What is Local SEO?

SEO is the abbreviation for Search Engine Optimizing. With SEO you can optimize the visibility of your web presence in a search engine like Google. It doesn't matter whether it's a classic website, a landing page, a corporate blog or a webshop. The goal of SEO is always that your offer is displayed at the top of the results for certain search terms . Local SEO works in exactly the same way. The difference is that potential customers and users from your geographical region should become aware of your company.

Is Local SEO worth it?

Short answer: Yes! Because retail businesses such as snack bars, hair salons, bakeries or decor stores appeal to a local target group. It may be that there are people from Düsseldorf who only have their poodle coiffed in Berlin or fly all the way from Hamburg to the Ruhr region for a french fry. But that's probably the exception rather than the rule. You don't believe us? Then let's ask someone who should know. Google, for example.

30 percent of all mobile search queries relate to the user's location or immediate surroundings. Search queries with phrases like "nearby" have increased 900 percent in recent years. 78 percent of users visit the nearby business they are searching for on the same day. 28 percent of these search queries lead to a purchase in the local store.

As a retail business owner, your customers are therefore where your business is rooted. Local SEO is therefore enormously important. After all, you also have competitors in your city or region who are competing with you for potential customers - offline and online!

How does Local SEO work?

Search engine optimization is simple and complex at the same time. This is also true for Local SEO. As a business owner or entrepreneur, however, you hardly have time to deal with all the intricacies of search engine marketing . And that's not even necessary. Because with our tips you are already doing a lot right and can fully concentrate on your core business .

Maintain your Google My Business profile

Via Google My Business you can create a company account for your business. In addition to a link to your website, this company entry also contains important contact data such as your location (including a map), the telephone number or information about your opening hours. Of course, this data should always be correct and up-to-date. But Google My Business can do even more. Upload appealing photos of your business, tell more about your offer and products or monitor reviews of your customers. Even statistics on website visits and other analysis data can be retrieved here.

Attention: Apply for the ownership of your company profile!

Competition is not always fair. It can therefore happen that competitors claim your Google company account for themselves (so-called claiming). This is especially a problem if the competitor enters misleading data or shows your business as permanently closed. Users searching for your business online will then turn to the competition in frustration. You will lose a lot of potential customers. So don't waste time and apply for ownership of your Google My Business account as soon as possible.

Set on professional web texts

Search engines like Google constantly analyze the content of your website. Good web texts are correspondingly important. These should contain the keywords relevant to your target group, establish a regional reference and, of course, be written in an appealing way. Always remember: Users from the capital city, for example, search for "Hairstylist Berlin-Mitte" and limit their research as narrowly as possible. These search terms should also be found on your website. Here is an example of a headline that the hairdresser from our example could use on his homepage .

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"Hairstylist Berlin-Mitte: Your hairdresser at Alexanderplatz"

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Ideally, you also give the so-called meta texts a regional reference. The meta texts are short descriptions that users see on Google when they scroll through the search results. This way you help Google and the users to classify your company locally and you will be found even better locally.

Build a corporate blog

Your website is like a living organism. It must grow and develop. If it doesn't, Google will consider your website dead and you will slide down the rankings over time. One way to prevent this is to have a blog or news section that you regularly fill with new content. In this blog you can present new products, introduce yourself and your team or talk about news from your region. This way you will be found even better locally and stay on the top positions in the ranking .

Ask your customers for Google reviews

Happy customers are the best advertising. Especially when they leave you a positive review on Google. These reviews are valuable for other users who want to find out about your business and not buy a pig in a poke. Many 5-star reviews will therefore give you a leap of faith and ensure a lot of new customers. Conversely, negative reviews are bad for business. So ask satisfied customers for positive reviews and respond professionally to constructive criticism in bad reviews. This is how you turn Google reviews into a powerful tool for your business success.

Backlinks through business directories

In the good old days, we used to look in the Yellow Pages when searching for the flower store around the corner. Today, we do our research online. Digital business directories have long since replaced the telephone book and collect data on local businesses. Many of these business directories offer free company listings. In addition to the company name, you can also enter the address, a brief description of your business and, above all, a link to your website. With the number of these backlinks your Google ranking will improve. Make sure that your information is always complete and up-to-date. Caution: Not all providers are reputable. Initially free offers sometimes turn into paid subscriptions. Some business directories also annoy you with regular calls or want to sell you something.

Press report in the local media

Germany is a newspaper country. Around 37 million ^people1 in this country read a newspaper at least once a week. And: Most publishers also publish their content online - as an e-paper or in social media. As a business owner who wants to appeal to customers from the region, reports in the local newspaper are therefore enormously valuable. After all, these reports are also found on Google and refer to your company there. The same applies, of course, to regional advertising papers, city magazines or local radio. So try to find topics with which you can bring your company into the media. Here are some examples:

• You have opened your store in the old town and invite the local media.
• Your business offers a regionally unique service that the media loves to report on.
• Behind your business opening is an exciting personal or emotional story that will move readers.
• You take over a regionally particularly well-known store and modernize the offer.
• You get involved socially with your business, donate money or sponsor the local soccer team.

Think and be creative. You are sure to find topics that are worth a press report! By the way, regular reports in the local media also increase the reputation of your business. Unlike many online media, the local newspaper or local radio still enjoys the trust of readers and listeners to a large extent.

#Local SEO: Use social media for your business

Theoretically, you can reach millions of users all over the world via Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn & Co. But that doesn't have to be the case. It is much more effective if you focus on your local target group and design the content accordingly. Since this way exactly the users you want to reach will be directed to your website or blog, Google will reward you with a better ranking in the medium term. If you want to push your presence in social media with ads, you can narrow down the target group regionally. This is not only more effective, but also much cheaper. Also, research if there are any podcasts that focus on your region or target audience and look for exciting interviewees. Well-known influencers from your region are also valuable contacts that you can entice with special offers or collaborations.

Guerilla marketing in the urban jungle

Boredom is a mortal sin. Especially in marketing. If you want to stand out from the local competition, creative advertising or PR campaigns are just the thing. Maybe you'll give students from your town a one-cent soda to celebrate the opening of your store, cause a stir with a particularly unusual streetcar banner, or be the only store in the area to invite them to a midnight shopping event. Get creative and leave the beaten track. This way you will get new attention and stay in the memory.

When should I start with Local SEO?

Ideally, Local SEO is already part of your strategy or business plan before you open your business. This allows you to adjust the most important parameters in advance, such as the Google My Business account or the Local SEO-optimized website. Local SEO is not a sprint, but a marathon. If you want to be successful in the long term, you have to stay on the ball online - just like in the real business world!

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1: https://de.statista.com/themen/176/zeitung/#topicHeader__wrapper

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