If you’re a dealership or other outdoors company with a physical location, local SEO is a must-do! The very best way to have a presence on local searches is through Google Business Profile. As of Jan 2022, Google’s market share is about 86%. Bing comes in at the number 2 spot with less than 8%. Since the majority of searches are happening on Google, you need to take advantage of Google’s tools for local discovery! This local SEO guide is here to help.
What is Local SEO?
Let’s back up. What even is Local SEO? For starters, it’s totally different than your website SEO. It runs off of a different algorithm and requires a different strategy. When you do a Google search and the top few options appear in Google Maps form, that’s called the Google Map Pack. You’ll need a Google Business Profile in order to rank here. GBP is easy to set up, but a little more nuanced to do it right and keep it optimized. Our guide to local SEO rounds up 4 tips to improve your map pack ranking.
Do your keyword research
Keywords that determine whether your business shows up in Google’s map pack are not necessarily the same ones that determine ranking placement for your website. You could begin your keyword research using a tool, like SEMrush for example, but determining which keywords trigger map pack results is a manual process. So, be ready to commit some time to this very important part!
Research in incognito mode
Consider doing this research in incognito mode in Chrome so the persona Google has associated with your search history doesn’t impact your research results. You can even use the GMB Crush Chrome extension to test searches as if you were located in different places (geographically speaking). Maybe you’re located in a city, but know a lot of your customers come from surrounding suburbs. You can search from the burbs using this extension.
Claim your GBP listing
No local SEO guide is complete without this step. Claim your GBP listing if you haven’t already and fill it out, keeping in mind the results of your research. If a field is relevant to you – fill it out and use relevant keywords! Make sure to do a thorough job of completing the products and/or service sections.
Don’t set it and forget it
GBP is not a set it and forget it, one-time deal. Use the “Updates” feature to regularly post new information about the business (of course – using the research results!). Same with replying to reviews. Make sure you’re replying to both positive and negative reviews and fit in keywords when it makes sense to do so. Handling negative reviews can be tricky, so we wrote a guide to responding to these.
Need some extra help with your Google Business Profile?
By now, this local SEO guide should have you convinced you need to focus on this aspect of your business. If it sounds like too much to maintain on your own, NetSource Media is here for you. We offer both local SEO and national website SEO strategies to make sure your business is ranking at the top of Google searches. Find out how our experts can optimize your Google Business Profile to outrank your competitors!
