Google My Business is a database full of business listings. Creating your Google My Business page can increase your chances of showing up in Google’s Local Search, Google Maps, Local Finder and organic rankings in general. Once your page is verified, it is time to optimise your listing (this is where you have a greater chance to outdo your competition).

You can do this by specifying your business category and updating your business details, such as your address, phone number and business hours.

You can make your business listing stand out by utilising Google My Business Posts and adding images, a call-to-action and even including a link to another page or website.

You can also post daily specials, promote events and even showcase your newest products, all through your Google Business page. Posting daily specials or current promotions, particularly those that showcase your top or new products, encourages new and existing customers to take advantage of your offers.

Customer reviews not only affect your local rankings, but provide different forms of value, such as candid feedback on customer experience and social proof that minimises the sense of risk for potential new customers.

A survey from BrightLocal found that more than 90% of users surveyed admit they check reviews before buying a product or selecting a service for a local business. Furthermore, 68% indicated that positive reviews made customers more likely to choose a business. So you need to make sure your happy customers are telling the world they are happy!

Customers are more likely to leave a review when it’s quick and easy for them to do so.  Google lets you create a link that you can share with customers. When customers click through, they’ll be able to rate your business and leave a review. Consider placing a link to your review form under your domain so it can’t be missed.

Local business listings are a must for any business and should form part of your main marketing campaign. Local business listings offer more visibility for your business and enhance your chances of being found online by customers. Your accurate and updated local listing plays an integral role in local SEO. Search engines including Google, Bing and Yahoo populate these sites at the top of their organic search results when a user is searching with a local intent. The more directories that you are listed on, the more visible you are, and your chances of ranking on top for local searches shoot up.

There you go! Loads of tips and tricks to help you to optimise your website for local SEO. If you are looking for a redesign or want to get started with a brand new website, you’re in the right place, so touch base for a quote.

While there is a growing list of local SEO tactics that you must implement, one that often goes unnoticed is the use of local content. Optimising local content is a great strategy for small businesses and service related industries that primarily market within a set geographic area. Many local business owners either aren’t aware of how much effort goes into making content to make their business known locally online, or they’re aware, but just don’t know where to get started. Below are some helpful tips that could point you in the right direction:

• Write about local or industry news to attract a local audience. Be the local authority for your industry by promoting local industry gatherings, news, employees, and other educational content on your blog
• Insert local keywords into your title and meta-description tags
• Link your website with other local websites that contain information about your area
• Host, attend and sponsor local events
• Add local keywords in the internal links on your pages

Remember, customers may land on your website from anywhere. The first page they see may be a blog article rather than your home page with your name, address and contact info. It’s crucial to have your local information visible in the header, footer or a side bar of your page.