Local businesses can now adopt a location-based strategy to further optimize their websites. You too can benefit so much from this latest trend.

Adapting Local Styles, Content and Elements

There was a shift in web design trends these past few months. Websites with personalized looks – particularly those who appeal to the local market segment they’re targeting – are far more effective and attracts more visitors. Your business can benefit from this trend too.

You can start by including your brand’s signature styles and colors. You can then add other elements that screams local culture or trends. If you’re a coffee shop in Melbourne, for instance, you can take advantage of the now-popular Pokémon Go game. The game is really hot among Melbournians and your website should talk about gameplay tips and special Pokémon-related promotions.

You can also rely on the best web development Melbourne company – or a local web design company near you – for help. They will have the knowledge needed to determine which element to add to the site in order to connect more with locals.

Local SEO

We all rely on Google and other search engines when we need to find information. Thankfully, search engines now prioritize local content and businesses when the search is coming from a particular area. This means those using Google in Melbourne will be able to find your local business easily once you have adopted local SEO.

Getting started with local SEO is actually very easy to do. You need to:

  • Sign up for Google Business page and local directories. This will add your business location on Google Maps and increase exposure.
  • Add your address and location info to your site. Add basic information to your social media pages too.
  • Target local keywords. Subtle changes matter. For example, car insurance is more commonly used in searches by those living in certain areas than auto insurance. Making this subtle change will make a huge difference.

You can also switch to a country-specific domain name (i.e. .co.uk, .au, etc.) and move to a hosting company based in your country to further boost the impacts of local SEO.

Take It Offline Too

Your online activities, including the campaigns you run on your site, should be in sync with your offline marketing efforts. The more they are in sync, the better you can reach more audience. For example, social media promotional campaigns can be combined with offline activities to boost their effectiveness.

The same goes for your site. Add the address of your site to business cards and other branding items in your store. Whenever you run promotional campaigns online, ask people to participate directly when they visit your location. Combine the two and you will be surprised by just how effective both campaigns can work hand in hand.