What are some local internet marketing tips for SMBs?

Get a Google My Business Page

I have clients all over the world, so the marketing strategy changes based on the business, location, and other factors. However, one thing that every business should have if they are looking to grow is an online presence. Google Business is an excellent way to have visibility as a small business, and guess what, it is free from the #1 search engine.

It’s a win-win!

Start a Blog

Small businesses should start a blog. This allows them to build a content strategy centered around their target audience. As a result, their intended consumers can find them better on search engines, and the blog drives traffic to the website. Utilizing keywords is extremely effective and can increase brand awareness as well as their domain rating.

Paid Advertising

Investing in targeted online advertising can effectively reach a local audience and grow a small business. Platforms like Google AdWords and Facebook Ads allow businesses to target their ads to specific demographics, geographic locations, and interests.

This way, you can effectively reach potential clients searching for products or services like yours in your local area. Utilizing these paid advertising options can efficiently drive more traffic to your website and increase brand awareness.

Another effective way to reach local customers is by creating a business page on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and regularly posting updates, promotions, and other relevant content.

By doing so, you can build a loyal following and connect with potential local customers.

Sharing Reviews in Local Facebook Groups Or Apps

Encouraging your customers to write a Google review is one thing. Encouraging your clients to recommend you to their community via direct referrals is the best thing to happen to your small local business.

If you operate a small business in a tight-knit community with a dedicated Facebook group, consider joining that community and regularly sharing your work and asking for feedback.

Optimize Google My Business Listing

Optimizing your Google My Business (GMB) listing is the best local internet marketing tip to grow a small business. GMB is an important part of search engine optimization. Optimizing this profile will help you show up in local searches and provide customers with the key information they need, such as directions and operating hours.

To optimize it, ensure your business name, address, and phone number are correct, add services you offer, and make sure all relevant categories are selected.

Additionally, include high-quality photos of your business, respond to reviews quickly, and keep the information current. Optimizing your GMB listing will help boost local visibility and engagement with potential customers.

Fortify Your Meta Tags With Keywords Tied to Locality

When you enter a cafe, you ask for a menu to sift through what the cafe offers. The menu is to you what meta tags are to Google crawlers when searching your website to see what you serve Google’s users.

This is why sprucing your meta tags with location-optimized keywords is invaluable in getting Google to serve your content to users with search queries related to your locality. Explore subtly sprinkling location-based keywords into your title tags and your meta description.

Note that since your meta description will typically show under the associated web page (as a snippet) on Google search results, you want to ensure the keywords are properly integrated for a natural reading experience.

Unnaturally inserted keywords not only put search engines off, they also hurt your credibility as who would be willing to trust their money to a business that doesn’t care enough to get its messaging right?

Get More Reviews to Optimize Your Online Reputation

Reviews are incredibly important for local small businesses. They help build trust with potential customers, and provide a platform to showcase how great their products or services are. This information is invaluable for potential customers who want to decide which business they should choose. Reviews can also act as free marketing for small businesses.

People often turn to reviews from other customers when deciding which business they should patronize. By showcasing that you have many happy customers, you’ll convert more buyers considering your solution.

Partner With Local Businesses

One of the best local internet marketing tips I can give you is to visit local businesses! When there, pinpoint the owner or manager and introduce yourself. Tell them what you like about their business. Ask them open-ended questions about the business and how they got it started. Tell them you’re going to follow them on all their social media accounts and then post from your business’s social media accounts about the business and how great it was to visit with the owner or manager. Tag them in the post and then make it a habit to visit that business at least every other month.

When you visit, ALWAYS make a post about it and tag them. These businesses are likely to reshare your posts, which gives you credibility with their following. If it’s a business that complements your business, ask to partner with them in a giveaway or competition for both your followers.

I guarantee this will grow your small business!

Set Up a Google Business Profile and Get Reviews

The best thing that we have done for our business, and therefore the best thing anyone can do for their site, is to get online reviews. Google is the top review site, so start there by setting up a Google Business Profile if you haven’t already. However, there are other platforms such as Yelp, Facebook, ProvenExpert.com, and more, that are very helpful in generating online reviews for your business.

Generating legitimate user reviews for your business is advantageous for a number of reasons:

1. If you are receiving lots of Google reviews, you help your online ranking. Google will see you as an authoritative and trustworthy expert in your field, and will help your business become more visible to others.

2. People are more likely to click on your website. According to Forbes.com, more than 60% of customers check reviews before they visit your website to see if your business seems trustworthy.

Geo-tag Your Location

Geo-tagging changes the game, in my opinion. I visited a small business recently that offered one free session of a workout class if the person were to geo-tag their location through Facebook or Instagram.

After doing so, I received many inquiries about the place, asking about their services and my experience. That was an experience that really opened my eyes to the importance of geo-tagging for small businesses, as it attracts the local market as well as improves your business’ rating.

Optimize Your Website for Mobile

My best local internet marketing tip to grow a small business is to optimize your website for mobile. Mobile search is becoming increasingly popular, and it’s important to make sure your website is optimized for mobile users.

Even more importantly, it’s important to invest in local SEO keywords so that you can rank higher in local searches.