Blog Post
How do you stay in front of your customers when your customers are staying away?
Shawn Dixon • April 9, 2020
There is no question these are difficult times for everyone. We all have questions and we’re seeking answers online. If you are like me, it can be challenging hard to navigate and understand. I have found myself starting to avoid the news media because of the information overload. If I have a question or concern about what my family should be doing, I go to the same source most media outlets get their information from, the CDC website. Going to the CDC website makes it much easier to avoid "clickbait" and dramatic headlines. It also allows me to get current, relevant answers to my questions.
In modern business and especially during this Pandemic, your website has to act as a source for your customers and clients. It is your virtual storefront and you want your clients and potential customers to use it. The good news is, it is always open and there are no worries about social distancing. It is extremely convenient and completely safe. But, is it performing? Does your website answer questions? Is it up to date and helpful?
On a local level, consumers want to go to trusted sources, and they prefer a local source. According to HubSpot, 46% of all Google searches have local intent.
Simply put, consumers prefer local businesses because they trust local sources. People are seeking out the local farmer for their eggs and romaine lettuce, over going to the busy grocery store. “Social distancing" is changing all business interactions, so customers who would frequent your office or store, are now looking to schedule a zoom conference call or order products online. In a world where we have been told to “stay at home” what are you doing to keep your storefront optimized?
So how do you stay in front of your customers when your customers are staying away?
The answer is Local SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
Your customers may not be passing by your office or store, but they are online now more than ever. Local SEO positions your business right in front of them when they are ready to make a purchase.
And even though SEO can be very complicated, there is a lot you can do on your own that will improve your local visibility.
First things first, search engines expect you to have a website that meets basic standards for good user experiences.
Here are the basics:
• Your website needs to be secure
• Your website needs to be mobile-friendly and fast
• Your pages should have title tags and relevant descriptions
• And last but not least, it should be error-free (no broken links)
Once your site meets those standards, the next step is to optimize the site.
This is done on-site and off-site.
Think of your website as a garden.
Onsite optimization is taking care of your garden and making sure that the contents of your garden are (shown) in the best light. Making sure all of your fruits and vegetables are given what they need to thrive. Great spot with plenty of sunlight, protected from wildlife (secure hosting), solid foundation with rich soil (standards-compliant website) organized sections (clean design and layout).
Off-site optimization, which is also called inbound marketing, includes strategies and tactics for attracting customers to your garden. You would want to make sure your garden is listed when people search for "gardens near me" or even "fruits and vegetables near me."
You can dramatically increase your local reach by building your visibility. And you can increase your visibility through social media, contributing to local blogs and creating new business listings. Something that is often referred to as citations.
What is a citation?
A citation is when your NAP information (Name, Address, and Phone) is listed on a third party website. Think of Yelp, Facebook, TripAdvisor, and Apple Maps to name a few. The more citations you have, the more of an authority you are to search engines, and the more you will be in front of potential customers looking for your products or services. However, it is very important to note when creating your citations you must make sure your NAP information stays consistent. If your NAP information is inconsistent, meaning the wrong address or phone number, it can work against you. Consistency is key. Always.
Building your citations and being listed on quality sites is a great start. The next step is to get the most you can out of each listing. And the biggest player in the local listings market is Google My Business (GMB). If you are a local business that depends on local customers, you need to have a Google My Business profile. It is a free service provided by Google and it is becoming a critical part of marketing for every business. In fact, just before the whole world began shifting and adapting to a remote business model, Google My Business was gaining so much popularity that it had defined a new term in the search engine world – "no-click search results."
Have you ever googled something and found the answer right there in the results? What is the score of the patriots game? How much does a flight to Miami cost? What is the phone number for my local pharmacy? These types of searches result in what we now call "no-click search results". As of March 2020 "no-click search results" account for over 49% of all searches.
Think about that for a moment.
49% of all searches did not result in a click. In other words, half of the clicks that would result in customers finding what they are looking for on a website like mine or yours, are gone.
This is why Google My Business is so important.
When you search for a "pharmacy near me" you will notice a google map appears in the search results listing the pharmacies near you. This map area is the result of Google My Business. And if you do not have a GMB profile, you will not be listed on the map. Right now GMB is still fairly new, so just having a profile gets you on the board, but soon, very soon, just claiming your profile will not be enough. You will need to optimize your GMB profile just like everything else. GMB is a very robust platform that we can expect to be more and more important to all businesses in the near future.
All of the items I mentioned above can be completed by you the business owner. You do not need to hire someone to do it, but this work can be very time-consuming. Businesses such as mine, Clover Creative Group can help.
At this time, Google is understandably very consumed with the COVID-19 pandemic. They have noted that some areas of GMB may be slow for review and approval, but I can tell you from our research, GMB profiles were gaining a tremendous amount of traction before COVID-19. When we all get on the other side of this, GMB profiles will be more commonly used than any other online resource. Make sure your business is included.
Taking these steps now will not only keep you in front of your customers while they are staying home, it will give you an edge when things get back to normal.
If you have any questions or would like help, contact Shawn Dixon at Clover Creative Group via email at shawn@clovercreativegroup.com
In order to get you started and for the remainder of 2020, Clover Creative Group is offering free visibility audits
for local businesses. Visit clovercreativegroup.com/free-visibility-audit
to learn more.
Shawn Dixon
Owner - Clover Creative Group
Clover Creative Group is a website design and graphic design company specializing in digital strategies, social media, search engine optimization (SEO), logo design, brochures, print advertising, and video production for New Hampshire businesses. Visit our website at clovercreativegroup.com
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Company Name: Clover Creative Group LLC
Contact Person: Shawn Dixon
Email: Send Email
Phone: 603-677-7032
Address: 234 Camp Rd.
City: Plainfield
State: New Hampshire
Country: United States
Website: clovercreativegroup.com
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