Creative Content Improves Local Search Results

Creative Content Improves Local Search Results

I previously covered how Local Search is like the wild west of the web. The places to search are so fragmented and the local results compete with national results, and many times you can’t tell what’s next door and what’s across the country. The main way I discussed before to boost your visibility and to make sure you are found correctly was consistency. I talked about making sure you had the same information anywhere you were listed. Use the same number, address and description, so that no matter how your potential customers find you, they are getting corroborating information.

End of blog entry, right. Just a friendly reminder of a past entry and call it a day. Oh no my friend. Sit down, buckle up and prepare to take it to the next level. Consistency might be the key to combating fragmentation, but you’ve still got another big obstacle in the battle for local search….

Competition

Enhanced Local Search Results | Pop ResultsSo how do you compete with everyone else is this free-for-all, fragmented world of local search? One huge way is to stand out. Let’s say you are a local restaurant owner. You’ve made sure your location is listed the same way everywhere, so when someone searches for Cup of Joe, they find you with the same information. Bing and Google local search results will list you higher up, because they have gotten the same information about you from multiple sources, but The Coffee Shop, TLC (Tea, Love and Coffee) and, of course, WAKE UP! all come up listed right with you. So why are they choosing Cup of Joe over the competition? You need to stand out.

Standing Out

Local Search Results That Stand Out | Pop ResultsWhat sets you apart? Make a list of what makes you different, things you offer that they do not. Then use that list to make sure you feature those things in your content and imagery. Since you are the only one of those locations that serves a 72 ounce cup of coffee, the “Get Up and Get Going”, feature a shot of those giant mugs. Since you have sofas and reclining chairs throughout your coffee house, and your competition does not, make sure to not only have verbiage in your content that discusses how comfortable your location is, but show images of people enjoying your establishment. If your potential customer already feels like they know your establishment, or they see your place of business as more appealing, they are more likely to choose you over the competition.

What else can I do?

I’m so glad you asked. Let us stick with the restaurant business. Most of these tips will work across other local businesses, but I was hungry and drinking coffee as I wrote this, so work with me people! Think about some of the top questions people may ask or want to find out online. What are your hours? Make sure that is entered into any platform that will let you enter it, and make sure it’s front and center on your website. Especially since Cup of Joe is open til 3AM on Friday and Saturday nights, and Enhance Local Search Results | Pop Resultseveryone else shuts down by 11. Huge plus for you, but only if people know. Do you serve food and what is on your menu. Nothing drives me crazier than finding a restaurant that sounds great, but I can not find their menu. Even if it is just a PDF of your menu, at least people can see what you have. It’s a great graphic that represents you, especially if it is well branded.

Any other tips?

TOTALLY! Sorry, just had my 4th cup of coffee and I am a bit wired. Since you are a coffee a shop, you could include how to videos about making coffee. If you can find ones related to your business like this example, which is informative, humorous, and actually ends with the demo failing, leaving people thinking, maybe I should just come to Cup of Joe instead, all the better.  Enjoy the dynamic power of video marketing in the context of a local search results.

Also, since you do feature live music on those late weekend nights, include some videos of past acts. That way your customers can already know what the vibe is going to be like. Also, make sure your live act schedule is up to date on the site, and if available, sample videos from upcoming acts.

Consistency and Uniqueness

The lessons to be learned for best results in the wild west of local search optimization is to make sure you are submitted to any search site that has any relationship with your business, have the same information on everything you submit to and give them as much information as you can. On top of that, make sure you highlight anything that makes you different (hopefully better) and come up with clever ways to showcase those unique attributes.

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