The Power of Local SEO: How Online Visibility Can Make or Break Your Brick-and-Mortar Business
As a brick-and-mortar business, you know that local customers are the lifeblood of your operation. Without them, your store wouldn’t survive for long. But in today’s digital age, it’s not just about having a physical storefront – it’s also about being visible online. That’s where Local SEO comes in.
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO refers to the process of optimizing your website and online presence to attract customers who are searching for products or services like yours in a specific geographic area. This can include search terms related to location, such as “best coffee shops in downtown Toronto” or “top-rated restaurants in San Francisco.” By optimizing your website for these types of searches, you can increase your visibility and drive more foot traffic to your store.
Why is Local SEO Important for Brick-and-Mortar Businesses?
Let’s face it: online reviews are a major driver of local purchasing decisions. In fact, according to a survey by BrightLocal, 85% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. That means that if you’re not visible online, you’re missing out on potential customers who are actively searching for products or services like yours.
But Local SEO isn’t just about attracting new customers – it’s also about retaining existing ones. By optimizing your website and online presence, you can encourage happy customers to leave reviews and ratings, which can help attract even more customers over time.
How Can Brick-and-Mortar Businesses Improve Their Local SEO?
So, how can you get started with improving your Local SEO? Here are a few tips:
1. Claim and Optimize Your Google My Business Listing: This is the most important step in improving your Local SEO. Claim your Google My Business listing and make sure it’s accurate and up-to-date.
2. Build High-Quality Backlinks: Building high-quality backlinks to your website can help improve your Local SEO. This can be done through guest blogging, partnerships with local businesses, or by creating valuable content that other websites will link to.
3. Use Location-Specific Keywords: Use keywords related to your location in your website’s meta tags, headings, and body copy. For example, if you’re a coffee shop in downtown Toronto, use keywords like “coffee shops in Toronto” or “best coffee shops downtown.”
4. Encourage Reviews and Ratings: Encourage happy customers to leave reviews and ratings on Google My Business, Yelp, and other review platforms.
Real-Life Examples of Local SEO Success
One great example of a brick-and-mortar business that has leveraged Local SEO is eikeland.ca, a small furniture store in Alberta, Canada. By optimizing their website and online presence for local search terms, they were able to increase their online visibility and drive more foot traffic to their store.
As the owner of eikeland.ca notes on their blog: “By focusing on Local SEO, we’ve been able to attract customers who are actively searching for products like ours in our area. It’s helped us to stand out from larger competitors and establish ourselves as a trusted local business.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, Local SEO is a powerful tool that can help brick-and-mortar businesses like yours to increase their online visibility, drive more foot traffic to your store, and attract new customers. By claiming and optimizing your Google My Business listing, building high-quality backlinks, using location-specific keywords, and encouraging reviews and ratings, you can start to see the benefits of Local SEO for yourself.
So what are you waiting for? Get started with improving your Local SEO today!
References:
* https://eikeland.ca
* BrightLocal, “Local Consumer Review Survey 2018”
* Google My Business, “Get Started with Local SEO”
References:
https://eikeland.ca