Three Quick Ways to Improve Local Search Visibility

 
 
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With over 3.5 billion daily searches on Google alone, it’s safe to say that the ability to be found online is absolutely essential in today’s digitally-driven world. However, for smaller businesses without an in-house marketing team or third-party consultant, search optimization may not always be the highest on the priority list.

Luckily, there are some quick actions you can take today to increase visibility and reach your target audience. Whether you’re a brand looking to attract customers to your store, an interior designer looking to gain more clients in your area, or a showroom looking to gain more foot traffic, you can start by targeting your local audience and build out your strategy from there.

 

Here are three quick ways to improve your local search visibility:

 

1. Get verified on Google My Business

Google’s Local 3-Pack

Google’s Local 3-Pack

While SEO is one of the most important components in being found online, it takes some time to build up your page rankings organically. One of the best ways to be found on Google is creating a Google My Business account. Creating a profile on Google My Business is free and gives you some control over what users see when searching for your business, including key details such as contact information, business hours, location, and reviews. One of the biggest benefits of Google My Business is the opportunity to be featured in the local “3-pack” area which appears at the top of a Google search page right under the paid ads section. This can help you generate more traffic to your business as it occupies prime real estate in Google search results.

 

2. Register with free directories in your area

Another way to boost your company’s visibility is by appearing in multiple places users are likely to search. Many online directories offer free listings and paid options for better placement. From a searcher’s perspective, the more places you can be found, the more reputable your business will appear.  Check out this site for some of the most popular online business directories in the US.

  

3. Run paid ads by geo-location

With SEO being a long game, one of the quickest ways to boost visibility through search is paid advertisements. However, you don’t have to spend a fortune to reach your intended audience. Using ad managers such as Google Ads or Facebook Business Manager, you can set parameters for location targeting and focus your advertising on the areas where you are trying to find customers. You can target locations such as entire countries, areas like cities or territories, or even a radius around a specific location. With the ability to set your daily budget spend, you can easily advertise without having to break the bank. By catering these ads to the areas your customers live, you can increase your visibility to the users closest to your business.     

As the design industry continues to shift to digital, you need to make sure your presence is known online. By implementing some of these strategies you can get in front of your target audience and significantly increase your visibility.  

 
Erin Gilbert