Running a business comes with risks and rewards, which an owner like you, certainly understands and appreciates. The day-to-day operations involve hundred and one decisions, all with the same goal that is to make your company successful. And the way to measure that success is through profit. This is why you make sure that you invest in different strategies to drive sales and create revenue for the business.
<img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-10146" src="https://www.crowdreviews.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Convert-Traffic-to-Profit-with-a-Local-SEO-Agency-2-1024×450.jpg" alt="Convert Traffic to Profit with a Local SEO Agency” width=”1024″ height=”450″ />
However, the only way to have a successful sales strategy is the need of efficient marketing techniques to draw customers. With dozens of other businesses competing against you, getting noticed may be a challenge. This is where Local SEO can help you.
What is SEO?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. The Business Dictionary defines it as the process of improving a site’s visibility on search engines to improve traffic. With over 50% of consumers going online to do research before purchasing, having a strong online presence can do wonders for a business. SEO is a marketing technique that enhances the elements on a website so that web crawlers or spiders can identify it as a relevant result to a search launched.
The way SEO works is actually pretty basic. When a person goes online to search for a product or service, he would use search engines over online yellow pages. If you’ve ever used one of these engines before then you know how simple the process is. You will simply type what you need in the search box and click go or search.
Once the search is launched, the search engine sends out web crawlers or spiders to check listed websites for relevant results. These crawlers use different elements to rank a site’s relevance. These elements include, but are not limited to, back links, keywords and content. The sites that are ranked as most relevant are shown on search engine results pages or SERP.
A higher ranking means that the site appears as one of the top results, thus calling more attention to your business. With more visibility, you can guarantee an increase in traffic to your website. According to Search Engine Journal, a study done on Google users showed that the top two results gets 28% of the clicks. That can translate to more business prospects generated by your site.
Local SEO is a more focused marketing technique. It doesn’t work independently from regular SEO by optimizing your site with the former can help improve business with the local market. This spreads awareness about your brand to customers in a specific geographical location. So, if you have a gift shop in Manhattan, local SEO makes you more visible to folks in your neighborhood.
Local SEO as a Sales Tool
SEO is commonly considered a marketing tool, rather than sales, promoting your brand without immediately generating revenue. If done efficiently, it can improve your sales numbers. The additional revenue it generates makes it as an effective sales tool. Below are some ways that a local SEO can have a positive impact on your company’s profitability.
1. Increased Sales Encouraged by Online Reviews–According to Search Engine Land, an online publication that covers the search engine industry, over 70% of consumers trust product or service reviews as much as personal recommendations. The impact of these reviews become even more relevant when one considers that over 50% of customers are encouraged to do business with the company that receive a lot of positive reviews.
Your present customers turn into product or service endorsers that deliver trustworthy comments about your business. They encourage prospects to buy your product or use your service by talking about their positive experiences.
2. Increased Store Visits and Purchases – The benefits of a strong brand presence on the worldwide web are not exclusive to online businesses. Companies that have physical locations can also take advantage of local SEO tools to increase revenue. An optimized site makes it easier for customers to find your store. EConsultancy, a marketing solutions provider, cited that 95% of customers who use local search do so with the intent of visiting or calling the business. With more prospects generated by your SERP ranking, you increase the chances of making a sale or closing a deal.
3. Increased Sales With Relevant Audience – Optimizing your site for local search SEO ensures that you get noticed by users in your area. These are customers you want to know about you as they are the ones you can generate revenue from. A regular SEO makes you visible to online users. However, traffic to your site does not have a direct impact on your profitability. For example, if you run a cleaning service company in Miami, folks in Manhattan who visit your site are unlikely to hire you for their cleaning needs. By using geo-targeted terms and keywords, such as your address you can ensure that Miami residents can find your business when they do online searches. Additional elements, such as optimized images, can help you showcase your business. Locals tend to prefer to do business with companies they can identify with.
4. Draw More Customers – Optimizing your site for local business SEO also includes enhancing it so customers can view your site on different platforms, such as mobile devices. According to Business 2 Community, an online resource and community for business professionals, 50% of customers who use local search on their smart phones end up visiting the store on the same day. With more customers walking through your doors, you have more opportunities to generate revenue for your business.
(400-600) SEO Best Practices
With the host of benefits that your business can enjoy, optimizing your site certainly sounds like a worthy investment. There are numerous local SEO tips available online that you can take advantage of. However, in order to ensure that you maximize what your business can get out of organic searches, it is best to use tried and tested methods. While an increased traffic to your site is good, you want to make sure visitors become customers. Below are some tips that you can help you get started.
1. Use Geo Targeted Keywords with Your Product or Service – Local SEO experts recommend adding these elements in strategic areas of your site. This ensures that when spiders or crawlers sent out by search engines can recognize websites relevant for local searches. Keywords, such as the city or suburb, will help you get a higher SERP ranking when customers launch a search in your area.
2. Consistent NAP – NAP stands for Name, Address and Phone Number. These details need to be on your website to have better chances on local searches. Make sure these are consistent all throughout your site to avoid confusing customers. Inaccurate or inconsistent NAP may discourage customers from doing business with you as you may come across as dodgy or unreliable. The last thing you want to happen is for prospects to visit your site and then choose to leave because of bad NAP.
3. Take Advantage of Other Search Engine Features – When optimizing your site, check for other features that you can use to get better results. For example, Google offers Google+ which can be quite useful to find out about your business when they do a search. Pay close attention to policies and terms and agreements of these additional features to avoid any problems.
4. Work With Experts – While regular and local SEO may be done by almost anybody, working with experienced consultants can help you get better results. The best local SEO services are available from experts who have years of experience in optimizing business sites. Consultants can identify what you need to become more visible online and optimize your site appropriately. You can use reviews of local SEO services available on different sites to find out more about what these agencies can do for you.
5. Choose SEO Consultants Carefully – Hiring an SEO expert helps you to get better results than doing a DIY optimization. However, it is important to remember that not all experts are equal. Find out what strategies will be used to optimize your business’ website. There are 3 common types of strategies, white hat, black hat and grey hat. These are classified based on the techniques that you will use.
White Hat techniques are those that follow the guidelines of search engines. These are all within the policies and regulations but may take a while to take effect. Results are not overnight as the strategy works over time to improve your ranking.
Black Hat techniques produce quicker results. You can see your ratings improve in a matter of days. However, these employ some shady practices, such as back link schemes that may have disastrous consequences. Search engines discourage these strategies and have strict penalties for sites that use these. Penalties may include fines or a total ban.
Grey Hay techniques are a mixture of the two previously mentioned. This strategy combines good and effective techniques to get results. So, when choosing an SEO consultant, it would be best to ask what strategy they will be using to achieve your goal of a higher ranking.
Start enjoying the benefits of an optimized site by checking out the list of local SEO experts on Crowdreviews.com.
Keith Moore
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