Local online marketing strategies allow businesses to reach potential clients in their area and build a strong community landscape. By focusing on local digital marketing, you can connect with nearby customers, foster loyalty, and ultimately increase sales.
In this guide, we’ll outline ten effective local internet marketing strategies to boost your online presence and attract customers in your community.
Table of Contents
What Is Local Online Marketing?
Local online marketing is a set of tactics and methods that businesses use to increase their online visibility in a certain geographical area. The primary goal is to display your company at the top of search results for relevant, localized keywords. This, in turn, potentially increases online and in-store traffic and conversion rates.
For example, shoppers looking to buy clothes will most likely look up “clothing store near me” or “clothing store in [city or town].” If you own a clothing store and want to increase traffic to your brick-and-mortar location, local business digital marketing tactics using those keywords will attract nearby customers.
10 Effective Strategies To Promote Your Local Business
Promoting a local business requires targeted strategies that connect with your nearby audience and stand out in the local market. With these tactics, you can increase your visibility and grow your business:
- Optimize your Google business profile
- Post on GBP and other platforms related to your business
- Apply best local SEO practices on your website
- Build custom landing pages
- Devise and manage a review strategy
- Get listed in local directories
- Promote your local business on social media
- Blog regularly
- Come up with a customer loyalty scheme
- Sponsor or host local events
1. Optimize Your Google Business Profile
Google processes over 200,000 searches per second or 15 million queries per minute. When shoppers look up local establishments, Google gives them a list of nearby businesses that match their search query. If you want to be successful with local search optimization, your goal is to be part of the top search results.
Properly optimizing your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) can increase visibility, drive traffic, and boost credibility. These critical elements will help your GBP reach the top:
- Complete profile: Make sure your listing contains all important information, such as business name, address, working hours, contact information, and links to your website and social accounts.
- High-quality visuals: Include images of your company's interior, products, and employees. Customers can learn a lot about your company from how it is shown in GBP visuals.
- Business description: Write a concise yet engaging description of your key services and products. Include location-specific keywords to improve local search engine optimization (SEO) performance.
- Categories and attributes: Choose the most relevant category that best describes your business. Attributes like “Free Wi-Fi" and “Women-owned” also appear in search results and can attract niche customers.
- Consistency: Your NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) should be consistent with the details listed on your website and other directories.
- Profile maintenance: Regularly check your listing to make sure all info is up to date and accurate. The Insights tab tracks views, searches, direction requests, and website clicks — use this data to improve your profile.
2. Post on GBP and Other Platforms Related to Your Business
Google Business Profiles are more than just online listings — you can post content there, too. Share timely updates, promotions, events, and other relevant content directly on your profile. These posts appear in search results and Google Maps, increasing visibility and engagement with local customers.
Keep your posts concise and relevant, only around 100 to 300 words. Focus on one message per post and provide just enough detail to capture interest. Google recommends using images (1200 x 900 pixels) to draw attention and increase engagement. A CTA button at the bottom of the post encourages customers to take the next step.
3. Apply Best Local SEO Practices on Your Website
Optimizing your website for local SEO boosts your presence in location-based and “near me” searches. To help your business stand out to local customers and boost traffic, apply the following tips and best practices:
- Conduct local keyword research: Tools like Google Keyword Planner and Ahrefs can help you find location-specific keywords related to your products or services.
- Optimize on-page content: Include local keywords in key places on your website, such as page titles, meta descriptions, headers, image alt tags, and website content.
- Create localized content: Address the needs or interests of your local community. Reference local landmarks, neighborhoods, or cultural events to make your content more relatable to local audiences.
- Build local backlinks: Partner with local news sites, blogs, and business directories to signal to search engines that your business is relevant in your region.
- Use schema markup: Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper can increase your chances of appearing in local packs or knowledge panels in search results.
4. Build Custom Landing Pages
When potential customers land on a page that speaks directly to their location, they are more likely to find the information they need and take action. Location-specific landing pages feature content tailored to the city, neighborhood, or region. They enhance local SEO performance, improve customer engagement, and help your business connect with local audiences.
Tailor your content to the unique needs and preferences of customers in each region. Use local keywords and mention nearby landmarks and points of interest to further localize the content. For example, if you provide HVAC services in various cities, discuss the different types of weather that thermostats face in each location.
5. Devise and Manage a Review Strategy
Over 90% of consumers say that reviews impact their purchasing decisions and overall brand perception. A strong review strategy can enhance your online reputation and build trust with your audience. Tools like Birdeye and Podium can help you centralize and manage reviews from various platforms.
