Increase Local Online Presence as a Small Business

As a small local business owner, it may seem daunting to try and attract an audience through digital marketing. Choosing the correct platforms, posting the correct content, interacting with your audience. This all may be challenging, but luckily local online outreach is much more simple, especially for small businesses…

First Steps to Increase Your Local Online Presence

Build a website targeted towards your business’ needs and audience

A website is the first step to becoming a local authority. It is your business’ hub. It should be the place everyone goes when they have questions about your offer, want to see images of where you are located, or find out anything related to your company. If you are looking for guaranteed local traffic to your business, visit here.

Creating a Google Business Profile to get ranked

A Google Business Profile is the key to digital success for any small, local business. Having this profile will allow your customers to leave Google reviews which are the number one factor when it comes to how far down the list you show up when someone searches for your offerings.

Setting up social media accounts

Social media accounts are a great way to generate free traffic to your website. Depending on your type of business, Instagram and Facebook are the two best platforms for small, local businesses to focus on. Creating informative and engaging posts related to your niche and interacting with your audience is the best way to funnel your audience to your website. Post regularly and stay within your niche!

Signing up for online business listings

Yelp, BBB, Yellow Pages, Foursquare, or any other online business listing is the final step to being on your way to becoming the local authority in your niche. A less heard of social media that can also work for your business as an online reference is Nextdoor. Nextdoor is an app where neighborhoods share different tips and news. Ask your clients if any of them use Nextdoor. If they do, see if they would be willing to leave you a referral in their neighborhood group. Referrals like these from trusted locals on the app can be very efficient in generating new clients/customers.

Taking these first steps is crucial and should not be overlooked. Without a website, a business looks unprofessional and is difficult to research as a potential customer. Without a Google Business Profile, a business not only looks unprofessional, but no one can leave Google reviews. This makes it difficult to rank highly in Google’s search results (without this or a website, it would be nearly impossible to rank on Google). No social media accounts make it difficult to organically market a business online. Finally, not being signed up for any online business listings can make a business seem untrustworthy as many people rely on sites like Yelp for their purchases. After all these steps have been completed, you can officially say you have taken the first steps to increase your local online presence.