Online marketing has changed how the world functions. No longer must a consumer go to a brick-and-mortar shop or have a physical catalog in hand in order to purchase what they want…all they have to do is go online. With a click of a button, they have access to millions of products. While this is great for consumers, it has made marketing all the more competitive as companies have engaged in the epic battle over keywords. Big money is poured into SEO marketing every day because everyone knows that being at the top of Google is the only place to be.

Now you may be thinking that the companies with huge marketing budgets have a distinct advantage, and while that is true to some degree, we have found a way for the “little guy” to survive! Local businesses can still take advantage of  this shift in marketing prerogatives by simply focusing on who they are (small and local) and where they are (specific geographical modifiers). People still love local shops and want to support them, but they are looking for them on the web. This means that small shops still need to get their name and product online in order to effectively promote themselves in this day and age. By using local SEO strategies, little shops can also dominate the web and thrive in this new world.

Local SEO Strategies that Work for the Little Guy

• Dominate Long-tailed Keywords-

  One of the best local SEO strategies for small shops is to make a mark in the SEO world by defining their product very specifically. General keywords will get you nowhere if you are not one of the big players, but keywords with specific towns or areas or very specific adjective modifiers have less competition and are easier to rank for. Find your niche of keywords that really define you and assert yourself in organizing your site to draw search traffic for those specific terms.

• Utilize Google+ Local Listings-

  Google actually tries to help the little guy out through its local listings program. This is actually a revamp of Google Places and it can be a great way to get some local exposure. If you have not created one of these pages for your business yet, it is a quick and simple thing to do that will be well worth the 10 minutes it takes to set up. You can then optimize the information on the page to draw in traffic for those specific keywords we talked about above.

• Keep Up with the Times-

  If you do not have a Facebook or Google+ page, people will look at you and immediately see an outdated business. You are simply inviting that stigma when you fail to engage in social media, which is the communication method of choice in this modern age. The same is true if your site cannot be accessed through mobile devices. People will be immediately turned away if they do not have easy access to your site on their smartphone or tablet. On the other hand, by keeping up with what is changing in the world, you show yourself a dependable and modern business- albeit a small, local one!

Local shops are not a dying race, although some may try to argue that point. These business are still important and can still learn to thrive as long as they implement local SEO strategies. If they can corner their local market and adapt to change they will do just fine, especially when it comes to remaining at the top of SERPs for those very specific, long tail keywords. The world is a big place, but that doesn’t mean the little guy will necessarily lose. 

For more info on how to optimize your local business using these strategies, contact Farotech today! In fact, for a limited time, we’re offering a completely free marketing assessment! Simply click below to take advantage of that today.