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Local search is a huge consideration for any business with an actual storefront location. Statistics show that more than 60% of Internet searches in 2021 were via mobile. With the predominance of smartphone use, this convenient and often voice-activated mobile search capability can bring higher numbers of customers to your door. But how does it work?
If you’re optimizing your content, ads, social media posts, or other online material for local search, there are three pillars for consideration. You should pay particular attention to them, because Google’s search algorithm certainly does. Let’s take a closer, simplified look at each one.
Proximity
Proximity simply means how close you are to the person seeking your type of goods or services. Obviously, local search is designed to direct nearby searchers to the closest, most conveniently located solutions. For example, a search for “best pizza in Johnson City TN” will not return links to Chicago-area pizza parlors.
Furthermore, adding specific locations or the phrase “near me” uses the searcher’s precise coordinates to track the closest results. A search of “best pizza in Johnson City TN near me” will locate the GPS coordinates of your phone, compare that with pizza outlets closest to you, and return those results.
Therefore, in your local search SEO, you should include your correct physical address and even some prominent locations in your copy. For example, in a blog about pizza (since we are searching for pizza in Johnson City), you may weave into the copy that you are near the Johnson City Mall, on Roan Street, on the Motor Mile between Johnson City and Bristol, near ETSU, or other popular locations. This helps Google associate those locations with your business.
Relevance
Relevance means what will best match the searcher’s intent. Google will show the most relevant search results at the top of the first page of returns. This means that whatever products, services, information, or content you offer should be adequately described with appropriate keywords in your copy and your Google Business profile.
Regular posting about what you have to offer, with keyword-rich SEO, keeps fresh content triggering Google and placing it in search results.
For example, if you sell tires in Kingsport, your webpages, blogs, social media posts, ads, and other online content should contain relevant keywords that most people will use to search for your products. These can include:
- Tires
- New tires
- Used tires
- Goodyear tires
- Michelin tires
- Cooper tires
- New tires near me
- Used tires near me
- New tires in Kingsport
- Used tires in Kingsport
- Tires in Kingsport near Holston Valley Medical Center
And so on and so on. Internet users will likely search for basic words like “tires” as well as “used” or “new” or by the preferred brand, such as Michelin or Goodyear. Include all relevant keywords in your content to show Google that your local business has relevant products.
Prominence
Prominence refers to popularity. How popular, well-known, and busy is your local business in the Tri-Cities of Northeast Tennessee? This is determined by Google depending on several factors. You can increase your prominence in searches by:
1. Social media activity – The most shares, likes, mentions, comments, and activity on your social media that drives users to your website increases your prominence on Google and other search engines. Google algorithms crawl and trace this activity as users interact with you on social media posts.
2. Reviews – Positive, 5-star reviews and comments factor immensely into how search engines rank your prominence. A business selling medical supplies in Bristol with 50 5-star reviews will be higher in local search returns than one with only a few high or mediocre reviews. This includes reviews on your website as well as your Google Business page and other pages like Yelp.
3. Backlinks – These are links to your website from other websites. Relevant and popular websites that backlink to you increase your prominence with Google. Backlinks from other reputable businesses indicate trustworthiness and integrity.
4. Citations – These are listings for your business within searchable online directories. Popular business directories include websites like Yelp, Angie’s List, and Yellow Pages. Make sure your listings are all consistent and match your Google Business profile.
If your medical supply business in Bristol works to enhance your prominence with these four strategies, you will see your Google rankings increase for local searches, which means more customers find you at the top of their search results.
Local Search in the Tri-Cities of Northeast Tennessee
Local search needs to receive significant emphasis in your business SEO strategy. 1-FIND can help your business in the Tri-Cities of Northeast Tennessee with local search and other SEO needs. We’re a local company, just like you, that seeks to work together with our neighbors to boost their profitability.
Contact us today for all your SEO, website, content, and other digital marketing needs.