through local digital marketing. You’ll see growth in your business in no time. These are proven methods that help your business thrive and grow in the increasingly competitive environment.
1. Digital Marketing for Local Business 101: Create a Google My Business Account
The biggest search engine in the world is Google and it has a complex algorithm for both local and national searches. If you want Google to know what you do and where you’re located, then create a Google My Business Profile.
Google uses this when it places the business in the local map section and other areas. It uses it for local searches and to better understand what you do. It also has a section for reviews, so people can see what other customers think about you.
Google owns this service and uses it extensively, so if you want to rank well on local search for Google, then get a GMB profile.
2. Claim and Update Business Listings
Business listing sites rank well on Google, but many times the information is incorrect. The sites don’t get the information from you but from business aggregators and individuals. The sites often have incorrect operating hours, phone numbers, websites, etc.
You must claim the profiles and input the correct information. When people see the listings on Google, they’ll have the correct information to go by.
3. Answer Good and Bad Reviews
Review websites such as Yelp not only rank well on Google but also give people a glimpse of what customers think about your business. Customers trust online reviews and how you react to them.
If you don’t respond to reviews, then customers don’t think you care about their experience. Negative reviews need a delicate response to help the customer and should never be confrontational. This is essential if you want to know how to do digital marketing for local businesses.
4. Use Localized Keywords
Google does great at knowing where you are located, but not if you service an area outside of your town of address. If you want them to know you serve other locations, use localized keywords.
These are general keywords with the names of the various cities in them. Google bots scan your page and see these words associated with specific towns and cities.
5. Use Website Schema
Schema is a programming language that provides context for Google bots when they search your website. Traditionally, the bots must guess what your site is about by the code on the page, but schema tells them about each section.
One of the most used schemas is for your address, but it can also tell bots about blog posts and more. You can grow your business with local digital marketing.
Start Local Digital Marketing Today
Digital marketing for local businesses is a must-have in today’s competitive marketplace. Local SEO can help you beat the competition and grow your business.
For more information about local digital marketing, please explore our site.