There’s a convergence happening on the ‘net that you need to understand.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has been and remains the best strategy for long term traffic to your web site. That’s in contrast to Pay-Per-Click (PPC), which tends to get you a quicker hit, but requires ongoing reinvestment.
However, it’s important to realize that Google is gearing more and more to local search, in turn impacted by mobile which is outpacing “traditional” internet marketing – including SEO.
In other words, if your marketing plan doesn’t include local search strategies, you are leaving money on the table.
But my market isn’t local, it’s global, you say?
Even for a global business, local can be worth a second look for two reasons – one, that’s where your “purchase ready” consumers are hanging out, and two, high potential local markets offer opportunities for “localized” niche offerings.
Regardless of whether your business is global or local then, you need to watch and capitalize on this trend.
How?
Here are five things you can do that will drive significantly more local traffic to your site:
- Develop and maintain a system to stimulate reviews by your happy customers
- Keep a noticeable presence in local directories.
- “Play nice” with Google (i.e., use their assets such as YouTube, Panaramio, Google Plus, etc.)… And No “Black Hat” strategies!
- Make sure your site is mobile friendly, with appropriate video and image marketing and…
- Check your citations among the various citation sites to see that they are consistent.
Number one on the list is making sure you get great reviews on a consistent basis. They grab people’s attention, even when your listing is below others. But even at that, search engines are starting to take notice and give higher rankings to listings with more and better reviews.
More and more, it’s not so much about what you say about yourself, it’s about what your customers, clients, patients and donors are telling their friends – and the world – about you and about your business!
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