As a small business owner, you’ve been introduced to the importance of local search, or you are currently using a local search strategy to be found online.
If you currently use a local search strategy, you are already on the right track to understanding what it takes to make your business accessible in the right online searches for the right consumers.
You’ve heard of listing management or website optimization, but what exactly goes into these processes? What are digital marketing teams like the one here at RevLocal putting in behind the scenes to establish your local search presence?
We’re all about transparency, and that’s why we’re here to uncover the answers you’ve been searching to find! Let’s dive into some of the special features that you are introduced to when bringing on a local search plan and then what truly goes into making it all happen!
So, this part might seem straightforward, but it’s not as simple as you may think!
When it comes to claiming your listing, yes, there’s not much more to it. But when we look into managing and optimizing, there’s plenty to unpack.
Managing a Google My Business listing is a lot more than checking for reviews. From updating business holiday hours to making Google posts, your listing requires a lot more maintenance than meets the eye.
Your listings need to be maintained anytime an update is made to your business, you receive new comments or reviews and more. This process allows search engines to view it as relevant and prominent when they choose the best results for a user’s search.
As for GMB optimization, this takes makes up a large portion of local search marketing. With a strong team behind you, optimization is more than filling out every section of your Google My Business listing, it involves having:
When proper keywords are included in online directory listings like Google, they can account for 70 percent of search traffic! And that’s only one part of optimization!
We work hard to make sure business listings are set up and maintained to meet the growing optimization needs of search engines and local ecosystems. And as you can see, optimization encompasses a lot of different approaches!
A locally optimized website sounds great, but how exactly does it work, and what processes are happening behind the scenes to make it effective?
Similar to optimizing a Google listing, it’s all about making sure your website includes the features and capabilities that search engines deem relevant and worth a user’s time.
For this to be the case, locally optimized websites focus on being mobile and voice search friendly, along with meeting link and on-page signals. So, let’s break down how these features become a part of your website.
When it comes to creating a mobile-friendly website, there are a few factors that make all the difference. Microsites, for example, are created with mobile screen size in mind. This boils down to how the page is spaced, where links and buttons are placed and the size of on-screen text.
While these are just a few features that factor into the mobile-friendliness of a website, it gives insight into just how simple it can be to provide your mobile viewers with a great experience while pleasing search engines!
Your website will likely include content around what your business does, the services you offer and more. Some businesses even have blogs for interested consumers or current customers to reference and learn more. When it comes to having this content, there must be intention and strategy behind it, and that’s where teams like our website services experts come into play once again!
The information you provide through your content must be valuable for other websites to showcase. Having a team behind you to create and update content that other websites, blogs and more want to link to will ultimately deem your website credible and worth a searcher’s while.
As we look outside of webpage and blog content, there are other pieces and parts of valuable content and information that make up a huge portion of the local search optimization that is happening on your website.
It is called on-page signals and requires including NAPU (name, address, phone number and URL), keywords in title tags, meta descriptions and image optimization. All of these aspects of your website must be built by an industry expert who understands your personalized business needs.
As you can see, there’s a lot more that goes into establishing a local search marketing presence than you are likely introduced to when you sign on to use such services.
At RevLocal, we understand the value of knowing what goes on behind the scenes with your marketing. The training, experience and expertise that our team members bring allow your online listings or website to never go unnoticed by potential customers.
Now that terms like optimization and listing management look a little clearer, make sure to check out these other blog resources for more information!
Anne Karasarides, Content Contributor
Subscribe to our email list to get the latest digital marketing content delivered to your inbox each week!
