Ranking highly on search engine results pages (SERPs) is a top priority for all websites. It takes years of good search engine optimisation (SEO) practice and a proper content marketing plan to feature at the top of Google’s results list. What if you just want to rank highly in localised searches though?
When some types “restaurants near me” on Google, a list of all the closest restaurants to their current location will pop up. The same goes for “businesses near me” and any other keyword, followed by “near me”. Featuring in these searches will be beneficial for your business, whatever it may be.
There are a few ways to rank highly in localised search results. Some changes can be made to your website that will help your rankings, but sometimes you need to get creative and feature on other websites too. Here are a few tips that will help you to rank in localised search results.
Do a Google search for your keyword and look at localised websites
To rank on a localised search results list, the first step is to Google your keyword followed by “near me”. Have a look at the top few results (underneath the map) and see what websites are featured there.
Often, Google will feature websites that list a few options in an overview. For example, if you Google “restaurants near me”, you’ll often see websites such as Zomato feature near the top because they list a range of restaurants in your area.
You want to be featured on these websites. Get in touch with them and ask if you can also be listed on their site. Users will often click on the top three results, so you need to be included on those websites if at all possible.
List your address, suburb and number on your website
It’s important to include your address on your website. When Google crawls your site, it will pick up your address and suburb or city and include you in those localised search results. You can put this information in your “Contact Us” page.
You can even go as far as putting directions from main roads on your website. For example, if your business is located in the Cape Town CBD, you can put directions from the N2 on your site. It will increase your chances of being listed on the SERPs.
Another important detail is a phone number, but it needs to be a localised landline number. Cell phone numbers (such as 083 and 072) don’t tell Google where you are located. However, localised landline numbers (such as 021 or 011) specify that you’re located in a certain city.
The phone number can also be more specific. Suburbs in Cape Town have their own phone codes too, such as 021 794 for central Constantia. This gives Google even more precise information about your location.
Set up a Google My Business account
Google My Business is a great feature for business or website owners. It’s like a Google account for your business. You can put all your business information, including address, phone number and a link to your website. There are also ways to utilise Google AdWords and geotargeting for your campaigns.
When someone searches Google Maps, your business will feature on the map if you have a Google My Business account. What’s more, when someone clicks on your business icon, a sidebar will pop up with your contact details and a link to your site.
People can see if you’re currently open and get directions to your door. The account is easy to set up. If you don’t have a Google My Business account, do a quick search on Google Maps and see if your business is listed on the map. If it is, you can click on it and in the sidebar, click “claim this business”. This will allow you to easily set up the account and put in all the relevant information.
Get customers to leave a review
In certain industries, such as food and hospitality, reviews are very important. Ask your customers to leave a review on a well-known site such as TripAdvisor or Zomato. Not only are these websites highly popular (which means more traffic to your site), they are also trusted for their reviews.
If you can get good reviews on these websites, more people will want to check out your offerings. More traffic means higher Google rankings. The more reviews you have, the more likely other websites are to list you too.
Magazine-style websites that feature overviews of the best coffee shops or activities in a certain area will be more likely to include your business in their overview. So it’s important to get as many reviews as you can – even if some of them are bad.
These simple tips should help you to feature more prominently on localised search results lists. Your business will benefit from more walk-in customers and your website will get more traffic simply by making a few changes and being featured on other websites too.
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Sorted Design Agency is a creative company that constantly looks for solutions to other people’s problems. These problems come mostly in the visual format, such as graphic design, logo and illustration, but we’re experts in brand development, website design, and digital SEO campaigns as well.
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Based in Pretoria and Cape Town, Sorted has been in the content marketing industry since 2006. We assist your company with its corporate identity by communicating core values through content and articles written for your website, blog and news area. This content is supported by AdWords and social advertising, which facilitates wider reach and audience growth. Turn your website into a business tool.
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Sorted also owns two other businesses; InkFish Print Studio – a printing company that handles a range of promotional materials for businesses and other services for individual customers, and Pampiri + Kie – a gifts and stationery store selling online and in-store. Both of these companies operate from Cape Town and Pretoria.
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