More and more companies are focusing on building a local business website. Get it right and it can reap many rewards, so with this in mind, what makes a great local website?
Here are 8 great tips you may want to take on board
Using geo-targeted keywords
In order to have a great local business website it needs to be found. One way to do this is to use geo-targeted keywords. For instance, if you own a bumper repair business in Cork, then you can bet that a searcher will be looking for the keywords “bumper repair Cork”. By incorporating this keyword or variations of it, there’s a pretty good chance that you will rank for those keywords. However, you need to make sure that it flows naturally throughout the text and isn’t over-stuffed. In addition you may want to add your keywords in videos and images to help.
Get your contact information out there!
If you’re a local business, customers need to know how to get in touch with you. For this reason, you want to make sure that your details are on all relevant pages and not to bury it in the ‘contact us’ page. Also make sure that your contact information is consistent with what’s on Google places and other listings as this will help too.
Live chat and contact
One way a local business website can engage with potential customers is to implement live chat. Live chat services such as ‘Reach Local’ are designed to engage with the potential customer right off the bat. This can be done 24/7. Furthermore, add a contact form so that customers can ask specific questions for more information about your products and services.
Make it stand out
A great local website is one that’s clear, concise and stands out. Avoid lots of clutter. Instead go for clean crisp imaging and short to-the-point text. Finally look at making it smart phone friendly as many of your customers will be searching for businesses via this method.
Keep it updated
Search engines love websites that are regularly updated and as such it pays to add new content regularly. Why not add a blog, or change your homepage to show the latest products, services or special offers?
Engage in social media
Potential customers will expect your business to be represented on social media channels, so there’s no hiding away from it. Make sure that you add social media widgets to your local business website as it will enable your customers to see a constant stream of information about your business and your products and services.
Analyse it!
The only way to measure the success of your website is to track it. Without doing this, then it’s fair to say that local businesses are flying blind. If you know how many hits your website is receiving and what keywords are working best, then you can do more of the same to increase your traffic.
Respect the mobile!
According to a survey carried out in 2012 around 25% of people who need local information do so by finding it on their mobile phones. This is set to increase as smart phones become even more advanced. Therefore as an SMB you really do have to optimise your site to accommodate this trend.
So there you have it! 8 great tips on how to increase the traffic of your local business website. By taking on board these hints and tips you’ll find that you can stay that all-important one step ahead of your competition.
