COVID-19 has challenged companies to rethink their entire business models. Businesses that used to be able to rely on foot traffic or word of mouth marketing such as restaurants, gyms, retail stores, bars etc. now have to market online in order to remain open. That is why companies are hiring local SEO experts. SEO experts can help companies establish strong local online presence, as well as, discover new opportunities that could bring in customers and generate revenue.
Challenges Faced by Local Businesses During COVID-19
First off, the biggest challenge for local businesses is dealing with all the new state and country guidelines from hours to safety precautions. It is crucial to ensure all information online is up-to-date and easy to find as local customers will be checking the status of your business before they leave the house.
Second, local businesses must find new ways to create sales when there is a limited number of people that are allowed inside and more people are staying home and isolated. For instance, if you are a local gym you may need to start marketing online classes on your social media, website or paid ads. Or local businesses might need to improve website experience to still be able to reach customers and offer products/services.
Lastly, businesses are struggling to stay positive with so much uncertainty. It can seem like a time to not look for help. But local SEO experts might be the support you need.
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO is a digital marketing strategy aimed to help local businesses appear in search results based on the geographic location of a potential customer. When someone is searching for a business near them, Google ranking will list local businesses that they determine to be the best options. Local SEO is accomplished by a mixture of SEO, site optimization, local citations, blog content and social media strategies.
Benefits of Local SEO
- Local SEO assists in higher visibility for local searches. Creating a better chance for your business to be discovered by relevant customers.
- Local SEO searches are often used to find a business or product. Meaning there will be a higher conversion rate from search to sales. More than half of Google searches based on location are made by customers who intend to purchase a product or service on the same day.
- Local SEO is an easy and effective way to advertise your business.
- Local SEO will target local customers, assisting in creating a customer base.
- Local SEO builds credibility and brand awareness. If you keep consistent business information and put your high reviews in the spotlight, then customers will believe you are a local business they should support.
Why Hire a Local SEO Expert
There are 3 big reasons why you should hire a local SEO expert today.
Expertise
Google, social media, etc., are expanding ways to help local businesses be successful during this challenging time. For example, if your business is not listed on Google My Business, now is an excellent time to get listed. Why? You can update consumers about your closings, re-openings, and how they can get in touch with your company. Best of all, it is free.
Even social sites are helping small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Facebook added a new feature called Shops. It allows brick and mortar stores to add their products to sell online. Along with YouTube which permits businesses to create video content for free.
However, companies may not be aware of all these opportunities or how to leverage them. This is where the local SEO expert comes into play. An SEO expert can help your company take advantage of all the new online updates while also improving your website and building higher results for local searches.
Improve Website
Some people believe web design should simply look good but it also needs to be functional. A proper website design can create new clients and leads quickly if easy to navigate and use. It is essential that businesses build a strong website as most likely your competitors are doing the same. User experience can be the deciding factor for any person coming to a website. Therefore, you want to ensure that if someone comes to your website that they will want to stay and choose your business versus looking elsewhere.
For this reason, local SEO experts are essential. Hire a local SEO expert with years of experience. They will evaluate your competitors, goals, and website and give you a detailed plan to increase your exposure and visibility. Moreover, they can adjust their strategy according to your website’s progress.
Optimize for “Near Me” searches
Potential customers use Google everyday to find businesses near them. This most likely means they are looking for something to buy or purchase that moment. To do this you have to maximize all features on Google My Business, build citations and links, get reviews, publish high quality content and make your mobile website user-friendly. Since local SEO experts do this for a living they know the in and outs of Google and getting your business to show up in “near me” searches. Saving you time and big headaches.
SunCity Advising Services
Even if you think you have lots of SEO information, it may still not be enough to rank your website high in the search engine results and achieve the same level of success as a professional.
SunCity Advising is a digital marketing agency focused on growing your business through online marketing services.
Our services include:
- Content Creation
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Email Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- Pay-Per-Click (PPC)
- Website Design
We can help you meet your goals of increased conversions and traffic to your website by designing strategic internet marketing campaigns to help you reach your goals.
For more information on local SEO for your business, contact SunCityAdvising today!
