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Almost half of Google searches are seeking information. With e-commerce taking over the shopping and service sector, in-person shops are taking the hit, with huge brands shutting down every day. It’s a struggle to even stay open. This is when local SEO comes in. It’s never been more important for brick-and-mortar businesses to be as visible as possible. 

Through the use of SEO (search engine optimisation), businesses can become more accessible to customers, making them stand out to searchers and improving user experience. This means that customers can find you and your business more easily, leading to higher footfall in the store. Still not convinced? Here are some in-depth reasons why SEO can drive success for in-person businesses.

What is local SEO, and why does it matter?

Local SEO is the process of optimising the online presence of your business. An example of this is people searching ‘coffee shops near me ‘ or ‘parking in central London’. Google prioritises proximity, location and relevance, so if you are a local business near the searcher and you optimised your site for your local area, you should show up first. This digital and online presence will directly correlate to real-world visits, as if people see your website, they are more likely to visit your shop. Visibility is the key to success!

Boosting visibility and footfall

Google Business Profile: It’s essential to create and optimise your Google profile so that customers can easily access information about you and your company, such as the location and opening time, which are crucial for in-person businesses. These profiles also create legitimacy, which boosts customer trust in your business, especially if they have never heard of it before. 

Local citations: it’s important that location, name and phone numbers are consistent throughout all directories and websites to build credibility for both the user and for the search engine.

Mobile optimisation: Mobile optimisation is significant, especially for local searches, as they tend to happen on mobile as someone is travelling or on the go. This means that your website needs to be suitable and easy to navigate on mobile phones as well as laptops. This means that load speed needs to be quick, and important information, such as booking or about us, needs to be easy to find.

Building trust through reviews

Reviews and positive feedback are highly significant for new customers locating and deciding to visit your business, but there are a few details to include to boost local SEO.

Customer reviews– Positive reviews on Google and Trustpilot highly influence decisions to visit a business. If reviews are bad, this can completely put off a huge percentage of potential visitors.

Physical proof– Proof of local testimonials and photos helps to create authenticity. Customers want to see real people and real examples of your business, as this creates trust. Thus, this heightens the chance of more customers through online search. 

Localised content and community engagement

Tailoring and specialising content for a local audience can help to strengthen brand identity. There are a few ways that you can add to your website to include a target local audience.

Localised blog posts: Localising your content can help to establish the location of the business, which makes it more likely to rank higher on the search engine results page.

Relevant keywords: The mention of local keywords within your website and in your blog content helps to drive localised SEO. For example, using a London florist instead of a UK florist.

Final thoughts

Overall, localised SEO promotes visibility, credibility and engagement with your in-person business. This type of optimisation helps to bridge the gap between digital and traditional shopping, so why wait? Optimise your business now!