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We launched our Google My Business service in 2014 when Google announced they would consolidate Google Places and Google+ Local into a single commodity called Google My Business.
Trying to establish an online presence for most small business owners is a challenge. As the World Wide Web becomes more crowded by the hour, dozens, or even hundreds, of local businesses compete for the coveted number one spot at the top of the GMB listings. If you want to have a chance of customers finding you when they search for the products or services you offer, you must prioritise and perfect your local SEO.
Google My Business, or GMB, brings together all the ways Google can help businesses when users type in a search term with local intent. It has changed the way companies used to rank in searches, as it will return a different result for each searcher depending on the user’s location.
Local SEO or search engine optimisation is getting your website to show at the top of the rankings when a user searches with local intent. An example of this is if she types in “hairdressers in Sidcup” or “running shoes near me”. This user is not looking for information about hairdressing or running shoes; they are looking for a nearby business that can provide them with the service or product.
Owners of these types of businesses are often incredibly involved in the business's day-to-day running and administering services to clients personally. The spa and beauty industry is extremely competitive, and this type of business owners must make the most of local SEO and use it fully to their advantage.
The people living in your area may know there is a fish and chip shop or an Italian restaurant just a few streets away, but are they aware of what you offer? Do they know the prices of your meals and your open hours? Will your website show at the top of the page when they do a local search? If not, there is a good chance you'll be kicking yourself down the line.
If a householder needs some home improvement work done, they are far more likely to turn to a local person or company than look to a franchise or national chain. However, if you live in an average-sized town or city, you will likely face fierce competition from other contractors. We can help you rise above them in the GMB results to ensure searchers see your name first.
Rather than visiting the local shopping centre, vast numbers of consumers are first looking for the goods they need online. Whether you run a small corner shop or a big furniture outlet, your business must come up when a searcher types in any product you supply.
If you offer any financial services, you can be sure that hundreds of people in your immediate area are typing in relevant search terms because they need help with their finances. Not having your website in a spot where they can quickly find you is a huge mistake, and as a financial service provider, you will know that overlooking an important marketing channel can be the death of a business.
Whether you are a man with a van working alone or the owner of a firm employing a team of plumbers, you must be within the top one to seven results on Google My Business for customers to likely find you. When looking for a plumber or an electrician, a searcher could well be in an emergency situation, and they will not scroll far down the results to find help. They need your service right now and only look at the top few results before making a call.
The only thing you must do to get your local SEO off to a flying start is to call us on +44 (01793) 238232 or fill out our contact form to find out more about our Google My Business SEO services. Within just a few minutes, we can set up a plan to assess your current online strategy (if you have one) and get to work, so you can say goodbye to an under-performing website that no one ever finds.
The Search Equation is a top local SEO Swindon provider, offering local SEO optimisation for both local search all over the UK, and also global search.