We’ve got the 30 60 90 day marketing plan for local SEO that you can use during Q4 to close out 2023 with a bang! RebelFish Marketing focuses on brick-and-mortar businesses, but this strategy can also be applied to service-based businesses.
30 60 90 Day Marketing Plan for Local SEO
- Business Data Management, Citations & GMB
- Local Landing Page Optimization
- Perform a local SEO audit
- Improve Your Internal Linking Structure
- Optimize URL, Title Tags, Headers, Meta Description, and Content
- Add Service & Location Pages to Your Website
- Create Relevant & Local Content
- Ensure Your Website is Mobile-friendly
Once you read this article, you’ll have a better idea of how much of each step you can implement during 30, 60, or 90 days. Whatever you do, try to make some strides, as opposed to doing nothing. We know this can be overwhelming, especially with everything else on your plate as a local business owner, but we promise it will get easier, and you will see results given some time.
Let’s get to it…
What is local SEO?
Local SEO, or Local Search Engine Optimization, refers to the process of optimizing a website and its content for search engines so that it can be found by people searching for businesses in their local area. Local SEO involves optimizing a website for geographic-specific queries from customers who are looking for services within a certain geographic area. If you want to be found, you must optimize for your local area.
In today’s digital age, having a strong online presence is crucial for the success of any business, including brick-and-mortar stores. With the majority of consumers turning to search engines to find local businesses and services, it’s essential for brick-and-mortar businesses to implement a robust local SEO strategy to attract potential customers and increase foot traffic.
Here’s the deal, I’m about to get a little personal in the way of human behavior. As a consumer, I want the path of least resistance when searching for something. I want an easy, fully understandable, and trustworthy process from start to finish. That’s pretty standard as far as human behavior is concerned. You can call it lazy or efficient, but that’s the reality. So, if given a choice between an unknown online option, or a local option that offers me a quality customer experience, I go with the latter every single time.
Your main priority (okay, along with all the other main priorities you have as a local business owner) is to be THE trustworthy source in your local area.
If you’re a brick-and-mortar business newbie, let’s cover some basic info regarding search engines and queries.
Search & Navigation Engines
Search and navigation engines have revolutionized how we access information and find our way around in the digital age. These powerful tools have become integral to our everyday lives, helping us search for information, discover new products and services, and navigate unfamiliar territories.
Search engines, such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo, have become the go-to resource for finding answers to our queries. Whether we are looking for the best restaurants in our area, researching a medical condition (which I think we all know is ill-advised – see what I did there?), or seeking information on the latest news, search engines provide us with all the information we need at our fingertips in an instant. We are presented with a list of relevant websites, articles, images, videos, and more by simply typing in keywords or phrases relevant to our search.
Navigation engines, on the other hand, help us find our way in the physical world. These engines, like GPS systems and map applications, guide us through unfamiliar streets, highways, and landmarks. With albeit sometimes annoying voice-guided directions and real-time traffic updates, navigation engines make reaching our destinations efficiently and safely easier – even if we have to be rerouted several times {insert eye roll}.
Quick side note here… I saw this a few years back and can’t stop thinking how fun this would be. Moira Rose as the voice to my GPS? Yes, please! At least I could laugh whenever I was lost up my very own Schitt’s Creek.
Both search and navigation engines play a crucial role in the success of businesses today. For brick-and-mortar stores, having a strong presence on search engines is essential to attracting potential customers. By optimizing their websites and online content with relevant keywords and information, businesses can increase their online visibility and appear in search results when potential customers are looking for products or services they offer. This can drive foot traffic to their physical locations and ultimately lead to higher sales.
Onto the meat of this article…
Business Data Management, Citations & GMB
This is the Foundation of Local SEO Success.
When it comes to implementing a successful local SEO marketing plan for brick-and-mortar businesses, one of the first steps is to ensure proper management of your business data. This may not sound like the most exciting part of your marketing strategy, and that’s because it isn’t, but it is the foundation upon which all your future efforts will rest. If you don’t do this properly, search engines won’t trust you and will not send potential customers your way.
Business data management involves collecting, organizing, and maintaining accurate information about your physical locations, contact details, hours of operation, and other essential details that customers need to know. This information forms the backbone of your online presence and plays a crucial role in improving your search rankings and attracting potential customers.
GMB
One of the most important aspects of business data management is claiming and optimizing your Google My Business (GMB) listing. GMB is a free tool provided by Google that allows businesses to manage their online presence on Google Search and Google Maps. By claiming your GMB profile, you can ensure that your business information is accurate and up-to-date, making it easier for potential customers to find you when they search for relevant keywords or terms.
It is essential to provide complete and accurate information on your GMB profile. Include your business address, phone number, website URL, business hours, and a brief description of your products or services. This enables search engines to understand and index your business correctly, improving your chances of appearing in local search results.
Another critical aspect of data management is consistency. Ensure that your business data is consistent across all online platforms, directories, and listings. This includes platforms like Yelp, Yellow Pages, Facebook, and any other business directories relevant to your industry. By maintaining uniformity in your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) information, you avoid confusing search engines and potential customers and maximize your online visibility.
