Working in the Colorado SEO arena, we encounter plenty of businesses who operate physically in one town, but their customers may predominantly live in a larger town nearby like Boulder or Denver. One of the questions we hear all the time is: Should I be doing local search engine optimization if I’m outside my user area? The answer is yes, and here are three reasons why:
As discussed in an earlier post, local search engines are going to create listings for your business whether you want them to or not. In this day and age, having missing or incorrect information out on the engines will lead to lost business as well as a bad reputation, even if you aren’t aware of the incorrect information. Claiming and optimizing the listings is always a good idea.
Second, your customers might be searching for a business in Boulder Colorado (for example), but they are also located outside of downtown. Showing them where you are may win them over. After all, “five miles north of downtown Boulder” could be on their way home. Local search engines like users to search using major locations as a landmark, but users searching for businesses ‘near boulder’ might actually be looking for locations north of Boulder. The query data don’t always tell the whole story.
Third, encourage your users tell their story a little bit when they review your business on local search engines. If they live in Boulder and patronize businesses ‘just north of Boulder’ they can help encourage that behavior. Local search engine reviews are important to customers in the research phase of the buying process and seeing good reviews from people who also live in Boulder and drive to your location will encourage them to do so as well.
Many businesses operate outside of expensive retail areas or high rent downtown areas, so don’t be shy about claiming your local search engine listings even if you aren’t located in a high foot traffic area. If your business model is sound, your customers will find you…and local search listings can help.
If you have questions about your local search engine presence or need some help getting started, get in touch…we’d be happy to help.