As a small business, local recognition allows you to reach the local customers you need to succeed. One of the most powerful tools for getting that recognition is local SEO.
Local SEO is a powerful tool for building awareness of your brand within your area. But how, exactly, does this set of strategies work? Here is a look at the power local SEO has to build brand awareness.
Local SEO targets local consumers.
As a small business, you depend upon local consumers to purchase your products and services. That means that your SEO efforts have to focus on these local audiences in order to put your marketing dollars to good use and earn you the business you need to thrive.
Local SEO helps by specifically targeting people within your geographic area. Instead of focusing solely on what your business offers, your strategies focus on where your business is located and the areas it serves.
As a result, your business will begin to appear in the search results for your local area. Instead of appearing for keywords such as “vintage wedding bouquets,” for example, your shop could start to appear for search terms such as “vintage wedding bouquets, Greencastl, IN.”
As a result, local SEO allows you to build brand awareness within your area and among your ideal consumers. The more you appear in the search results for local terms, the more people in your community will recognize, remember, and reach out to your brand.
Local SEO takes advantage of micro-moments.
Consumers frequently experience what are called micro-moments. These are described by Google as moments when consumers
- Want to know
- Want to go
- Want to do
- Want to buy
These moments can drive fast research and a fast buying cycle. If a consumer wants to know where to eat for their date that night, for example, they could choose a location within a few minutes of searching on their mobile device.
The businesses that get the consumer's attention during these micro moments are the businesses that get the sale.
Local SEO works by getting your business in front of consumers during those micro-moments of decision. If someone needs a place to eat dinner that night in Greencastle, local SEO can make your restaurant one of the locations that comes up on their phone.
When your business consistently shows up in the search results, consumers notice. They begin to trust your brand, and they become more likely to choose you to meet their needs in those moments of decision.
Local SEO improves your company's reputation.
Consumers do not just want to purchase from the first business they hear about. They want to ensure that the business they choose can reliably meet their needs.
That is why consumers take actions such as checking out online reviews or examining your products and services online before they make a purchase or stop by your store.
Local SEO is a powerful tool for building not only the visibility of your brand but also the reputation of your brand.
Search engines focus on displaying businesses that demonstrate reliability, authority, and an ability to meet consumers' needs. They use indicators such as backlinks, content freshness, and online reviews to make these determinations.
Consumers tend to trust the judgment of these search engines. If your business shows up in the local search results, particularly if it is on the first page, or even in the local pack of 3 Maps-based results at the top of the page, consumers will assume that your business is one they can trust.
Demonstrate your company's quality and build a positive reputation with local SEO strategies that deliver markers of reliability and trustworthiness to search engines and see how that confidence translates to your target audiences.
Local SEO puts your brand top-of-mind.
When someone decides they need a product or service that you offer, you want them to think of you first, since the first business that comes to mind is likely to be the first business they contact.
In order to cultivate enough brand awareness to be top-of-mind with consumers, you need local SEO. Strategies that place your business in front of consumers in the search results make it more likely that they will remember your name when it is time to buy.
For example, a consumer may not purchase vintage wedding arrangements the first time they search for that term in Google. However, 6 months later when they are ready to buy for their wedding, they will remember the businesses that appeared when they were conducting their search. If they kept seeing your company name because of strong local SEO, they will reach out to you.
Some local SEO strategies can build brand awareness on their own, as well. Take online reviews, for example. As you cultivate positive online reviews, you do not just get the attention of search engines. Consumers looking for reliable businesses will see your positive reviews and remember that you are a business they can trust.
Local SEO has the power to build brand awareness within your local area. The strategies you use can help you to target local consumers, take advantage of micro-moments, improve your company's reputation, and keep your brand top-of-mind.
If you are ready to build brand awareness and win over local customers, reach out to Distinct. Our local marketing advisors can help you to embrace the strategies that can improve your online visibility and your local presence to help you thrive.
