Local Optimization: What It Is and How to Do It Right

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It’s hard for people to do business with you if they don’t know where to find you. Now, you might think that it’s easier than ever to get found because of how much information is readily available on the web. Potential customers can find your business based on local keywords you’ve optimized for on your blog and website, they can call your store with the number listed on Google, and they can even use Google Maps to navigate to your storefront. But what if Google has the wrong address listed for your business? Not only will potential customers be unable to locate your storefront, but they’ll also develop a negative image of your company, so they probably won’t go out of their way to try and find you. This kind of error happens more often than you might think, but it’s easily avoidable with a little more attention dedicated to local optimization.

So, what is local optimization? Lots of different tasks can fall under local optimization, but these tasks all have the same goal: Ranking in the local pack of businesses featured in Google results for certain keywords. These prominently featured results can significantly drive up conversions and sales, but they don’t typically just fall into your lap. Just like with organic search results, local search results require that you put out certain on-page signals and use specific online practices to put up the right flags for search engines to take notice of your business.

NAP—the key to local optimization

Your NAP, or name, address, and phone number, are at the core of your local optimization strategy. That means having your business name and contact information prominently displayed on your website as well as across online directories and review sites. This is where extra work can come in, because many businesses will find missing or incorrect information as they start to find and claim their different listings across the web. Any errors in your NAP on any directory site should be corrected to create consistency across the board—that will ensure that anyone who is trying to find you through any source will get pointed in the right direction.

Local optimization beyond directory listings

Directory listings are important in local optimization, but they aren’t everything. There are other strategies you should use to put up the right local search signals, including the following:

 

  • Online review management – What people are saying about your business online matters. Customers put a lot of trust into reviews from other consumers, so you will want to pay attention to major review sites and claim your listings on them. And don’t stop there. You should actually engage in reviews, responding with “thank yous” to positive mentions and offering solutions or an apology to negative ones.

 

  • Social media activity – Social media activity is helpful to your local strategy, not only because it looks good to search engines, but because it also gives you a real opportunity to engage with members of the community where you do business. Don’t be afraid to have conversations with your customers on social media, host and tag local events at your place of business, and be sure that your contact info is accurate across each of your social pages.

 

 

Steps for implementing a local optimization strategy

Now that you have some background on local optimization and what goes into it, it’s time to start implementing a strategy for your business. But where do you begin?

 

  • Locate your listings – To manage your listings, you have to find them first. Most importantly, you will want to identify your Google My Business listing and claim it. Next, check sites like Yelp, TripAdvisor, and any professional directories related to your industry. Claim any listings for your business and eliminate duplicates that exist on the same directory.

 

  • Correct false or missing information – Any inaccurate or missing information should be corrected, and while this sounds simple, remember that errors in PO box numbers, suite numbers, and other details can easily be missed.
  • Respond to reviews – After you claim accounts with major review sites, you should start responding to more recent reviews posted about your business and continue to do so.
  • Maintain your listings – Like any marketing strategy, local optimization requires upkeep with regular monitoring and maintenance.

 

 

Fortunately, you can clean up your local listings without putting in hours of research, hunting, and editing. Let Anchor Wave fix discrepancies and keep your listings current as we help improve your total web presence to boost your business. You can learn more about what we can do on our website, or give us a call in Tucson at (520) 622-3731.

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