Getting more visits on your website from residents in your own city is always good for brick-and-mortar shops. More website visitors means more brand awareness for your business, which helps you sell more. Here are three easy, but effective, ways to get more customers in your city: local SEO, social media, and Google Business Profile.
1. Use Local SEO to Get More Customers in Your City
One of the easiest ways to get more website visits from consumers in your city is to implement a few local SEO best practices on your website. Search engines try to show users the content that they are looking for. If you use local SEO techniques, the search engines may show your website content first to potential customers in your city, as opposed to content from larger companies far away.
One simple local SEO practice is to ensure your business name, address, and phone number are present in the header or the footer of your website. This tells search engines that your website represents an actual brick-and-mortar business in your city, so they can steer local shoppers your way.
Another thing you can do is to make certain pages that specifically target your city or the region you serve. For example, if you were targeting consumers in Rockford, you should include the keyword “Rockford” in as many headings and paragraphs on that page that you can, without sounding rediculous or robotic. Always be sure your content is unique, useful for your customers, and sounds natural, otherwise people won’t want to hear what you have to say when they do show up on your website!
2. Use Social Media to Reach More Customers in Your City
Social media is great for getting attention within social groups, and because social groups are usually built up around, or at least influenced by, location, it can really help you reach more customers in your own city.
One way to get attention on social media is to offer discounts and run giveaways on your social media accounts. Be sure you follow your national and local laws about giveaways, as these usually require special disclosures and agreements to protect yourself from lawsuits and fines. To encourage people from your city to take part in the giveaway, consider requiring the winner to pick up their prize in-person. Just remember to tell everyone this rule up front, and specify the address they will need to go to to get their winnings.
One way to get local attention is to network with other businesses in your city. Do this by joining groups for local businesses, and following other businesses headquartered in your city. Another way to be seen by consumers in your city is to use the search tool and try to find hash tags that are specific to your city, then use those in your own posts.
Finally, remember that people use social media primarily to socialize. Make sure to engage with your customers in ways that don’t mention what you sell. For example, share something funny to entertain your followers, just don’t forget to be respectful in your humor. You could also try sharing insights, DIY tips, or how-to content related to your industry. The important thing is to share content people actually want to see.
3. Sign Up for a Google Business Profile So More Customers in Your City Can Find You
Google Business Profile lets you add your business to Google Maps! On top of that, by being listed on Google Maps you get Google search priority for your website over other businesses from outside your city.
How to Sign-Up for a Google Business Profile
If you don’t have a Google account yet, you will need to create one. If you already have a business Gmail, YouTube, Google Search Console, or Google Analytics account, you have a Google account you can use for Google Business Profile. Log in or sign up here by clicking the “Manage Now” button.
Be sure to enter the following essential information for your account:
- business name
- address
- phone number
- website URL — tells customers how to get to your website.
- business category — puts you in the right category so people looking for your type of business can find you easier on Google Maps.
- businesses description — tells people what your business is about.
- business logo
- profile landscape photo
Gain More Visibility on Google Maps
To get more customers in your city, you need to become more visible on Google Maps. Do that by asking your existing customers to rate your business on Google Maps. You can put a button on your website that suggests customers rate you, or send customers who have subscribed to your email list and were recently served by you to rate your business. Also, when someone does leave a review, be sure to respond. Practice reviews can be replied to with something as simple as, “Thanks!” Responses to negative reviews should balance explaining your perspective of the situation with being courteous and understanding, so you don’t come across as rude or uncaring.
Extra Tip (4) – Add Your Business to OpenStreetMap
OpenStreetMap is quickly gaining popularity as an alternative to Google Maps, making it another great place to add your business to. You’ve never heard of it? That’s okay, neither have most of the people currently using it through Amazon, Facebook, and many other large companies, some of whom have opted to use OpenStreetMap in their services over Google Maps because of its affordability. According to the OpenStreetMap statistics page, there are 10.6 million users as of December 2023, and this is only counting the user accounts created to make changes to the map. The number of people using the map data for searching and navigating to points of interest is unknown, but undoubtedly more.
The easiest way to add your business to OpenStreetMap is to hire someone to do it. Contact me for more information. My services are pretty affordable.
