Ranking high on Google for “near me” searches is a great way to attract local customers to your website. This could be for services you provide to the local community or products that are potentially difficult to ship.
It is worth researching before going down this route to ensure that your products or services are searched for. For example, one of the most popular things people search for when using “near me” is looking for food. You could be working away and not knowing the local area, so you might type something into Google, such as “pizza restaurant near me.”
Google’s own data also shows that near me searches are increasing yearly. You can use Google trends to see if near-me searches will help your business.
Optimize Your Website for Near Me Searches
You should add “near me” to your website content and meta tags where possible. It is also a good idea to mention your local areas. This helps Google to know which areas to show your searches in.
Adding schema properties to your website is also recommended. Search engines look for these properties, and having them set up correctly will help to improve your rankings.
If you haven’t already got one, a Google Business Profile listing can help improve visits to your website for local searches. Make sure you spend time getting your listing accurate and encourage your customers to leave reviews, as this helps improve your rankings in the maps section in Google’s search results.
If you cover multiple local areas, creating a web page for each area might be a good idea. That way, you can be more laser-focused on your keywords for those specific pages. Trying to rank one page for 10 different areas can be difficult.
Local Directories
Submitting your website to local directories is a good way to get backlinks to your website. Searches you could use to find these include “local directory Manchester.” Google would see a backlink from a Manchester directory as good for your local searches.
Update Your Website and Business Listings
Lastly, once everything is in place, don’t get complacent. Make sure you regularly add new content to your website. This could be in the form of a blog or news item. You should also look to see if old content needs updating.
For your business and directory listings, make sure you keep those up to date. Especially keep your Google business profile listing accurate, making sure you update things such as opening times and adding new photos.
Measure Results
Like any form of marketing, you should always measure its effectiveness. This includes using Google Analytics or Google Search Console to see how people find your website. You could also use ranking software to track your rankings on Google for local and near me searches.
Bear in mind that moving up the Google search results takes time. How long will depend on how competitive the keywords are that you are targeting.
