Why You Need More Than Just a Website to Get New Customers in 2020

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If you’re reading this post, chances are you are trying to be found by more customers looking for your products & services on the internet.

You’re also probably wondering, or asking yourself questions like “What’s the key to getting my local business found online” or “How do I outrank my competition”.

Well, you’re in luck!  In this article, I’m going to share some ways to increase your online presence and boost your SEO efforts using SEO strategies that will help to outrank your competition and get your business found online in 2020.

*This is not a step-by-step guide on how to implement the strategies listed

At this point, you probably have a website, and hopefully a website that converts visitors into customers (if you don’t, contact us to get an optimized website for your company). The next is understanding how you’re promoting your business on sites other than your website.

Take these sites for example:

  • Google My Business
  • Bing Places for Business
  • Facebook
  • Yelp
  • HomeAdvisor

Why are these sites so important, and why should you be aware of them?

Because search engines like Google and Bing look at more than just your website to determine if you’re business is the right match for a specific search query and potential customer.  They also look at your business’ online presence all across the internet to determine things like:

  • How well known your business is across the internet and if your business is listed on a lot of sites.
  • Can your local business website meet the searcher’s needs.  Do you offer the right products and/or services?
  • How close your business is to the potential customer – are you local?
  • Is your local business reputable? Do you have several 4 & 5 star reviews across several review sites?
  • Is your local business active online?  Are you regularly posting content and responding to comments and inquiries?

The above are ALL examples of things you should be answering YES to help your business grow.

We’ll use an HVAC company for our examples below

1. Get featured in the Google Map Pack (3 Pack, Local Listing, Local Search Results or the results that show up under the map on the results page)

2. Improve your website’s organic rankings (the regular, unpaid search results that appear below the map)

3. Get found on sites that aren’t search engines (sites like Yelp, YP.com, HomeAdvisor, and other directory sites)

Your online visibility as a local business is referred to as local search engine optimization, or “local SEO.”

The better your local SEO is for your local business, the easier it is for potential customers in your community and service area to find your business online.

Two local search trends that will affect your local business in 2020

If you want your local business to stay competitive in 2020, you need to stay up-to-date with the latest local search engine optimization (local SEO) trends and best practices.

Local SEO trends and best practices determine how visible your local business is to local customers searching the internet for the products & services you offer.

Below, I’ve listed two local search trends you need to know to ensure your local business gets found online by as many local prospects as possible.

Trend #1 – Most people don’t discover your local business via your website

Most people searching for your products & services find your business through Yelp…
 
Or they learn about your local company through Google business listings…
 
Or they discover you through “pay-per-lead” type of sites like HomeAdvisor.
 
This means your local business needs to be present in as many places across the internet as possible.  You need accurate business listings (citations) on sites where customers typically go to find the products and local services you offer.
 
The stronger your online presence is, both on and off site, the easier it is for prospective customers to find you.

Trend #2 – Customer are reviewing businesses online more than ever

Customer reviews for heating and cooling service business nearly doubled from 2017 to 2018 on site like Yelp, Google, and Facebook, which means you need to be on top of your customer service and review-building efforts.

  • Setup profiles on popular review sites like the ones listed above and remind customers after a service has been completed to leave a review.
  • Monitor your reviews and respond quickly to customer feedback

To learn more about how local customers’ online search habits are changing and what it means for your local business, call WebRocket Digital at 224-484-0679 or fill out the contact form for more info.

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