Promoting your local business on the web
No matter what size your business is, you can directly benefit from taking a strong online presence. Often times people will think, why do I need a website? I am not trying to reach a global audience. The truth is, you are not focusing on the global market, there is a significant local audience that will find you on the web.
What business can benefit from local internet marketing?
All businesses can benefit from local internet marketing, whether you are offering a service or a product however, those who benefit the most will be those with a standard "Yellow Page" appeal. What I mean by "Yellow Page" appeal are services such as:
Plumbing
Electrical
Attorneys
Landscaping
Pest control
Construction
By utilizing effective local online marketing strategy's you will benefit from more customers, for a fraction of the cost of traditional local marketing.
Where to start?
First off, you need an online presence, mainly, a website. On this website you should have information about your services and potentially rates as well as an online store for product based companies. Depending on the nature of your business, your website can be extremely simple and maintained very little. Here is a list of things that your website should stress about your company:
Consider your population
If you are based in a larger city, obviously your local market will be much less than if you are based in a small town. If you are located within a small distance from a major hub, consider targeting to that area instead of the particular area that you are based.
If you are a service company in Town-A which has a population of 2,000 targeting your specific town online won't be very effective, traditional advertising methods will suit you better. If Town-A is located less than 30 miles from a larger city, you can target towards that city.
Search Engine Optimization
If an individual is going to search for something locally on the web, they will typically search in the following format.
[Service] in [town/city]
i.e. Plumber in Minneapolis
With that being said, it is crucial that you focus your keywords on your particular services in a particular city or town. Consult a SEO firm to assist you in focusing your keywords.
Driving traffic to your website
Not always can you solely use the search engine process to generate visitors. The reason being is that the search engine indexing process is very time sensitive. A new website may not be indexed within major search engines for several months or even a year.
Fortunately, there are several ways to boost your local traffic without spending much time or money.
PPC Services - PPC (Pay Per Click or Search Engine Marketing) services allow you to "bid" on specific keywords. When these keywords are entered into the search engine, your website will be listed in the most predominately noticed areas (top and top right column). When a person clicks on your ad, it will cost you the amount you bid for that keyword. The prices change daily and some keywords are more competitive than others, thus will cost more. Remember that your PPC bid will not convert to multiple search engines, i.e. Google Adwords PPC won't effect Yahoo.
SEO - SEO (Search Engine Optimization) allows you to speed up that rate that your website is indexed in major search engines and your ranking on the search engines. There are many DIY SEO tactics that you can use to help your rankings but to benefit the most, quickest, we recommend hiring a qualified SEO firm.
There are many more effective tactics to market locally other than the 2 mentioned. Search your community on the web and find different outlets to market.
What business can benefit from local internet marketing?
All businesses can benefit from local internet marketing, whether you are offering a service or a product however, those who benefit the most will be those with a standard "Yellow Page" appeal. What I mean by "Yellow Page" appeal are services such as:
Plumbing
Electrical
Attorneys
Landscaping
Pest control
Construction
By utilizing effective local online marketing strategy's you will benefit from more customers, for a fraction of the cost of traditional local marketing.
Where to start?
First off, you need an online presence, mainly, a website. On this website you should have information about your services and potentially rates as well as an online store for product based companies. Depending on the nature of your business, your website can be extremely simple and maintained very little. Here is a list of things that your website should stress about your company:
- Explain your service - Quickly inform your visitor of the services your business conducts. If they notice you offer what they are looking for, they will continue to look through your website.
- Inform of your location - When you are targeting a local audience it is crucial to inform where you conduct your business. By listing your location various times, it can drastically assist in your search engine rankings.
- Competitive advantage - Odds are, your visitors have also looked at 3 other websites offering the same service. Now is your opportunity to stress your competitive advantage. Explain why you are better than your competitors.
- Make your users act - When you have your visitor's attention, it is time to call the to action. Make them call or fill out a quote. The sooner you can get them to inquire about your services, the more likely they will be to use your services.
- Professional appeal - Show your visitors that you are a quality and credible company. Make sure your website is professional and appealing. Often times people will reflect the appeal to the quality of your services.
Consider your population
If you are based in a larger city, obviously your local market will be much less than if you are based in a small town. If you are located within a small distance from a major hub, consider targeting to that area instead of the particular area that you are based.
If you are a service company in Town-A which has a population of 2,000 targeting your specific town online won't be very effective, traditional advertising methods will suit you better. If Town-A is located less than 30 miles from a larger city, you can target towards that city.
Search Engine Optimization
If an individual is going to search for something locally on the web, they will typically search in the following format.
[Service] in [town/city]
i.e. Plumber in Minneapolis
With that being said, it is crucial that you focus your keywords on your particular services in a particular city or town. Consult a SEO firm to assist you in focusing your keywords.
Driving traffic to your website
Not always can you solely use the search engine process to generate visitors. The reason being is that the search engine indexing process is very time sensitive. A new website may not be indexed within major search engines for several months or even a year.
Fortunately, there are several ways to boost your local traffic without spending much time or money.
PPC Services - PPC (Pay Per Click or Search Engine Marketing) services allow you to "bid" on specific keywords. When these keywords are entered into the search engine, your website will be listed in the most predominately noticed areas (top and top right column). When a person clicks on your ad, it will cost you the amount you bid for that keyword. The prices change daily and some keywords are more competitive than others, thus will cost more. Remember that your PPC bid will not convert to multiple search engines, i.e. Google Adwords PPC won't effect Yahoo.
SEO - SEO (Search Engine Optimization) allows you to speed up that rate that your website is indexed in major search engines and your ranking on the search engines. There are many DIY SEO tactics that you can use to help your rankings but to benefit the most, quickest, we recommend hiring a qualified SEO firm.
There are many more effective tactics to market locally other than the 2 mentioned. Search your community on the web and find different outlets to market.
Labels: promoting locally online
