Unless you run an eCommerce venture or operate solely online, chances are your small business has a target market in a specific geographical area. Whether you’re a mechanic or an accountant, the people living in the area where your business is based are a key audience of yours, and local SEO content is a way to target them specifically.
Done right, local SEO content can put you in front of anyone in your area searching online for products or services related to your business and help grow your brand’s visibility.
Here’s how local SEO content works and why you should consider investing in it.
What is local SEO content?
You’re probably aware of content marketing, which involves creating, publishing and distributing a variety of content tailored to your target audience. Local SEO content is a specific type of content marketing that focuses on creating content for people in your area.
Rather than trying to pitch a product or service to potential customers, local SEO content is about tapping into the phrases and questions that your local audience is searching for, to help them find you and establish trust and credibility for your brand.
RELATED: eBook: Stand out from the crowd with location marketing.
Types of local SEO content.
Some of the main types of local SEO content include:
- Online business directory listings
- Locally relevant blogs and videos
- News articles
- Location-specific landing pages
- Location-specific social media posts
Local SEO content by the numbers.
In case you’re wondering why local SEO content matters, here are some relevant statistics that highlight its value.
- 46% of all searches on Google are for local information
- 97% of people learn more about a local company online than anywhere else
- 88% of people who search for a local business on a smartphone either call or visit the business within 24 hours
- 78% of location-based mobile searches lead to an offline purchase
- Google saw a 900% increase in ‘X near me today/tonight’ searches over just two years.
How local SEO content can help your business.
Location-based content can have a significant positive impact on your business. Here are just some of the ways it can help move the needle:
Target the right audience.
You can create amazing content, but if it’s not reaching the right people, it won’t translate to new customers and sales. By its very nature, local SEO content is aimed at a specific audience in a specific area. This means you can be assured that your content is being read by people who fall into your target market and you will start to appear in more local search results.
For example, let’s say you’re a plumber in Melton. If someone nearby searches for ‘plumbers near me’ or ‘plumber in Melton’, their search results could include your Yellow Pages Online listing and a landing page on your website dedicated to plumbing services in Melton.
Similarly, say you sponsor a local event in your area and post a blog about it. When someone local searches for that event, they could stumble on your blog and find out more about your business. All this helps to grow awareness of your brand with your target audience.
RELATED: How to set up and update your Google Business Profile.
Build trust.
For someone to become a customer, they first need to trust that your products or services are worth investing in. When you create localised content that solves a problem or addresses a need, you’re not only providing value to your audience but also proving that you’re the local expert in your field.
On top of this, the more time people spend on your website reading your content, the bigger the signal to Google that your business is credible, trustworthy and worth ranking.
Boost your ranking for local searches.
Seventy-five percent of people never scroll past the first page of search results – so improving your ranking is critical to driving traffic to your site.
The more high-quality, locally-relevant content you produce, the greater the likelihood of appearing high up in search results any time a potential customer in your area searches for something related to your business.
Generate leads.
Finding ways to connect with and engage people is essential to sustaining a healthy business. Location-specific content is an invaluable opportunity to solve a problem or answer a question that potential customers are asking, and compel them to find out more by getting in touch with your business.
Use great content to prove your value from the get-go, and you can capture leads via a sign-up form on your website or by phone.
RELATED: Generating leads without driving customers away.
Get started with local SEO content today. Claim your Yellow Pages Online listing in just a few clicks.
