Are You Leading the Pack in Local Searches?

Last year, 57% of consumers purchased from a local business for the first time because they offered pandemic-friendly services.  During lockdowns, people weren’t finding out about these businesses by visiting in person or word of mouth.  They used local search to get curbside pickup and delivery at a time when they needed it the most. 

Now that conditions are improving, local businesses should consider how to improve their performance in the digital sphere.

Google’s local pack is premier real estate among search results.  These listings are displayed above organic results and draw their information from Google My Business (GMB) listings.  So naturally, the most important factor determining ranking is GMB listing factors.  The good news is that a small business can optimize their GMB listing with 3 easy steps. 

The first step is the simplest.  The owner of the business needs to claim their business profile.  Once they do that, they can fill in their relevant information, a list which includes business name, address, phone number, website, store hours, and more.  Once the profile is complete, the last step is just to keep the listing updated.  Ways to do this when none of the above information about the business has changed include creating weekly posts, responding to reviews, and answering public questions.

For a small business with a single location, optimizing a GMB listing and linking to their website’s homepage are the best things they can do to shine in local searches.  When it comes to multi-location businesses, however, business owners should take a few more steps.  They should create local landing pages (LLPs) for each business location.  LLPs are standalone web pages that allow one to link each one to a separate listing on Google My Business.  Because local searches are largely location based, letting each location be listed individually improves the business’s chance of ranking near the top.

Read more on Google page experience

Business owners should pay consideration to how they format their LLP.  Many conventional website tips can be followed in an LLP’s case.  For example, consumers spend 74% of their viewing time in the first 2 screenfulls, so the most important information should be found near the top. 

Additionally, LLPs should be mobile friendly.  84% of local searches are made on mobile devices, after all.  Including mobile friendly coupons, floating call to action buttons, and click to call phone numbers can go a long way in endearing a company to customers.