How to Conquer Hyperlocal Search
Local search is far from a new concept and if you’ve kept up with our blogs, you’ve probably read all about Local SEO and the various local paid and organic Google changes. Most recently, local has been pushed back into the spotlight because of the accelerating importance of the relationship between hyperlocal and mobile marketing. With more and more Canadians going mobile (3 out of 4 Canadians own a smartphone), the industry has witnessed a huge need for local services with “near me” search queries.
You’ll notice an increasing trend for “near-me” search queries in the last 5 years. (via Google trends)
The “near me” phenomenon has resulted in the massive growth in opportunity to market in a hyperlocal ways.
What is hyperlocal marketing?
In a nutshell, it is locally focused targeting based on a person’s location, with the goal of providing immediate solutions for their needs.
What is the relationship between mobile and hyperlocal advertising?
In 2015, mobile searches exceeded desktop searches – Insights that most likely attribute to the huge growth in hyperlocal search results and the features we know and see today. We now know that a customer’s journey is no longer linear and instead consist of high-interest touchpoints on a variety of devices that do not have a particular order. In fact, customers seem to be researching products and services through various channels before converting.
80% of internet users own a smartphone. (via Smart Insights)
With both of these pieces of information, what can marketers do to reach customers at these high-interest points? First (and most important for the success of a hyperlocal strategy), we need to consider the needs of our customer and understand their intent.
Once we’ve done that, we can create optimized content and experiences to reach them at those high-intent micro moments. Knowing that customer touch points happen on various platforms and devices, we need to hold a mobile-first mentality. Google’s engineers started this in 2010, so it only seems fitting we do it as well.
The largest component of having a mobile-first mentality is making sure a website is mobile friendly especially since mobile-friendliness became a ranking signal in mobile search results from Google’s algorithm update in 2015. Lastly and probably a no brainer, we need to make sure contact information is prominent and easy to find with eye-catching call-to-actions to allow customers to effortlessly contact you.
Make Your Hyperlocal Marketing Successful
Here are some other tips to ensure your hyperlocal marketing is a success:
Optimize your Google My Business page
Make sure you have created, verified, and optimized your Google My Business page with the correct category, operating hours, and images. And it’s free to do!
NAP Consistency
NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone number. Ensure this information is consistent on your website and on across the web.
Create localized website content
Use local topics to garner interest from the local community. Using genuine content about the local area will not only boost location targeting, but will also sound more appealing to people who in or are looking around a particular location.
Use Schema
Consider using structured data markups on your website. One schema that is great with local search is the LocalBusiness schema. These code markups signal back-end information to Google about your business.
Local Citation Building
Mention your business information on business listings and other directories like 411 and Yelp. Don’t forget about keeping your NAP consistent.
Creating a hyperlocal marketing strategy can be a large task at hand but whether or not you are looking for a mobile-friendly website or local SEO services, Top Draw is here to help!