If you own or manage a local brick-and-mortar business, you want to reach people in the surrounding area. If you aren’t optimizing for local search, you could miss out on a significant portion of your potential customers. Understanding why local SEO and local search optimization are important to local ranking can help you capture these potential consumers who are using “near me” searches. It would benefit you to know how to get found by these customers and their relevant searches, no matter your type of business.
'Near Me' Local Search Surge
Even with the exponential rise of eCommerce sales that started due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many consumers continue to shop offline. Supporting local businesses is a priority for many people, and online companies like Google, Yelp, Waze, and Facebook have created programs to help small businesses (SMBs) get more visibility in local results and search rankings.
According to Google, “near me” searches have grown about 100% globally over the past year. Even with the pandemic, many consumers use these searches to get local listings and confirm that an item is in stock at a local store before leaving home to buy it.
Appearing at the top of Google search results for 'near me' searches is crucial for local businesses to attract customers and increase visibility.
If a person looks for “Italian restaurant near me” or “plywood in Spokane,” how can you ensure your business gets the most visibility? The answer is understanding consumer behavior and focusing on local SEO strategies to attract local searchers.
Top 'Near Me' Local Search Optimization Categories
While some “near me” search queries are completed on desktop or laptop computers, most are done via mobile devices. People on the go are not only looking for something “near me” but also something “near me now,” meaning there is immediate urgency.
According to one survey of 1,000 smartphone users, 82% had done a “near me” search over the past week. The top categories for those searches were:
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Food (84%)
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Entertainment (56%)
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Banking (50%)
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Apparel (41%)
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Personal Care (38%)
Just looking at the top categories, it’s clear that these searchers intend to give someone their business. 'Near me' searches can significantly drive organic traffic to local businesses, enhancing their visibility and customer base.
Best Local SEO Tips to Rank for ‘Near Me’ Searches
Optimizing your business for “near me” searches should be a priority for any business with a local address and serves consumers in its community. If yours fits this bill, here are some of the ways you can increase the odds of ranking for local-specific pages in these searches: Local SEO tips can provide advanced strategies and tactics to further enhance your local search presence.
1. Optimize Your Google Business Profile and Map Listings
If you want your business or web page to rank on the first page of Google for local searches, you need to show up in the Google Maps Pack. These map-based listings help people find relevant businesses in their search area.
Maps results are tied to your Google Business Profile, previously known as Google My Business (GMB) profile. Your first step will be to set up or “claim” your profile and then optimize it. Here are some steps you’ll want to take:
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Include your complete and accurate business name and address
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Add your contact details and business hours
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Choose some relevant business categories
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List your products or services and add some photos
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Ask current customers to leave online feedback (reviews) about your business
Partnering with a local SEO company can provide significant benefits in managing and optimizing your Google Business Profile, ensuring your local digital marketing efforts are effective.
You’ll want to revisit your GBP often to make sure you have accurate and current information. Your NAP (name, address, phone number) must be 100% consistent across all web properties. Your front business page should also respond quickly and appropriately to its online feedback, especially any negative reviews.
2. Create and Optimize Pages for Each Business Location as Part of Your Local SEO Strategy
Does your business have more than one physical location? If so, you must create different web pages and Google Business Profiles for each location. Likewise, your business will want to optimize each property for “near me” searches. Specifically, your webpage should have all pertinent business info for multiple locations, plus:
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Meta descriptions and title tags optimized for your target keywords and location;
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Proper title and alt tags for images used on the page;
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A description of the place that includes business details like the address, hours, and services offered.
Finding the best local SEO agencies can help optimize each business location effectively.
Additionally, consider listing your business in local business directories to find relevant citation opportunities and boost local search rankings for your Map Pack rankings.
3. Use Schema Markup Properly
Schema markup is an excellent way for your business to reach customers through local search. Schema data helps search engines like Google gather the right information about your business listings and present it in a helpful way through rich snippets. You can use schema markup for your hours of operation, business address, and contact information. Performing a thorough local SEO audit is crucial to ensure accurate schema markup.
4. Get Backlinks With Geographic Anchor Text
Backlinks will always be a part of an effective SEO strategy and are crucial for improving local search bar rankings. But, when it comes to local search engine optimization, you want to focus on relevant/high-authority backlinks with the correct geographical anchor text. If you want to rank for “near me” searches in Tacoma for the category “CPA,” you wouldn’t target the keywords “near me,” but rather “CPA in Tacoma” or “Old Town CPA.” Working with a local SEO firm can help secure these high-authority backlinks and improve your local search rankings.
5. Make Sure Your Site is Mobile-Friendly
Google has significantly emphasized the user experience, meaning you should, too. Mobile searches dominate, so with this overwhelming use, make sure your website is mobile-friendly. This means it should be fast and made from a responsive design that works seamlessly on any mobile device; a clickable phone number for mobile users may ensure a more positive experience. Ensuring your site is mobile-friendly is a crucial part of comprehensive SEO marketing services.
6. Create a Blog and Secure Local Links
Most small businesses have a blog attached to their websites to help their business stand out online. When creating fresh content for your blog posts, make some locally focused. You can also secure local links by getting involved in your community. Join the Chamber of Commerce, interview local influencers, participate in a local business directory, and help out those in need. A well-planned local SEO strategy is crucial for creating content and securing local links.
7. Make Your Customer Feedback Visible
Customer reviews are among the best ways to get customers to choose your local business over a competitor. Your business should find as many ways as possible to encourage current customers to leave online feedback so that you can build up your review profile. Beyond this, showcase your positive reviews on your website and use schema code for your reviews so that your star rating will appear below your listing in the search engine results. Utilizing local SEO services can further increase visibility and drive traffic through positive customer feedback.
As ‘near me’ searches grow, these best practices should become fundamental to business owners who want their websites to target local customers. Search optimization for location-based searches can only help regarding online visibility and conversion rates a business offers, especially in local search results.
But local search is just one component of a comprehensive digital marketing strategy. At Connection Model, we thoroughly assess your online footprint and offer results-based solutions to optimize your search terms, ranking factors such as location keywords, keyword strategies, and much more for better results. Please feel free to contact us today to learn more about our services.
Written By: David Carpenter
