How to Optimize Your Business for Local SEO and “Near Me” Searches?

In the developing world, “near me” search results have become an important feature in the markets’ localization efforts. Did you know that the number of searches for “near me” has increased by 500% in recent years? 

In this blog, you will learn:

Why “near me” searches are crucial?

How they can simplify your local SEO efforts and local search strategies that can be adopted to enhance your presence in your target market? 

Tips on mobile optimization, geotargeting content, and the development of an extensive local SEO plan will be discussed as well. 

Keep reading to learn more about Local SEO Optimization.

What Makes “Near Me” Searches So Powerful? 

Today’s customers are influenced by “near me” searches for businesses, services, or goods they want or need that are close to them. For example, “looking for a restaurant near me” or “plumber required immediately near me”.

Do You Know? Almost 46% of all Google searches are about finding something within the locality and a good portion of them are near-me search queries. Moreover, over the last decade, the number of searches along the lines of “near me” has increased wildly, reaching an all-time high and scoring 100 which corresponds to the maximum on the 0-100 Google interest scale over time.

This trend has been on the rise and is being aided by the growing use of mobile devices and voice search. Businesses that SEO optimized their business profile using the “near me” keyword, strategically improved their Local SEO.

How to Rank Higher Using ‘Near Me’ Keyword?

Unlike generic search queries, “near me” searches display a very high purchase intent as people are actively looking for nearby products or services. These visitors in most cases, have the intention to visit an outlet, schedule a service, or buy something within a few hours. 

Take this example, consider someone searching for “best pizza near me”, it is clear the person is hungry and wishes to find a good pizza shop near his or her location.

Optimizing SEO by using the near me keyword, guarantees that you capture potential customers who are actively looking at your product or services online.

Relevance Matters

Search engines always tend to prioritize businesses that fulfil the users’ requirements. For instance, if you are running a restaurant with vegan dishes, you should optimize your profile to be able to rank for inquiries such as “vegan-friendly restaurant near me”.

Boost Local customer engagement

Attracting more visibility through “near me” searches increases the chances of capturing the interest of local consumers. Also, showing up in the Google 3 pack which indicates the top three businesses located near the buyer can increase the conversion rate significantly alongside driving foot traffic.

Drive Mobile Searches Using Local SEO

Did you know that 78% of location-based mobile searches result in an offline purchase? Mobile searches have gone ahead to hold sway in local SEO. There has been an increasing trend of using mobile devices to search for businesses or services in the local areas. This increases the emphasis on why mobile search-oriented strategies are essential for reaching local customers.

Build a Winning Local SEO Strategy

Now, I hope you have understood the importance of the ‘near me’ searches. Let’s explore how we can build effective local SEO strategies:

1. Make Sure Your Digital Business Profile is Fully Optimized

Nearly 97% of customers learn about local businesses online, primarily through business profiles. The Digital Business Profile for Your Company showcases all your business details such as testimonials, fresh updates and many more in one place. It is crucial to understand that the right business profile enhances the chances of appearing on search engines to bring more customers to you.

Here are some optimization guidelines for your digital business profile:

• Use Correct NAP Information: NAP refers to Name, Address, and Phone Number. It checks and makes sure that your business info is correct across your profile and other online directories.
• Include Useful Keywords: Begin with location-based keywords such as “near me” and other relevant keywords in your digital business profile description to enhance SEO.
• Speak a Lot: Do not hesitate to post appealing images of your business activities, services, and products on your business pages. This helps in building a good first impression on visitors.
• Update your Digital Profile: Make timely updates on your profile or run new promotions and giveaways talking about special offers and events.
• Request Reviews: Request customers who are happy with your services to leave reviews to develop trust in your business.

Pro Tip: Add contact details to your digital business profile to make it easier for potential customers to connect with you in real-time. 

If you create a digital business profile using Krofile platform, you can showcase all your business information in one place. 

