If you’re one of the many businesses that have recently kicked off in Silverdale and you’re struggling to stand out from the crowd, there are a few things you can do online to have your business or service rank well locally.
Online Testing
Sign in to Google and type in any old search term, e.g. “printer” or “florist” or “doctor”. You’ll see local suppliers, phone numbers, maps and opening hours. This is because Google knows the businesses in your location. But what if Google doesn’t know about your business? (location, type of business, etc.) How can you be on the list of results for those searching for you in Silverdale? (Or anywhere else for that matter.)
Google needs not only to know the name of your business, but also the type of business you provide, your physical location, and preferably your opening hours. This improves the optimisation of your site, helping your local ranking and making it much easier for the new resident of Millwater, or the new mum in Red Beach to find you.
Google My Business
If you don’t already have your business registered with Google My Business (Google Maps) then get that up and going now – it’s FREE! If you have a WordPress website, then you’ll want to download a ‘plugin’ to apply to your website that gives search engines the information they need. There are a few free ones, and others you pay for. We love WordPress and would recommend something like https://yoast.com/wordpress/plugins/local-seo/.
The Content Marketing Mystery Unveiled
We tell all our clients that blogging and article writing is one of the most powerful search engine optimising techniques available today. Search engines are becoming increasingly savvy to keyword cramming, but providing regular and valuable content for your target audience is the the essence of great content marketing. You become the authority in your space. Your audience will use your site, give you quality links, and share your links on their social networks. All of this activity increases your ranking in the search engines.
Content Marketing for your Local Community
When people search for something near them they often use the name of their town, city or region. If you use locations within your posts (blogs or articles), for example you mention the ferry from Gulf Harbour or the fish & chip shop in Manly, you’re not only more likely to move up in your ranking, but you’re more likely to get noticed by those that are searching. If your audience has several choices and one of those choices has several articles referring to the specific location the reader is looking for, that’s the site they’re more likely to visit.
A Word to the Uninitiated
Do not simply stuff your content with location-based words and phrases. You need to use relevant keywords in your content that matter to the people in your area and are genuinely related to your product or service. Quality content is king here. Your goal is to be the authority in your space, not just to rank well on Google! However you can target your specific location by using terminology from your town in your posts and pages. You could mention Marketground if you are talking about Orewa Beach on a Saturday, or the annual Red Beach Primary School fair if you participate.
Keys to LOCAL Website Marketing
Make sure you have a locator plugin on your website and use your location as part of your description on your Google My Business page. Use it in your tags. Use it in your profiles. Use specific messages targeted to those in your area. And use subheadings that targets your neighborhood. The more you can use your city, suburb and area names, the more your site will be tailored to your community. Don’t over do it though. Instead, use them naturally so your visitors will know that they’re in the right place – that your site is tailored to them. This will give you more visitors and your site will rank better.
Add your business details to other websites so Google can see that you are legitimate. Obtaining a simple online listing on Yellow Pages with a link to your website can be beneficial, as they reference your business details but also they give you a quality link.
Optimising your website for local search can play a major role in the success of your business. This is especially true if most of your business is local. You not only want to be listed when users perform a search, you want to rank high on the list. Using a plugin and these practices will help you do just that.
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