In this day and age, who doesn’t rely on search results from Google? Whether it’s for online shopping, booking an emergency plumber in the middle of the night, or looking up recipes, the possibilities are endless. 

Users know how much value they can gain from search engines. With that in mind, businesses have to find a way to increase visibility online—especially if they’re a local business. But how can you get more attention from people in your locale? Let’s find out.

Local Searches

Approximately every one in two Google searches have local intent. This means that web users are on the lookout for a local product or service through search engines. If you’re a business owner, this only goes to show that you have a prime opportunity to connect with customers in their respective areas. 

Search engine optimization plays a key role in this. Local search is particularly crucial for professionals in the home services space trying to expand business online. When users have local intent, they are far more likely to follow through with availing of a service or making a purchase. In turn, that leads to a higher conversion rate for your marketing campaigns! 

Google 3-Pack Map

One of the key ways that Google displays the physical location of local businesses when there’s local intent in user search queries is the Google 3-Pack. It means that it looks into a specific product or service within a set area to include in local pack results. This generally refers to searches looking for things like the best apple pie in that area or “emergency plumber near me”. Incorporating questions into your SEO strategy can help with this!

Using the 3-Pack, Google then lists the top three businesses that the algorithm feels answers the user’s query best over other organic results, right under paid ads.

Google My Business

It would be a huge help if you claim your company’s listing under Google My Business. Around 14% of the local ranking power of your company overall is accounted for by GMB. While this seems rather straightforward, it’s worth noting that over half of all local retailers haven’t claimed their business listing. A huge chunk of businesses that have an online presence aren’t taking advantage of these free leads and growth opportunities.

Keep your NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) consistent. It needs to match exactly no matter what local and business directories your company is found on. Make sure to capitalize on optimizing your local search presence in this way. 

An easy way to keep your local presence optimized is to regularly update offers. Keep the content feed—which is localized and shared—constantly fresh by adding new photos, videos, and even blogs about your products and services. Ask happy customers to leave you a review, too. Make sure they mention the service they availed of or the product they purchased. 

Don’t overlook voice search, either. What kind of questions do customers ask in person? Use keyword research in order to have long-tail, local keywords you can use.

Conclusion

Search engine optimization can make or break a business, especially in the localized sense. There are many trends out now that will be of great help. Make the most of trends like the Google 3-Pack and Google My Business.

Searching Kansas city for search engine optimization assistance? Reach out to Fox Web Creations! We are a full-service firm for online marketing, SEO, and website design.