In a not so distant past, the yellow pages was the premier source for finding local businesses. Now we look to Google to find businesses, both local and global. Gone are the days of looking through a big yellow book for something like “Lexus Auto Mechanics”. Chances are you typed some query in Google and consequently ended up on our site and found this post. Just as easily as you found us, your customers are looking to Google to find the services or products you provide. Although this is a global economy we live in, most businesses today still drive many of their sales at the local level. Neglecting your local market is a big no-no and here are the 4 reasons why this is so.
1. Local reviews and word of mouth
– Google gives authority to businesses who have been reviewed many times and our highly rated. Quantity and quality of reviews left for your business on your Google Places page is one of the most important local ranking factors.*
– Proper use of “citations” from other local directories, blogs, and search engines can provide the ability for your company to increase its presence amongst the top of local search results while building a solid reputation online. “Citations” include your name, address, and phone number. Proper local SEO dictates that name, address, and phone number displayed on any other sites follow the same format as the citation you place on your local listings.
*http://www.searchenginejournal.com/the-definitive-guide-to-local-seo/47319/#F0Jko7ufggLtlmho.99
2. More targeted than traditional forms of local marketing i.e. flyers, newspaper, radio, tv
– Potential clients receive more focused results to their queries when well planned SEO is at work. This means hotter leads and higher conversion rates.
– Traditional forms of marketing can be wasteful and may not reach your target audience. Local SEO provides focused marketing which comes off as passive and targeted vs. interrupting and aggressive such as traditional forms of marketing. (i.e. flyers)
– Cost is significantly cheaper for local SEO than traditional marketing. Flyers can cost up to hundreds, even thousands of dollars where as an equal cost PPC campaign for local SEO keywords can stretch several months more while reaching the audience that is seeking your services or products. There’s a reason most people trash flyers immediately after receiving them; they are not looking for what the flyer is selling! Well researched and focused keywords hold much more weight than a flyer in the hand.
3. Higher conversion rates than traditional forms of advertising
– Ability for customers who are seeking your product or service to find you vs. trying to convert cold leads.
– Local social media strategy (coupons)(discounts for walk ins) coupled with local SEO strategy allows for great word of mouth which leads to sales.
– Easily quantifiable results allows for easy recognition of what is not working so you can change strategy quickly. Traditional marketing creates campaigns that are left to complex surveys and ambiguous results. Local SEO provides real time data that can easily be measured.
4. Mobile use is up providing the opportunity to reach local leads anywhere they are, anytime.
– Smartphone use for finding local results while on the road provides unique ability for customers to find you one minute and literally be at your businesses doorstep the next.
– By the end of 2013, global smartphone ownership will have exploded from 5% of the global population in 2009, to 22%. That’s an increase of nearly 1.3 billion smartphones in four years.*
*http://www.businessinsider.com/smartphone-and-tablet-penetration-2013-10
If you are looking for the right Local Miami SEO Company to take charge of your local digital strategy give us a call today at 800-295-0307!
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