Regularly updating your business data is equally important. If you change your address or contact details, make sure to update this information across all platforms promptly. This ensures that potential customers can easily reach you and that search engines have the most accurate and current information about your business. It helps to have a checklist for this kind of thing. Whenever there is a change, you can check each ‘citation’/item off the list once it’s been updated.
By taking the time and effort to manage your business data effectively, you lay a solid foundation for your local SEO marketing plan. With accurate and up-to-date information, you increase your chances of appearing in local search results when potential customers are looking for businesses like yours. This, in turn, drives more foot traffic to your physical establishments and boosts your overall online visibility.
This healthy foundation is key to the success of your entire local SEO strategy.
Are you confident that your messaging, marketing, and website traffic are performing for your business? These 3 areas are covered in this article. Check it out for more.
Ready for the next one? Here we go…
Local Landing Page Optimization
Once you have ensured proper business data management, local landing page optimization is the next crucial step in your local SEO marketing plan. Local landing pages are specific pages on your website that are designed to target customers in a particular geographic area. These pages significantly improve your online visibility and attract potential customers to your brick-and-mortar store.
Local landing page optimization involves several key elements that work together to enhance your search engine rankings and make it easier for local customers to find your business online.
- Target Relevant Keywords: Conduct thorough keyword research to identify the most relevant keywords and phrases that potential customers in your target area are using to search for businesses like yours. To improve your organic search rankings, these keywords should be incorporated strategically into your landing page content, including headings, subheadings, and meta descriptions.
- Tailor Content to Local Audience: Make sure the content on your local landing pages is tailored specifically to resonate with your target audience in the local area. Highlight any unique aspects or offerings that cater to the needs and preferences of customers in that specific location. This personalized approach helps establish a sense of connection and increases the likelihood of attracting local customers to your store.
- Optimize Page Titles and Meta Descriptions: Pay attention to your local landing pages’ titles and meta descriptions. These elements appear in search engine results and provide a brief overview of your business. Craft compelling and keyword-rich titles and meta descriptions that accurately represent your business and encourage users to click on your website. This optimization improves your search engine visibility and helps drive more relevant traffic to your site.
- Include Local Schema Markup: Schema markup is a code that you can add to your website to provide search engines with specific information about your business. By including local schema markup on your landing pages, you can provide valuable details such as your address, phone number, business hours, and more. This data helps search engines understand your business better and improves your chances of appearing in local search results.
- Encourage Customer Reviews: Customer reviews carry significant weight in local search rankings. Encourage your satisfied customers to leave positive reviews on platforms such as Google My Business, Yelp, or Facebook. These reviews influence potential customers and signal to search engines that your business is trustworthy and valued by the local community.
Perform a Local SEO Audit
A local SEO audit is an important step in any local SEO plan as it will help you identify any areas of opportunity or weaknesses and formulate a plan to address them. When performing an audit, look for areas such as website structure, keyword optimization, content optimization, technical issues, local citations, and link building. Once you’ve identified these areas of opportunity, you can create a plan to address them in the next 30, 60, and 90 days.
Optimize for Google My Business. Start by setting up or verifying your Google My Business profile and making sure all details are up to date, such as name, address, phone number, and website. You should also upload good-quality photos to showcase your business.
This is what RebelFish Local does during a free local SEO audit call. Schedule yours today!
Improve Your Internal Linking Structure
Internal linking helps search engine crawlers understand how the pages on your website relate to each other and helps visitors navigate your site more easily. You should ensure that all important pages are connected through internal links so that users can get to them quickly and easily. This will also help with SEO, as search engines see it as a sign of relevance.
Relevant and Authoritative Inbound Links
Getting inbound links from websites with relevance and authority is essential for any local SEO strategy. Relevant sites are those that are related to your business and industry, while authoritative sites have a good reputation in the eyes of search engines. Reach out to relevant websites in your area and ask if they would be willing to link back to your website. You can also look for opportunities to guest post on other websites and platforms.
Build Local and Relevant Backlinks
Backlinks are important for any SEO strategy, but local SEO requires a special focus on links from other websites that are from your specific geographic area or within the context of the topics related to your industry. To build relevant backlinks, look for opportunities to guest post on websites with an established presence in your target market or industry. You should also look for opportunities to be featured in local publications and directories.
Optimize Content For Local Keywords
Content is a key component of any SEO strategy, but when it comes to local SEO, you need to optimize content for local keywords. Local keywords should include the name of your business, city, state, and other relevant details that are specific to your geographic area.
Optimize URL, Title Tags, Headers, Meta Description, and Content
Optimize URL, Title Tags, Headers, Meta Description, and Content. Optimizing your website’s URLs, title tags, headers, meta descriptions, and content can help improve your local SEO performance. Start by making sure the URLs for each page are short and easy to remember. Make sure the title tags accurately describe the page and include relevant keywords. Ensure all headings are descriptive and include relevant keywords. Finally, ensure the meta description accurately describes the page and includes a call to action.