Negative reviews can provide buyers with an idea of the worst-case scenario for your company while also reinforcing a sense of honesty. Even the best businesses will have a disgruntled client at some point, and customers may be more willing to believe 20 positive reviews if there is one negative one to balance them out.
You have no control over whether a customer leaves a positive or negative review, but how you respond makes all the difference. Responding tactfully is an opportunity to highlight the quality of your customer service and enhance customer interaction. A kind response to consumer complaints can save your company's reputation.
6. Get Listed in Local Directories
Listing your company in major web directories makes it easier for potential customers to find your business online. We have already discussed the most important one, Google Business Profile. But there are others as well:
- Yelp: This is a widely used directory for businesses across many industries, including restaurants, retail shops, and service providers.
- Bing Places: While Bing only accounts for around 10% of the global search market, it is the default search engine for all Microsoft products.
- Foursquare: This platform helps small businesses increase their visibility online by targeting prospective customers through a pay-per-click system.
You can also list your business in industry-specific directories like TripAdvisor for restaurants, Healthgrades for medical professionals, Avvo for legal services, etc. Update your listings regularly and ensure NAP is consistent on all of them.
7. Promote Your Local Business on Social Media
Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter have billions of monthly active users, so you can leverage these platforms for enhanced local recognition. Here are some best practices to make the most of your social media presence:
- Create accounts on relevant social media platforms — you need to be where your audience is.
- Develop a robust content strategy and post consistently to increase brand awareness, engage with your community, and drive traffic to your business.
- Use geotags, local hashtags, and location-based keywords in your posts to increase your presence in searches.
- Respond to comments, messages, and reviews to build a community around your brand.
- Leverage paid ads on socials to target specific geographic locations and demographics to further boost visibility and engagement.
8. Blog Regularly
Maintaining a blog on your website can be a major source of organic search traffic. Through your blog, you can deliver valuable and engaging information for consumers. It is an excellent approach to demonstrate your industry knowledge and increase brand recognition.
Create in-depth blogs that are both educational and entertaining to read. Regular, relevant blog posts help strengthen your local online marketing efforts over time. You can share how your business supports the local community, highlight partnerships with other local businesses, or share helpful guides specific to your area.
As previously mentioned, integrating local keywords into your website content boosts visibility in search engine results.
9. Come Up With a Customer Loyalty Scheme
Customer loyalty programs help businesses retain customers, increase repeat purchases, and strengthen relationships within the community. By rewarding loyal customers, you encourage them to return more often and foster positive word-of-mouth referrals.
Offer incentives that appeal to local customers. For example, if a customer purchases 10 coffees in your cafe, the 11th coffee is free. Alternatively, someone who visits your barbershop frequently receives a free trim. You may even go high-tech with your store promotion by creating a loyalty app for mobile devices. Customers get prizes and incentives for using the app.
Promote your loyalty program online through your website, social media, and even your Google Business Profile. To further expand your reach and strengthen ties with the local community, partner with other local businesses and offer shared rewards or cross-promotions.
10. Sponsor or Host Local Events
Local events give your business a chance to connect with the community meaningfully and position your brand as a trusted and involved entity. Here are some examples:
- Fundraisers, food drives, or donation events
- Charity walks or runs
- Workshops or classes
- Street fairs or festivals
- Pop-up markets
- Talent shows
- Community wellness days/weeks
- Webinars
- Networking events
Whether you’re organizing your own event or partnering with other businesses, careful planning, online promotion, execution, and follow-up will help you truly connect with your community and foster long-lasting relationships.
Local Online Marketing Takeaways
Local online marketing strategies are essential for businesses looking to boost visibility and drive local traffic. Implementing these strategies ensures you remain competitive, trustworthy, and an authority in your local market, which enhances your overall growth and long-term success.
If you need help with local online marketing, partner with the top digital marketing agencies to boost your online presence, attract more local customers, and deliver measurable growth.
Local Online Marketing FAQs
1. Why use local online marketing?
Local online marketing increases visibility on search engines, Google Maps, and social media, ensuring potential customers can easily find your business when searching in their area. By targeting local audiences, you can improve customer engagement and boost sales more effectively than broader marketing efforts.
2. How do I start local online marketing?
First, claim and optimize your Google Business Profile by adding accurate information and high-quality photos. Get listed on other local directories and use social media to engage with local audiences. Integrate location-specific keywords into your website content and create localized blog posts to strengthen your connection with nearby audiences.
3. How to measure local online marketing success?
Key metrics like website traffic and conversion rates will help you measure local online marketing success. Google Business Profile Insights tracks search visibility, calls, and direction requests. You can also monitor local SEO rankings to see how well your strategies are working.
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