There are about 24 million businesses online, and considering how limited an online visitor’s attention span is, it becomes more important than ever for your business to find a way to stand out and remain competitive. But how exactly do you achieve this? The answer is simple: through web development. More specifically, local businesses need to leverage specific web development tactics such as SEO in order to dominate their local market and tap into their desired target markets. For instance, working with a web development company allows you to improve your visibility to local users which is particularly handy if you have brick-and-mortar spots. This also lets you target nearby areas and gain organic traffic from searches linked to your geographical location.
Here are some web development practices you can apply for local market domination:
Create Local Content
Creating local content allows you to establish authority for your target audience to form connections with you and your brand. Value-adding content that meets the needs and preferences of your audience will make it more likely for you to convert them into paying customers. On top of that, this boosts your rankings on SERPs or search engine results page so you can get more organic inbound traffic, and ultimately increase your total revenue.
The first step is to thoroughly research your target audience and discover what exactly their search intents are so you may tailor your content strategy into something that is beneficial to them. The content you create should also be promoted across different channels, from social media to email marketing, so that you get the maximum level of viewership possible. Remember to quantify the results so you can make the necessary changes to your strategy.
Geolocation
This collects the location of your users and you can leverage this powerful piece of information so you may tailor your services and marketing campaigns. For instance, this allows you to offer location-based products and services. You may also leverage this to improve the functionality of your site to truly personalize the user experience. This can also be used to launch targeted advertising for improved results.
Optimize Your Internal Linking
Internal linking supports website navigation and assists with information architecture. This is used by users to go from one page of your site to another so that they can locate the content that they need. Optimized internal linking helps lower your bounce rate and speeds up the time for your new pages to rank which helps with SEO.
Web developers use different types of internal links, whether it’s buttons, headers, footers, and contextual links, to help improve the website’s navigability. They also implement a mix of links whenever necessary as well as strategic design elements to make these links more visible and accessible.
Invest In Better Customer Engagement
An online visitor is more likely to be converted into a paying customer if you succeed at getting them to engage with the content published on your site. You can encourage this engagement through interactive tools such as contact forms, social media integrations, and chatbots. This also improves your customer service since you have automations that can readily provide information outside of office hours, resulting in a satisfactory experience at your site which increases the likelihood of them returning later on. You may even customize these automations to add a personal touch to every message. These also ensure that someone is available to respond to your online visitors at any given time, even if it’s just a bot.
Local Search Optimization
This strategy is all about helping your website rank up on local search results, which is particularly beneficial for businesses with physical locations that offer in-person services. You can achieve this by working on the following:
- Optimizing your Google My Business page and encouraging your customers to leave reviews online. Remember to respond to reviews and specify your location in each response. This helps Google verify your business as authentic.
- Ensuring consistency with your business information (business name, location, and contact information) across all platforms. Your NAP or name, address, and phone number must be integrated as crawlable HTML text so that your site pops up on local queries.
- Improving citations and online directories, specifically for Yelp, Bing, Trip Advisor, Neustar Localeze, Factual, and more. Any discrepancy in terms of spelling or punctuations will make Google unable to determine if your information is correct which means that your business might not show up on local search results at all.
- Performing local SEO audits using Google My Business Audit and Google Search Console Audit. Pay attention to your on-page metrics and implement the results of your competitor analysis so you may perform changes as needed.
Mobile Friendly Website
Did you know that 61% of Google searches are made through phones? Now picture an individual who is traveling and is searching for local recommendations for nearby establishments which they’ll look up through their phone. Another person may also use their phone to get the exact directions to reach your business. As such, a mobile version of your site can significantly help these users. The internet has seen a 250% increase in online searches that end with “near me” and this is a useful piece of information that you can use to optimize your content.
Establishing Authority, Trust, and Credibility
Local market domination is all about establishing authority, trust, and credibility to position your business as the best option among your competitors. You can achieve this through a structured, well-designed, and intuitive website that helps establish trustworthiness. In this case, first impressions do matter and the consequence of a poorly designed site with a slow loading speed is losing the interest of your potential customers.
On top of design and navigability, it is equally important to invest in consistent branding and effective marketing. Your site should showcase your range of products and services in an appealing manner. Pair this with well-crafted content and strategic CTA buttons and you will successfully guide your users toward your desired action. You’ll dominate the local competition in no time!
Work with a web developer who can help you create a visually appealing website that puts the customer at the forefront of its design. A successful collaboration will result in a site with user-friendly with features tailored to your target audience which effectively captures their attention and trust.