In a report released by BrightLocal, Google My Business (GMB) optimisation is 2020’s most valuable local marketing service. The researchers studied 475 local marketers across the UK, USA, Canada and Australia in an attempt to understand their experiences and attitudes in the marketing management of multi-location or local businesses. The participants included freelancers and in-agency marketers.
The findings show that on-site optimisation is the second most important service, while reputation management is the third. The surveyors also said that citation management and website design were also crucial, both of which came fourth and fifth respectively on the list.
GMB and Local Services
Google upgraded Google My Business experience in 2019 by introducing new features that enable businesses to include more details about their companies. Because GMB is the most valuable service locally, it is the most offered by marketers as found in the survey.
SEO audits, analysis and analytics are the other commonly provided services. The survey shows that link building is one of the least offered services at the local level. Only about 50% of the respondents provide the service.
If you are not using GMB for local SEO, you are missing out a great deal. It is the hidden asset that makes a business stand out locally. Being on Google My Business boosts your visibility on Google Maps, Local Finder and Local Pack. Listings on GMB enables your business information to appear on the first searches within your area each time a potential customer is searching for a service or merchandise. It is, therefore, crucial that you keep those details accurate.
SEO is a Top Online Tactic for Attracting New Customers
SEO may not be the most offered nor the most valuable service locally as found by the researchers, but is the best online tactic for attracting new clients. According to the findings, LinkedIn, content marketing and PPC are the other valuable online channels. The overall winner of creating traffic as found is word of mouth.
If you are looking to maximise customer acquisition, you must work on your SEO tactics. Determine how new clients and audience find your business and site and the channels they prefer. This will create the makeup of your marketing strategy.
The right SEO strategy will attract organic traffic and help you identify the channels that bring qualified leads. Understand that the survival of your business depends largely on sales. In the modern business climate, therefore, you must have a strong presence in the digital platform.
It worth noting that the world of e-commerce is cutthroat, and leveraging high-tech SEO techniques will be the only way to convert prospects into returning customers. This is where the word of mouth technique comes in. If they love your brand, they will talk about it online and offline.
Google Ranking is a Leading Local Marketing Metric
The survey found that Google ranking is a top metric in local marketing. It was considered the most crucial, more than clients and leads. The marketers then picked organic traffic, new enquiries and the number of reviews as the other key metrics.
Studies show that local search will keep growing with about 46%, most of which will be local. At some point, every search will convert into sales either offline or online. It means that every business will have to work hard to get to the top local search results. Expect to get a high number of voice-based searches. This will mean loads of long-tail searches too. Many positive reviews in 2020 will also make a huge difference and push towards a high ranking in the search results.
Research shows that at least 60% of consumers are today using Google My Business to find the contact details of companies. In a different study, at least 46% of all searches in Google are linked to a local intent. This is to show that local searches have the largest chunk of the SEO world. If you can strike a good balance between all these aspects, you have a great chance of making it in the e-commerce world.
