Your Path to Success in Local Search Marketing

As a marketer, you might be feeling overwhelmed by the constant changes in the search landscape. With recent updates like Google’s AI Overviews for U.S. users and OpenAI’s GPT-4o, there’s a lot to stay on top of.

How will these developments affect your search strategy? Do you need to adjust your approach?

We’ll provide clarity on how search marketing is evolving and what this means for your brand. This blog will cover the changes in search marketing, offer tactics to enhance your online visibility, and introduce a new tool for local search management.

Let’s dive in!

The Evolution Of Search Marketing

As search technology evolves, many marketers are concerned about maintaining their brand’s online visibility. Although AI-generated search experiences are still emerging, it’s not yet necessary to make major changes to your search marketing strategies.

You can test how your brand appears in generative AI results (which we call GAIRs), but there’s no need to panic just yet.

Currently, about 75% of consumers perform local searches at least once a week. In the U.S., over 800 million monthly searches include variations of “near me,” and there are more than 5 million related keywords.

Focusing on traditional local SEO practices is the best way to ensure your brand’s visibility in both standard search results and GAIRs.

For businesses with multiple locations, it’s crucial to implement a local SEO strategy for each site. A well-executed multi-location SEO plan will improve your local search rankings, attract local customers, and enhance brand awareness

Even if your business operates from a single location, applying these tactics will help ensure your business remains visible to your target audience in your area.

5 Ways To Improve Your Online Visibility

With a clear understanding of search evolution and the significance of local SEO, let’s explore five practical local SEO tactics to enhance your brand’s online visibility.

1. Claim and Optimise Local Listings

Local listings are online profiles for businesses that appear on search engines, local directories, and platforms like Google, Apple Maps, Yelp, Bing, and Facebook. To enhance your visibility, ensure you claim and optimise your local listings across all major directories and remove any duplicates. Consistency is key, so make sure your information is accurate across all listings. Essential details to include are:

Name, address, and phone number (NAP) citations
Business categories (e.g., Sushi restaurant)
Business hours, including holidays and major events
Products and services offered
Links to your website and social media profiles
Attributes (e.g., Curbside pickup, wheelchair-accessible seating)
High-quality photos and videos

Once your local listings are optimised, turn your attention to your local pages.

2. Create Local Pages for Each Location

A local page, or local landing page, is a dedicated web page for each store location or franchisee. Unlike local listings, these pages are hosted on your site and provide detailed information about individual locations. If your business operates multiple locations, each should have its own local page. These pages should:

Contain information similar to what’s found in your local listings
Include calls to action (CTAs) like “order now” buttons or promotional offers

Well-optimised local pages can improve your rankings in local search results, leading to higher conversion rates and increased business.

3. Use a Store Locator

A store locator page lists all your locations or third-party dealers that sell your products. It provides valuable location information and unique details about each store, helping customers find and visit or contact your locations more easily. An effective store locator will:

Enhance local search rankings
Drive more traffic to your site and improve online conversions
Offer insights into visitor behaviour and search patterns

4. Implement an Online Reputation Management Strategy

Managing your online reputation is crucial for improving visibility. High Google ratings are a significant factor in local search rankings, coming in as the sixth most important ranking element. Additionally, the number of detailed Google reviews is the eighth most crucial factor. Good reviews not only boost search rankings but also impact conversion rates. Research shows that a one-star increase in your Google Business Profile (GBP) can lead to a 44% rise in conversions.

To enhance your reputation management and increase review numbers:

Respond to reviews personally to demonstrate that you value customer feedback.
Use social media to ask for feedback and encourage customers to leave reviews.
Make it easy for customers to leave reviews by including links to your GBP on your website and in emails.
Regularly monitor feedback and adjust your practices based on the reviews you receive.

5. Create Unique Content

Generating content tailored to your local area is vital for effective local SEO. Ensure that your content is relevant to the specific locations you are targeting. For example, if you’re focusing on “sporting goods store Seattle,” update your URL, title tag, meta description, and headings with relevant local keywords.

Incorporate local images, such as photos of your stores and products, and ensure that your images have geo-targeted meta descriptions and alternative text.

Types of localized content you can create include: