Small businesses are booming in the UK, with a growing number of entrepreneurs keen to join the bandwagon every year. According to Statista, the UK had 3.18 million local units in 2023. London alone had 1.0 million businesses as of 2023 as per official figures. These numbers spell stiff competition, and businesses need to step up their game to stay ahead.
Going multi-location is a great idea because it can help you diversify your risks and expand your audience base. However, it requires more than setting up a store or shipping your goods to multiple locations. In the era of digital selling, a robust SEO plan is equally crucial.
Local SEO can be a game-changer for such businesses, considering that 69% of overall digital traffic is attributed to local and organic searches. Google states that 76% of people conducting local searches on their smartphones visit a physical location within 24 hours. Moreover, 28% of those searches culminate in a purchase.
Now that you know why you should have a local SEO strategy, you must also understand how to implement it. Here are a few actionable tactics for a multi-location business.
Optimize Google Business Profile for Each Location
A GBP listing is an integral part of local SEO, and you need to create multiple profiles for all locations. Provide details about each unique business location because your buyers need to check the local information.
Fortunately, Google provides the option to bulk-upload information to simplify the process. Remember these tips while filling out the location-specific details:
- Ensure the same business name across all listings, skipping city or geo-specific words in the name itself.
- Link to location-specific pages on the main website for each location.
- Provide the phone number that connects customers directly with the location.
Once you have local listings for each location, optimize them regularly by using local keywords in descriptions and adding high-quality photos and videos. Leverage the power of local reviews and answer questions of your customers to build the trust and credibility of your brand
Target Location-Based Keywords
Forbes notes that “near me” searches witnessed a huge surge in the pandemic era. It shot up 400% from September 2019 to August 2021. The trend has not slowed down as customers prefer not to wait too long to reach a business and buy a product or service they need.
A location-specific SEO plan is about targeting “near me” keywords in your content. For example, a Cardiff-based business considering expansion to other locations like Newport and Bristol must create keyword-focused web pages and content. An SEO company in Cardiff can help them identify such keywords and integrate them into their content.
According to Netcentrics.co.uk, small firms seeking expansion may not have hefty SEO budgets. Outsourcing SEO expertise is a better alternative to hiring an in-house team to implement a local SEO strategy.
An all-service company can help with keyword research and adding location-based keywords within your content. They will also optimize meta descriptions, title tags, Google Business Page, and social media profiles to get more traffic and conversions.
Create Location-Specific Pages
As mentioned before, your GBP must have links to individual pages for each location. The next step for a local SEO strategy for a multi-location business is to create such pages. Look closely at the content of competitors’ websites for inspiration regarding content and keywords.
Each of these location pages should also carry the core business information and local details, including:
- Phone number
- Address
- Business hours
- Directory links
- Services or offers unique to this location
- An embedded Google Map
The page should also have unique content with location-based keywords. However, avoid contact information for other locations of your business. If selling far and wide (such as international locations), consider adding local keywords specific to these regions. For example, some locations refer to soda as pop, making it important to pack the right keywords into their local pages.
Ramp Up Your Backlink Profile
Building links is perhaps the hardest part of SEO, and it is even more complicated for a multiple-location SEO plan. Since Google crawls pages through backlinks from other pages and ranks websites accordingly, you cannot undermine the value of a healthy backlink profile.
Build links for location pages by prioritizing the locations you want to rank for. Creating local listings on major aggregate sites, such as Yelp and industry-specific directories, is a good start. You can also get links from city-level directories and chambers of commerce.
Additionally, guest posting can get you quality backlinks from credible sites. When it comes to building a backlink profile, remember to add internal links to each of the location pages.
Marketing specialists say that creating an SEO plan for a multi-location business is a worthy investment, even if it takes time and effort. The best way to do it is by collaborating with experts who know the essentials of local SEO.
Also, keep a close watch on the SEO results and work on what needs to be improved. Sticking to the basics like site speed, responsiveness, and security is equally important.
Following these best practices will give you the foundation your business needs for expanding its outreach in multiple locations.
