For a long time now, marketing pundits have advocated business owners and online marketers to follow a “defined pattern” of sales funnel for attracting online customers. Digital marketers have been achieving appreciable results with this “defined pattern” which suggests targeted marketing using user browsing data. Understanding SEO Pricing is crucial in this context, as it allows businesses to plan and allocate their marketing budgets effectively, ensuring they get the best return on investment for their targeted marketing efforts.

From Data-Driven Insights to Local SEO Mastery

A popular model of the sales funnel starts with

• The user browsing for products/services with a vague notion

Digital marketers are encouraged to deliver relevant content via email marketing, paid advertisements, etc. to lure in such users.

• The user then moves on to an active interest phase, during which they purposefully pursue an ideal purchase

Marketers again find themselves a chance to target users’ browsing history and push them to the checkout page.

• Once the purchase is made, the customer enters a new loyalty phase

Marketers offer personalised discounts on the next purchase, offer mail subscription for future events, or likewise – and, hopefully, the cycle repeats.

However, the on-going trend in today’s privacy-conscious world may be a cause of worry. It may even warrant a change in the way businesses market themselves online.

One may argue on the sample size of the above survey, but with active concerns on online data privacy in most western societies, including the US and EU, marketers now need a smarter approach to balance data-driven marketing and user privacy.

More importantly, businesses need to be positioned, or say, marketed online in a way that they do not seemingly appear to evade one’s privacy (like showing up blogs/paid ads matching their browsing history seconds after an online search). Yet, businesses must always be visible to the user search online.

And, how is that possible?

We recommend improving branding and lead generation with Local SEO.

Clearly, not using the online user browsing data would be foolish. In fact, we never argued for it in the first place. Without adequate user analytics, any business may hardly generate any quality leads online.

The best way to position your brand for the desired visibility online would be:

Say, for example,

“We sell designer watches online” + data from Google AdWords Keyword Planner, or statistics on engagement with your social media profiles, indicate especially high search traffic for Swizz designer watches = “We sell watches from Swizz designers online”.

You can make a list of everything you wish you could know to help you decide how to position your brand (say, demographic data of your traffic, or public opinion on social media towards product X, etc.)

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With proper brand positioning, you’ll be able to:

• Convey the brand’s main ideas and values that consumers share
• Establish strong contact and trust with your target audience
• Create the right connections and triggers so that your potential customers can remember your offer at the right time for them
• Make your offer stand out among similar ones

5 Tips To Improve Branding and Lead Generation with Local SEO

1. Optimize For Google My Business

Google My Business (GMB) is a no-cost tool that allows you to control your online presence on Google. It’s important to claim and improve your GMB listing for better local SEO. Here’s what you need to do:

• Claim your GMB listing and verify your business
• Update your business profile with precise and recent information
• Feature high-resolution images of your business, highlighting your logo, products, and services
• Respond promptly to customer reviews and feedback

Example: Consider that you run a coffee shop in the heart of New York City. You claim your GMB listing and complete your profile with your business hours, address, and contact information. You also add photos of your coffee shop, including your menu and cozy atmosphere. When customers search for “coffee shops in NYC,” your business appears in the local search results, and potential customers can see your profile and reviews.

2. Encourage Reviews From Local Customers

Online reviews play an important role in local SEO. They foster trust and assurance with prospective buyers. Here’s how to encourage reviews:

• Request happy customers to write a review on your Google My Business listing
• Help customers leave reviews easily by giving them a direct link to your GMB listing
• Reply quickly to every review, whether it’s positive or negative
• Track and analyze your reviews with review management software

Example: Imagine you have a restaurant in Los Angeles. You ask your satisfied customers to leave a review on your GMB listing, and you provide a direct link to your listing on your website and social media channels. You respond promptly to all reviews, thanking customers for their feedback and addressing any concerns. This helps build trust with potential customers and improves your local search rankings.

3. Create Location-Based Content

Creating content that’s relevant to your local audience can help you attract more local customers.

Here’s how:

• Write blog posts about local events, news, and trends
• Create social media content that’s relevant to your local audience
• Include location-specific keywords in your content to boost your search engine rankings
• Use Google Trends to find popular search terms in your area

Example: Let’s say you own a surf shop in San Diego. You write a blog post about the best surf spots in San Diego, and you create social media content that showcases your expertise in surfing. You use location-based keywords like “San Diego surf lessons” and “San Diego surf shops” to improve your search engine rankings. This helps attract more local customers to your shop.

4. Ensure Your Name, Address, And Phone Number Are Consistent Online

Consistency is key for local SEO. Here’s how to ensure your business’s NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) is consistent across the web:

• Check your website, social media, and online directories for accuracy
• Ensure your NAP matches on every platform you are active on
• Use a tool like Moz Local or BrightLocal to check for inconsistencies
• Correct any inconsistencies you find

Example: Let’s say you own a dentist’s office in Chicago. You check your website, social media, and online directories to ensure your NAP is consistent. You apply a standard format for your NAP everywhere and correct any inconsistencies you see. This helps search engines understand your business’s identity and improves your local search visibility.

