Top 5 Tips & Free Tools for Better Local Rankings
1) Claim and Optimize Your Google Business Profile (GBP)
Your GBP is the most important tool. Create a GBP profile and fill out all the sections completely to increase the profile strength. The most important are Address, Phone Number, Website, Adding Cover Photo & Logo, Adding Business hours and lastly creating GBP Posts.
Tools to Use:
Google Business Profile Manager: The official, free platform to manage everything on your profile.
Social Media Management (Hootsuite): These social media management platforms can also be used to schedule your Google Posts in advance.
2) Focus on Local Keyword Research
Identify the terms customers use to find you. Combine your services with your city and nearby towns. For example, a coffee shop should target keywords that combine Business & product "espresso New York," "The Coffee shop with Wi-Fi East Street," or "local cafe washington street."
Tools to Use:
The Google Keyword Planner: This is a free tool from Google that helps you research keywords and see their search results by volume.
The Google Trends: This is again a free tool to compare the popularity of search terms in specific geographic areas like your nearby areas, city or country
3) Create Localized Website Content
Build landing pages or blog posts on your website that target your local keywords. For example, you could create a page specifically for "Laptop-Friendly Cafe in New York" to attract that specific audience that are working from home & needs a change of place.
Tools to Use:
Website builders or CMS (WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Framer): The primary tool for creating and publishing new pages and blog posts.
Google Search Console: It is a free tool from Google to see which keywords your pages are already ranking for which helps you identify opportunities to create more specific local content using the highest ranking keywords.
AI Writing Assistants (Gemini, Perplexity): These tools can help you draft content for your local landing pages or blog posts.
4) Encourage Customer Reviews
The Positive reviews on your Google Business Profile can significantly boost & increase your local rankings. Ask customers directly or post signage in your store. You can also use a dedicated service like QR code or link to get more reviews.
Tools to Use:
Google Business Profile Marketing Kit: Google provides free assets, like printable posters and stickers with your unique review link which you can display at your store.
Your Point-of-Sale (POS) System: Many modern POS systems can integrate with email marketing to send follow-up requests for reviews.
QR Code or Link: If you are a service business, you can share QR Code or Link directly to customers on WhatsApp business or via email to get reviews on your Google Business Profile.
5) Engage with all the Reviews
Always respond to reviews on Google Business Profile, be it positive and negative. Thanking customers for their feedback and addressing criticism shows potential clients that you are trustworthy and reliable.
Tools to Use:
Google Maps: The simplest & free tool, Locate your business on Google Maps & It sends you notifications directly to your phone whenever your business gets a new review which allows you to respond instantly.
Review Trackers (TwentyCRM) : A free service that gathers reviews from all the sites into one inbox, making it easy to see and respond to everything without logging into multiple platforms.
Native platform (Google, Yelp, etc.): You can always log in to your Google or Yelp accounts directly to respond to reviews for free.
