With the proper utilisation of search engine optimisation, or SEO, more traffic is drawn to your website to allow it to convert visitors into customers. For local business owners, it also draws more people into your shops. Here are six tips for using SEO to attract more traffic for your local brick and mortar business.
Get Listed
To help customers find your location, you need to get your company information listed on local directories. Sites like Yelp.com.uk need to have your NAP information, which is your company’s name, address, and phone number. This is listed so that searchers who are looking for the products or services you offer can find your store. Google, Yahoo, and Bing also have directories to help local searchers find your business.
Get it Mapped
When you add your listing to local directories, make sure it is mapped. Adding a map to the listing will make it easier for searchers to visualise where your business is located, and they can look up driving directions from their own location. Using local SEO in Plymouth will make it easier for searchers to find you, which will help increase your sales.
Be Consistent with NAP
Wherever you put your company’s NAP information, you need to be consistent with how it is written. A misplaced apostrophe will mean that search engines will be unable to recognise all of your NAP as belonging to the same company. This can result in your search engine ranking dropping, which will make it harder for local searchers to find your business.
Create Webpages for Locations
If your business has more than one local location, make a separate webpage for each one. Also, make sure the NAP for each location is listed correctly in local directories. Each webpage should give information about the specific location, what it has to offer customers, and its hours of operation, even if this information is the same for your other location(s).
Put Location in Keywords
When selecting keywords for your site’s content, make sure you include long tail keywords that include the name of the city or area in which your business is located. So, instead of just using a broad term like ‘pizza parlour’, use ‘pizza parlour in Plymouth’ so local searchers can find your business. Using broad terms will result in people outside of your area finding your listing, which doesn’t do your business any good, especially if the searcher is located halfway around the world from you.
Use Social Media
Interact with your customers on social media by responding to their tweets or posts about your business. Answer questions they may have, or show your empathy if they have received bad service while visiting your store. Always be polite, gracious, and professional during these interactions.
The goal when using SEO is for searchers wanting the products or services you offer to be able to find your store. By using these SEO tips, it will help drive traffic to your door, which will help increase your sales and make your business more profitable.