5. Earn High-Quality Backlinks From Local Companies

High-quality backlinks from local companies can improve your website’s authority and help you rank higher in local search results. Here’s how to earn high-quality backlinks:

• Partner with local businesses to create content or host events
• Ask local businesses to link to your website from their website
• Participate in local directories and citations
• Use a tool like Ahrefs or SEMrush to find opportunities for backlinks

Example: Let’s say you own a yoga studio in Austin. You partner with a local wellness center to create a series of yoga classes and ask them to link to your website from their website. You also participate in local directories and citations, and you use a tool like Ahrefs to find opportunities for backlinks. This helps improve your website’s authority and increases your local search visibility.

Local & Regional Brands

A regional or local brand is one that reflects the culture of a particular geographic area. The same is often reflected throughout their brand’s visual design (logo, colors, etc) and offerings (menu, product lines, product names, etc).

Regional, or local brands are majorly differentiated on the amount of economic capital, and exposure they attract. But thanks to the growth of online searches, it has provided a level playing field for businesses to position themselves online.

It is estimated that four out of five consumers use online search to find local information. And if any business isn’t optimized for it, it could be missing out on 80% of potential customers!

Decoding Local SEO and Leveraging it for Branding & Lead Generation

Typically, a local SEO strategy should include:

• A mobile-friendly and attractive website design
• Fast website load speed
• On-page SEO targeting localized keywords. (as seen in the above screenshot)
• Citation building in local and niche-related directories
• Optimizing your Google My Business profile to gain traffic from local and map searches
• Link building with high-authority websites in your niche and the local area

We have already discussed local SEO in detail and how it could impact your business in our previous posts. Here are quick links to it:

• Local SEO Services Checklist
• Generating Online Traffic To Local Store
• Google Possum Update : Has It Affected Your Local SEO?

Local SEO Integration with Social Media

The Deloitte Consumer Review presented an interesting user behavior which suggested:

These independent sources include family and friends, customer reviews, and independent product or service experts. And one place to find them all together is Social Media.

It makes absolute sense for local brands to have a strong social media presence for absolutely low investment. Other than hiring a social media manager, local brands can run their social media profiles with the following strategy:

• Google algorithm chooses businesses based on relevance, distance, and prominence. Therefore, the first task is to make sure your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) are updated and consistent in all web pages and listings
• Google has clarified that it doesn’t consider social media interactions (e.g. likes, shares, comments) in ranking web pages, but these can increase a business’s prominence, which is a local ranking factor
• Customer feedback and reviews impact local ranking. Google prioritizes businesses with a high number of reviews and high ratings. Encourage your customers to rate your products and services
• The keywords in your customer reviews can also help with your local SEO

Here is an additional read on how social media can improve your SEO results.

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Local SEO for eCommerce Sites

Regional brands with their solid presence in physical stores can dominate the online market with eCommerce websites. Local SEO can give eCommerce websites a big boost to attract local site traffic and thereby better lead generation.

A typical strategy would involve:

• On-Page elements like URL structure, product description, Image metadata, etc. optimized for localised keywords
• Claim Google My Business Listing to attract local foot traffic
• Appearing on Google’s local pack

Here is a detailed guide on SEO for eCommerce.

SEO Maintenance for Online Branding & Reputation

Digital Marketer, Neil Patel had remarked in one of his blogs,

And so, building SEO strategies to increase brand positioning and lead generation cannot happen overnight. It takes a lot of concerted effort and one has to keep at it consistently for a sustained period of time.

It doesn’t matter what niche you are operating in, local SEO can and will help your business grow when done right. Why? Because more and more people are using their mobile devices to search for businesses like yours on a local level.

No doubt, this makes “local search” an integral part of your business’s online marketing strategy.

Here is an interesting read from Moz.com on Reputation Management SEO and tactics for doing it effectively.

Top Branding Resources

• Branding/Rebranding Visualization with UseCases – How to build your brand?
• 40+ Branding Ideas & Inspiration
• Why Branding is essential for Digital Marketing?
• Are custom WordPress designs your new BFF in online branding?
• Importance of Graphic Design in Digital Marketing

Looking for SEO Services?

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Wrapping Up

Local SEO is a necessity for businesses looking to improve their branding and lead generation. By optimizing your online presence, creating location-based content, and building high-quality backlinks, you can attract more local customers and stay ahead of the competition.

At ColorWhistle, we specialize in providing expert SEO services that help local businesses like yours thrive online. Don’t let your competitors outrank you – partner with us to boost your local SEO and witness a steady stream of qualified leads. Take the first step towards local SEO success and discover the power of targeted marketing for your local business.

Reach out by sending a message or calling us at +1 (919) 234-5140 to discuss your prospectus. Also, don’t forget to share your thoughts below on how you would like your brand to be positioned online.