Introduction:
How many of us actually bother to go beyond the first page of Google’s search when looking for something? A very small fraction indeed. Since a user is most likely to find relevant and useful information from the first page itself, the probability of going beyond it is really low. Out of all the gazillion suggested results that Google provides us with; only a handful make it to the elite initial list and end up as the most viewed pages.
When it comes to garnering the attention of people locally; Google plays just as important of a role as any other platform for marketing. In fact, never has been the role of the web been so prominent before. Having an online presence is extremely crucial for success in the 21st century.
You want to make sure that your brand name pops up in an instant as a user types in relative keywords. This strategy remains the same for all business sizes ranging from a solo venture to a well-founded organisation.
The best way to avoid getting lost in the limbo of unnoticed google results and come out on top in order to be found and explored on the popular search engine?
Here’s how:
1. Improve Your Information And Be Accurate:
The worst thing for a local business or organisation seeking presence online is knowing that they are not being featured in relevant searches in the area. The best and most basic way to maximize your presence is to ensure that all the information about your business is updated on Google as your details change. Local searches and content rankings favour businesses with the most accurate and extensive data.
Verify your location so as to get featured in Map or direction-based searches. Your prominence is greatly influenced by images of your organization and the area around it. Including your business hours as well as specifying the distance from important landmarks is another great way to get recognized
2. Make Your Audience Happy And Strive For Popularity:
Your aim should be to come across as a helper rather than someone trying to sell their product or services. Be a people’s domain and add content that is needed and appreciated by the audience. Keep your focus centred around creating informative posts in the form of blog entries, articles, infographics and images. Adding videos can be a sweet bonus as they will inculcate a feeling of direct interaction with the audience. Take the help of social media to cement your position and acquire as many profiles as you can.
Provide special offers to locals to boost your popularity. Not only will this make your newfound customers feel special and loved but will also induce a chain of word of mouth advertising. Try to organize special events for the locals and advertise for it through social media and the web. It will put you on the radar of the masses and might give you a free shot at media publicity.
Reviews on Google can make or break your career. While positive reviews are great for attracting potential future customers, negative reviews will make the audience hesitant to try your services. A good average rating overall and more reviews, in general, will propel your authority in Google’s eyes and ensure top slots on its pages. Gaining recognition and popularity is no child’s play. Although the use of search engines such as Google have simplified it; the severe competition from hordes of other businesses ensures that the rat race for popularity never ends. You can be a notch above others by listing your business before it opens. Or if you are already in the game, placing a label on Google Maps can work wonders.
Last but not least, comes mobility. Smartphones are omnipresent and are more widespread than desktop computers these days. Ensure that your website is mobile friendly and works on handheld devices just as smoothly as it does on a PC, if not better.
3. Building Links:
Once you have created the content that people are looking for, its time to spread it far and wide to gather more traction. Google knows you have the appropriate content, but that does not ensure high visibility on its own. To outrank your local competition, you need to establish authority. This can be achieved by earning links from credible and popular websites.
Link building refers to the practice of highlighting your content to point it from one website to another. Links act as reputation builders, but online. High-quality links are the ones that are attractive, informative and touch the soul of your audience. A good connection between your links and your audience is a sure shot recipe to success. To gain the edge over your competition, you need to understand the importance of brand publicity. The more you mention and publish your brand on other platforms and websites, more will be the chances of making it to the top.
WRAPPING IT UP:
In the end, it all boils down to deciding factors inclusive of great service to the customers, an organic audience base, aggressive brand marketing and accuracy and transparency of information posted on Google. The earlier you work on these factors, the faster and more conveniently you will be able to make an impact that promises a rise of ranking among the local entries.