2. Develop Content Based on Location

Hyper-targeted location-based content significantly increases the chance of attracting and retaining local customers while simultaneously improving the local search ranking.

Location-Based Content Types

Here are some location-based content types:

• Organizers Provide How-To Pages: Businesses can address the needs via How-to pages of local people. For example, a hotel might create a blog entitled “How to find best hotel services in [City]”.
• Organizational Performance Measures: Showcase reviews and their experiences from local customers to build trust and credibility.
• Localized Landing Pages: Businesses that have branches in various locations, create dedicated pages for each branch which will provide branch opening/closing hours, services offered, and how to find the branch.

3. Use the Keyword “Near Me” in your SEO Strategies

The word “near me” in all search engines assists in linking your business with any related keywords searched locally.

Identifying “Near Me” Keywords For:

• Title Tags & Meta Descriptions
• Inserting them in blogs and FAQ pages
• Alt Text & Image Descriptions
• When posting on a Digital Business Profile or any other social media site

Krofile’s AI-meta builder helps you to generate search engine-optimized meta titles and descriptions for your business. You can customize them using location-specific keywords including the ‘Near Me’ keyword which will help you boost foot traffic to your business with ease.

4. Enhancing Content Quality by Balancing SEO Keywords

Another strong point is to make a proper balance between adding the keywords, because if you will add too many keywords it can reduce the quality of your content.

5. Build and Manage Online Reviews

It is found that positive reviews can significantly influence purchasing decisions. Nearly 95% of customers read online reviews before booking services or making product purchasing decisions. Gathering more reviews from locals using near me keyword can boost your local search ranking.

How to gather reviews and increase online business visibility: 

• Reach out to happy customers via email or when checking out and requesting a review. 
• Provide a discount for making a review. 
• If the review is unfavourable, address it appropriately as soon as possible.

Pro Tips: You can use Krofile which can help you gather reviews effortlessly by prompting customers to leave feedback from their preferred platforms.

6. Use Social Media for Local SEO

Social media is the utmostly important thing for interaction with people in a locality and encouraging them to become active users.

How to Leverage Local Social Media:

• Use hashtags such as #ShopLocal, etc.
• Showcase reviews with pictures and ratings made by local customers. 
• Create targeted ads for specific areas. 
• Engage your local audience by hosting giveaways or promotions, and keep posting them on social media.
  

This not only drives engagement but also attracts local customers to your business.

Krofile simplifies everything for you. You can run game-based promotions and giveaways that are easily shareable on social media. Sounds interesting right? You showcase your top reviews made by local customers.

7. Utilize Schema Markup for Local SEO 

Utilizing schema markup on your website will guide search engines to understand and display your business information clearly on the search results pages. Such details include your business’s physical address, working hours, contact information, and more that potential clients may be searching for.

So, these are some crucial local SEO strategies, and implement them for ranking higher in local search results. 

Tips for Optimizing SEO for Mobile and Voice Search

Due to the shift towards voice search and mobile searches gaining popularity, there is an increasing need to optimize for mobile and voice searches to rank higher in local search results. 

Here are some tips:

Voice Search Optimization Tips

• Make use of reasonable content to fit into voice searches.
• Target longer tail keywords.
• Make a well-stated FAQ page targeting local people.

Best Practices for Mobile Searches

• Target “near me” ads through GPS targeting.
• Use click to call for easier access to your business by customers.
• Utilize Accelerated Mobile Pages to speed things up.

You can use these strategies to optimize your business online for voice and mobile searches. You can also research more strategies.  

Final Thought

“Near me” searches and local SEO is essential for businesses trying to grab the attention of potential local customers. With the continuous growth of voice searches and mobile searches, businesses can optimize their online presence for these searches. Moreover, actively prompting customer reviews, social media engagement, and applying other local SEO strategies helps improve local rankings with ease. All these strategies will help businesses increase foot traffic, improve customer engagement, and win the local competition.