Local SEO for AU Businesses: Get Found by Customers in Your Area
Local SEO for Australian businesses is the key to making your brand known within the area and increasing your brand’s reputation. Users looking into products or services that you cater to will come across your brand through clever SEO techniques and content you’ve created while still being close enough to inquire about your services.
We all know that SEO for Australian businesses is a key to pursuing brand awareness online. While this is a necessary step toward increasing your reputation and brand awareness, there are other ways to encourage locals to inquire into your brand. A great option for that is further optimising it as a local SEO agency in Australia near the user searching for it.
What is Local SEO?
Before beginning our journey of manoeuvring local SEO for Australian businesses, it’s important to know what local SEO is and the many benefits it can give your company. Local SEO refers to a method in search engine optimisation that focuses on creating more visibility for local search results on Google.
Local search results are connected to the physical location of a brand on Google. An example of this is a bookstore located in Perth, Australia. The effectiveness of this method depends on how well you have performed local SEO on your brand.
The idea is that if a user searches any related keywords you have on your brand it will show on Google’s search engine with 3 listings. The goal is to have your brand in one of those three spots, granting more visibility and awareness.
Benefits of Local SEO for Australian Businesses
There are many benefits of local SEO for a company in Australia. The biggest benefit many know is its visibility boost in the local market. Becoming more visible and searchable on the Internet allows more customers to become aware of your products and services which results in sales and building relationships.
However, using local SEO to its full potential can boost your brand’s reputation to a point where even tourists may know about your brand. That’s why it’s essential to create the best possible outcome for your company by utilising all the best techniques for local SEO.
7 Tips to Implementing Local SEO in Your Australian Business
It’s only natural that you’d want to get all those great benefits. The problem is, how do you do that? To reach the full potential of your local content strategies we advise you to utilise all these tips to reach the full potential of your local SEO.
1. Optimise Your Website for Local SEO
The first step to enhancing local SEO for Australian businesses is website optimisation. There are many tricks in optimising your website for local SEO. One of the easiest ways to do this is to use local keywords relevant to your brand on your website.
This means your content should have keywords connected to your brand and the location of your physical store. Another way is to provide local directory contact information on your website, such as on social media platforms, customer service hotlines, and others.
It’s also important to make sure your website runs smoothly without any loading delays when entering your website. This can ensure top-quality customer experience alongside functioning and user-friendly navigation.
2. Set up Your Google My Business
The next important step when dealing with local SEO for Australian businesses is to use Google My Business. Users who wish to find a service or product close to their vicinity would use Google Search or Google Maps. Should your business be verified in Google, your store’s physical location, opening hours, website, and contact information will appear.
The goal is to be more visible and Google’s search engine provides user-friendly methods such as voice search that target local keywords and pinpoint the location of the user to its surroundings.
An example of this is the keywords “ice cream shop near me,” which should reveal a handful of ice cream shops around the area of the user who typed these keywords or spoke them.
A great Google My Business tip is to have high-quality photos of your business included on your Google profile and allow customers to post reviews while monitoring any questions or concerns they may have.
3. Build Local Citation
Another way to generate local SEO for Australian businesses is to build local citations. The process of local citation is to distribute and maintain updated information regarding a business’s location, contact, website, and announcements on listings such as Yelp, Foursquare, and Google Maps.
It’s similar to placing your brand on Google My Business. However, the goal of local citation is to have your brand’s information distributed to major listing platforms. That way, anyone who wishes to reach out to your company can find your information easily.
It’s important to note that local citations are often more useful for restaurants, beauty salons, and other service-related businesses. Most users tend to use citations to inquire about reservations or any requests before visiting the physical store.
4. Generate Local Reviews
Local reviews are everything when it comes to local SEO for Australian businesses. A prime example of these reviews can be found on your Google My Business profile. It should provide insight into potential customers regarding your product or service.
It’s important to allow inquiries and feedback when talking to customers to build a more stable relationship and improve your company’s service to cater to your target audience’s taste.
Should you generate positive reviews continuously, you will find yourself receiving more customers. The reason is that users tend to believe the words of previous customers and will expect your service to satisfy their needs as well.
5. Create Content that Resonates Locally
Aside from getting proper distribution of your information, local SEO for Australian businesses also requires relatable content that resonates with the locals surrounding the area. The tone of your content, the delivery, and the humour that goes with it are just some of the many necessary things to review when creating content for your brand.
However, if you want to localise your content to improve your SEO ranking, it’s important to have engaging information and graphics that the locals are familiar with. A great tip is to discuss the shared problems that locals have, which you can provide a solution to.
Understanding what you can provide to a problem or need that the locals have by creating content that understands them is the first step in building a relationship. Empathy correlates to building a relationship with your customers who acknowledge that your brand truly knows what they’re looking for.
6. Optimise for Mobile Local Search
Let’s say you have your website fully functional and perfect for local search optimisation. Should they find your brand and wish to know more before physically visiting the store, they would likely check in on your brand’s website.
What happens if a user is using a mobile device to search for your brand? If your website’s local search isn’t optimised for mobile devices, things could go awry. A slow-loading page and complex navigation will lose a sale rather than earn a customer.
That’s why it’s crucial to have your website mobile-friendly along with your local search optimisation. This means whenever a user is traveling and using their phone to search, they can simply click on your link pages. They also have easy access to the information you have regarding your brand.
7. Measure Your Success
Last, but not least, is to measure the success of your local SEO for Australian businesses. Keeping tabs on your key performance indicators (KPIs) and ensuring that your local SEO’s engagement and growth are improving helps you conduct analysis on future growth.
This can help you prepare for any changes and demands you might need to adjust for in the coming months. Furthermore, should your success be below your KPI. It will be easier to find the source of the problem and find solutions to changing it.
Conclusion
Visibility, relatability, user-friendliness, and distance are the keys to local SEO for Australian businesses. These tips can help you achieve all these and have your brand up and running for the locals to discover.
We understand that the whole process may be a bit overwhelming for some. This is why contacting us for a free local SEO audit and personalised consultation is available! Reach out to us and learn more about what you can do to increase your engagement now!