In 2020, 57% of consumers purchased from a local business for the first time because they offered pandemic friendly services. How did the customers find these businesses during lockdown? They used Google’s local search.
Google’s Local Pack is prime real estate among Google’s search results. Displayed above organic results, the local results are highly visual and link back to Google My Business (GMB) listings. Indeed, GMB listing factors are the most important when it comes to rankings among the local pack. Creating an optimized GMB listing can be accomplished in 3 simple steps. First, an owner must claim their business profile. Second, they must complete every section thoroughly so that Google can provide information like business name, phone number, address, store hours, and more. Finally, owners should keep their listing updated with weekly posts, responses to reviews, or answers to public questions.
A single location business can be done with an optimized GMB listing and link to their website homepage. For multi-location businesses, local landing pages put them over the top in local searches. A local landing page (LLP) is a standalone web page created for a specific business location. This allows owners to link each landing page to a separate GMB listing. LLPs can stand out above others by including hyperlocal content, location photos, a Google maps embed, and a clear, concise, keyword-driven headline. Consumers spend 74% of their viewing time on the first 2 screenfulls of an LLP, so make that part of the body count.
Also helpful are mobile-friendly features, as 84% of local searches are made on mobile devices. Features that can help on the mobile platform are floating call to action buttons, click to call phone numbers, and mobile friendly coupons. Small businesses make the most of their online presence by understanding Google’s Local Pack.
