Getting traffic from Google organic search can be the best thing for a local small business, it’s like having the best location on the main street, which means you get the lion’s share of the traffic coming to your business. 

It has been proven that 88% of local searches results in a store visit within a day. 46% of all Google searches are looking for local information. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/local-seo-stats

So how exactly can small business owners ensure that their business shows up for relevant local searches on Google?

This article will cover 7 basics of Local SEO for Cape Town Based Small Businesses:

Google My Business

Claim your Google My Business listing. This is a free tool you can use to list all your important business information like Business name, address and phone number (NAP). You can also add your product and services, trading hours, website, photo’s of your business and even create short posts that are helpful to potential clients.

The important thing to keep in mind is to make sure that all of your information is up to date on Google My Business because Google uses this information to rank your business for relevant local searches. 

On Site Optimization

This is the technical part of Local SEO and it might be best to hire a professional to do this for you. Here is an article that goes into more detail: https://www.reliablesoft.net/what-is-the-difference-between-onsite-and-offsite-seo/

Here are a few points to consider:

• Make sure your name, address, and phone number are correct
• Use Schema markup of your location data: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/technical-seo/schema/
• Make sure your phone number is visible and clickable
• All your location pages are linked from your navigation

Citations

Make sure that your business is in relevant directories. For example if you are in the medical industry you would want your business on medical directories. All the information must be the same across all the different directories.

Backlinks

Backlinks are links from other credible websites that point back to your website. This could be business blogs, other businesses in your industry or news sites to name a few. A good strategy is to guest blog on websites that you know your target audience will read. This does 2 things, gives you exposure to the right people and gets you a link back to your website. Another way is to approach your local Chamber of Commerce or other well known business groups in your area and ask them if you can write an article for their blog as they are always looking for good content.

Reviews

Ask your clients to leave reviews on your Google My Business listing. This builds social proof and shows Google that your business deserves to be shown higher up on the local search results. Use Supple.com to send a link to your clients, this makes it easy for your clients to leave reviews: https://supple.com.au/tools/google-review-link-generator/

Social Media Platforms

Make sure all your information – Name, Address and Phone number is correct on all your social platforms. Also make sure you are linking back to your website. Keep your platforms active and always respond to people that engage with you on social media.

Competition

The last point is to keep an eye on your competition. Do some competitive research, to see what is working for them and what you can do to get better results.

At Quality Marketing Solutions we offer a Digital Audit that will give you clarity on your online presence. Know exactly what your next steps are to increase your visibility online so that you can get in front of the right customers at the right time. Book A 15 Min Call Here: https://calendly.com/quinton-marks/strategy-call