Keep Listings Up to Date
- Make sure that wherever information is listed about your business it is current and accurate! This includes Google My Business, Yelp, Facebook, local business directories…anywhere and everywhere information about your business is listed.
List Each Location on Google Maps
- Most people find the business they are searching for within their area via Google Maps results.
- In order to be found, it’s imperative that Google knows about each one of your locations, recognizes them as separate entities, and shows them at the proper addresses.
- You can do this by registering each one of your locations Using Google My Business (Include Link Here)
- You can bolster these results by including key business information within a “Location” or “About” page on your website. Such a page might include:
- A Google My Map with location info
- Unique content about your location
- A list of products or services offered at your location
- Hours, contact information and directions
- Reviews of location
- Photos of location
List Each Location on Yelp
- Yelp is one of the most popular platforms used to find and evaluate local businesses. Like with Google Maps, it’s important that each one of your locations turns up accurately in Yelp results. If each location is not listed on Yelp, you’ll likely miss out on customers searching for a service in their area.
- Yelp is one of the most trusted consumer review sites. A location-specific Yelp page also allows you to feature photos and details of your business, and leverage reviews of past clients to drive new business.
- Encourage customers to leave reviews for different locations! This is a prime opportunity to let customers speak to the qualities of your business. In addition, keywords included in reviews with help your business rank higher in relevant searches!
- Businesses with more photos have been found to receive more clicks, calls, and directions according to research done by BrightLocal in 2019.
Capitalize on Mobile Search
- Last year Google announced that more searches were now done on mobile devices than on desktops. By focusing on responsive, intuitive mobile site design, you can ensure that user experience remains easy and enjoyable across phones, tablets, and other devices. Taking the time to make sure your content is nicely presented and easily accessed on mobile devices is essential to capitalize on this growing segment of search. (*If the current trajectory of tech is any indicator, this trend will not be slowing down any time soon!)
Focus on Location-Based Keywords
- One of the best ways to increase visibility in local searches is by including location-based keywords in headings, title tags, site copy, URLs and other content.
- When crafting this content, think in reverse and try to include search terms – like the city you are in, nearby landmarks and attractions, and other regional identifiers – that someone would use if they were searching out a business like yours.
- Remember, there’s a huge upside here: 80% of Local Searches on Mobile convert! (per Search Engine Watch)
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Maintain Consistent Branding and Voice Across Locations
- Consistency is so important to maintaining a recognizable brand. While you want to find ways to highlight the individuality of your particular location, make sure to do so within the established branding and voice of the franchise. (After all the brand recognition of a franchise is part of the value.)
- This includes staying consistent with design elements, like logo and color palette, as well as with language and phrasing used on websites, promotional material, etc.
Ensure NAP consistency
- NAP refers to the basics of business info: Name, Address and Phone Number. Making sure this information is listed consistently across the web might be the most important piece of the multi-store puzzle. These are three big pieces of information that Google is looking for, because it’s the information that customers are most often looking for in searches.
- A lot of businesses do not closely track and monitor their NAP listings but doing so to maintain consistency is absolutely crucial to Local SEO and ranking high in SERPs. Tools like Moz Local (Link) make this effort easier.
Leverage Local Reviews
- We touched on this above, but it is so important! You’ve done good work, let your community do the bragging for you. Showcasing reviews on your website is a good way to both increase consumer trust and improve your SEO performance.
- A BrightLocal study found that 84% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
- The same study found that the same percentage – 84% – of people believe that reviews older than three months are no longer relevant. This underscores the need for consistent tracking and monitoring of your web listings and presentation! (And for the consistent publishing of content on your website!)
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This post was written by Shoreline Content Team
