In 2021, your business website is central to consistent revenue and long-term growth. With it, you can leverage a large audience of online consumers if you have a robust search engine optimisation (SEO) strategy. However, your SEO efforts shouldn’t end at ranking for a general audience. Local SEO is worth investing in, too.
The Importance of Local SEO
Local SEO targets consumer searches in a specific geographical area. It’s a straightforward and effective way to market your business online, especially if you have a brick-and-mortar store. Remember that online consumers prefer convenience most of all. if your website and business listing pop up on a local search, they are much more likely to visit your store and purchase from you.
Digital marketing experts say that fewer than 50% of online businesses use local SEO strategies and services, so this is one avenue wherein you can really get ahead of your competition. In addition, leveraging local SEO will boost online visibility, organic traffic, and sales conversions.
Here are three ways you can capture an Australian audience:
1. Narrow Your Target
Every country in the world has its own language idiosyncrasies, and Australia is no exception. Your website is likely already optimised for international terms and keywords. But have you considered how fellow Australians would search for your products? For example, if you have a business that sells local snacks in-store and online, you’re probably targeting common keywords such as “biscuits” and “chips”. To capture this local audience, you should include “biccy” (biscuits, digestives, and the like) and “choccy”.
Google’s search algorithms can link most synonyms together through intuitive AI processes. However, there’s a good chance you’re missing out on searchers that use local vernacular to look for products and services online. Utilise relevant Australian vernacular in every aspect of your content strategy for better local SEO performance.
2. Focus on Local Link Building
Link building is a crucial aspect of a robust SEO strategy, and it’s especially important if you’re targeting a local audience. Through link building, you can establish your business as an authority in the industry. The more organic backlinks you can collect, the higher you rank on search engine result pages.
Explore the local online scene for link building opportunities. Surely there are a handful of local blogs that cover news and developments in your industry. Pitch your best-performing blog post to them so you can boost your local presence. You should also publish localised content and deliver valuable information that’s specific to relevant audiences.
3. Claim Your Identity
One of the easiest ways to gain ground on local SEO is to optimise your Google My Business account. It’s completely free and, once you’re authenticated, there’s a great chance your business will appear on localised Google searches. Once you stake this all-important online space, customers will be able to find you much more quickly.
Make sure your listing is as detailed as possible. Put yourself in a local searcher’s shoes and think about all the information you would want to know about a business. This includes your service area, operating hours, complete address and contact information, and even photos of your shop and products.
Conclusion
Local SEO will help you target all-important local audiences in your specific service area. When consumers find your business through local searches, they are much more likely to visit your brick-and-mortar store to become loyal customers. A local SEO company can take care of all your local SEO needs.
At the SEO room, we follow the best practices and use the latest software to launch effective SEO strategies. We can help shine a light on your brand through local SEO to make sure the right demographic can find you online, anytime, on any device. If you’re looking for SEO experts in Perth, start your journey with us. Get a free website audit report today!
