Stop Thinking Like Google And Start Thinking Like You

Search engine algorithms are incredibly smart and are built to “think” like humans do.  This is increasingly so as voice search continues to grow in prominence. In this case, they are not looking for the search term “near me”, rather they recognize that search term and determine that you are looking within your geographical area.  The beauty of that is that whether someone is searching at home or on their phone, users will get results that are in their physical location.

Local SEO Is Where It’s At

This is where local search engine optimization comes into play.  For businesses with physical locations, optimizing for your service area is extremely important.  It is always easier to show up for the city you are located in. That is because your address should be all over your site and your business listings. However, if your service area extends outward or your city is particularly large, such as Los Angeles or Chicago, you’ll need to do a little more work.

Here Are Some Tips To Improve Your Local Listings

1. Make sure your Google My Business and Bing Places listings include your service area.
2. Create local pages – these can have information about the area, neighborhoods you service, community events, have directions to your location from different directions, etc. Just no duplicate content!
3. Be listed in local directories.  It’s likely you will not outrank Yelp or Angie’s List, at least if you’re first starting out, so make sure you search for your industry ‘near me’ and add your business on those sites.  Most have some sort of free option.
4. Encourage feedback from satisfied customers. Reviews play a vital role in building trust and credibility for your business. They provide valuable insights to potential customers and are highly regarded by search engines. Positive reviews can significantly impact your online presence, helping your business stand out among competitors in the local marketplace. Let’s focus on optimizing your business profile to showcase your strengths and unique offerings, which will undoubtedly make a positive impact on your online visibility.

Advertising Agency Near Me

If I can get that key term in my content, why wouldn’t I?  No shame. But seriously, if you follow the above tips, you’ll get more traffic and get pushed up higher in the local ranks. Even just utilizing one or two of these tactics can help set you apart from your competitors.  Good luck and happy optimizing!