Add Service & Location Pages to Your Website
Creating service and location pages on your website can help boost local SEO visibility and attract more customers from specific areas. When creating these pages, include relevant information about the city or region, such as popular attractions, events, and activities. These pages should also include contact information and directions to make it easy for customers to find your business. In addition, you can link to local business directories and other websites in the area.
For single-location businesses, location pages help target potential customers in the surrounding area. By optimizing these pages with relevant keywords and incorporating local search terms, you increase the chances of appearing in the search results when someone in the vicinity is looking for products or services you offer.
For businesses with multiple locations, creating dedicated location pages for each branch is even more crucial. These pages allow you to provide location-specific details such as directions, upcoming events, integrated Google maps, and photos of the storefront and team. By tailoring the content to each location, you improve the chances of attracting local customers and driving foot traffic to each individual store.
In addition to the basic information, consider including promotions and testimonials from happy customers on your location pages. These elements add credibility to your business and encourage potential customers to choose you over your competitors.
Incorporating location pages into your website will not only enhance your online visibility but also provide visitors with the information they need to convert into customers. Make sure to optimize each location page with relevant keywords and regularly update them to keep your website fresh and appealing to search engines.
Here’s an article we wrote on what to include in service area pages to give you more info and inspo!
Local Social Destinations
Local businesses in the tourism industry, such as attractions, sightseeing spots, walking tours, and museums, can greatly benefit from utilizing various social media platforms as part of their destination marketing efforts. These social destinations not only provide a way to connect with potential customers but also offer a platform to promote events and build a local brand.
Some of the top social media platforms that are relevant for local businesses in the tourism industry include Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. These platforms have a large user base, allowing businesses to showcase their offerings through visually appealing content, engaging captions, and informative videos. Instagram, for example, is ideal for sharing captivating images and stories about local attractions, while Facebook provides a space to create events, share updates, and interact with potential customers.
In addition to these popular platforms, there are also destination-specific social media platforms such as TripAdvisor and Yelp. These platforms allow businesses to engage with users who are specifically searching for tourism-related information or recommendations.
By utilizing these social destinations, local businesses can connect with potential customers on a more personal level, promote upcoming events and special offers, and build a strong local brand. Through regular updates, engaging content, and interactive communication, businesses can enhance their online presence and create a sense of excitement and curiosity among users.
Social media platforms offer a great opportunity for local businesses in the tourism industry to effectively market their destinations. Through well-planned content and strategic engagement, businesses can attract potential customers, promote events, and build a strong and memorable local brand.
One of the key benefits of local social destinations is that they provide a space for businesses to connect with their local community on a more personal level. By creating a profile on these platforms, businesses can establish a direct line of communication with potential customers and gain valuable insights into their preferences and needs. This allows businesses to tailor their marketing efforts and create content that resonates with their target audience.
You can think of this as securing a space at a convention or local market where you are able to reach out personally and build relationships with locals, both consumers and other businesses.
Monitor your SEO performance on a regular basis to ensure that your efforts are yielding results. You can monitor your rankings for relevant keywords, track the number of local visitors to your website, and measure the number of phone calls or leads generated from local searches.
Create Relevant & Local Content
Creating content that is relevant to your local market is an important part of any local SEO strategy. Start to create blog posts, videos, and other types of content tailored to your target audience’s needs and interests. Start by researching popular topics in your area and create content around them. You can also include relevant keywords to help search engine crawlers understand the context of your content. Additionally, you can write about local events or share stories from your area to engage with your audience.
Your customer base can be a wealth of information for content ideas. What do they ask about? Do they have specific questions asked on a regular basis that you can use to create content? This can be a helpful way to streamline basic and business-related information for your current and potential customers.
Ensure Your Website is Mobile-friendly
Nowadays, it’s essential that businesses have mobile-friendly websites to ensure they are visible in the local market. Search engines prioritize websites that are optimized for mobile and prioritize them in local search results. Did you get that? Mobile-friendly websites are prioritized by search engines, meaning they’ll move you up in ranking and authority if your website is easy to navigate from a phone.
This is so important! I know I bounce pretty quickly when I land on a website that is not easy to navigate from my phone. And since I usually use my phone to find what I’m looking for when I’m already out, I’m not willing to waste my time trying to figure out how to figure it out… does that make sense? Make yourself easily accessible, and they’ll come to you.
This list will take time to implement; that’s true. It can be broken down into a 30, 60, or 90-day plan. It’s up to you and what you’re able to handle. Don’t let yourself be overwhelmed by all that needs to get done. Take it one step at a time. It’s more important that you fully understand each step in the process so that you can better shape your business’s SEO.
Generally speaking, SEO has its standard practices, but you are the one that understands your particular business, which means that you’re the best one to figure out how to use these steps for the most benefit to your business.
Have you scheduled your FREE Local SEO Audit Call? Do this and find out what areas of your website need attention.
How about a little extra business sauce? Here’s a business fact: attracting customers to your brick-and-mortar will not mean anything unless you have a properly trained staff that can offer a quality customer experience. That’s the sauce that keeps people coming back. Once you master this, you’ll keep the ideal customers you worked hard to get by implementing this SEO marketing strategy.
