By: Joanna Ellis-Escobar –
Making sure that your franchise stands out in your local community is critical to your immediate and long-term success within your industry. Local SEO strategies can help you achieve greater saturation and increased name recognition among your most likely customers.
Why are these things important? The answer is simple: they can boost foot traffic to your brick-and-mortar locations and create buzz in the online world, allowing your business to enjoy greater profitability and increased customer loyalty.
Here are five key strategies your franchise may have overlooked in the SEO field.
Local SEO Strategy #1—Making the Personal Connection
One of the most important elements in any SEO strategy is the ability to connect with customers on a personal level. Live chat services can be a good first step toward achieving this goal. By presenting potential clients with a friendly and helpful online assistant, your company can often improve its public reputation for quality customer service. Investing in live chat services can provide a warmer welcome for visitors to your website.
Local SEO Strategy #2—Taking the Directory Approach
Spending a little time checking on your company’s entries in local directory sites can allow you to remove any erroneous information. These sites typically allow company owners to create a short description of their products and services and to list hours of business. By taking the time to claim and customize your directory profiles, you can potentially attract new customers while ensuring that the information provided through these directories is accurate and reflects your franchise appropriately.
Local SEO Strategy #3—Offering a Clearer View
Search engines, including Google, offer a number of innovative ways to showcase your franchise for new and existing customers. One of the most important of these is the Google Street View program, which was expanded in 2010 to allow private companies to create virtual tours of their facilities and retail outlets. By hiring a Google-approved photographer, your company can highlight its strengths and increase its visibility even for customers who have never set foot inside your franchise.
Local SEO Strategy #4—Blogging Your Way to Fame
Did you know…companies that blog regularly blog have 434% more indexed pages AND receive 97% more inbound links! Starting a company blog can allow you to connect with existing customers and to attract fresh interest from newcomers to your franchise. But don’t just blog for the sake of blogging. Providing helpful tips and actionable information on a regular basis shows readers that you’re a thought leader in your industry. In turn, your content ensures repeat visits to your blog site—it also establishes that you’re a trusted authority in the eyes of Google, which results in better rankings in the search engines. In short, effective blogging means you’re making lasting and valuable connections with prospective clients in the competitive marketplace.
Local SEO Strategy #5—Reviewing Your Progress
Encouraging your clients to leave reviews of your franchise on popular websites can provide added help in attracting positive buzz online. A 2013 survey by Dimensional Research indicated that 90% of consumers reported being influenced by positive reviews. By putting these local SEO marketing tools to work on behalf of your franchise, you can achieve higher profitability and greater visibility among your most likely customers.
At Chat 24/7 Live, we specialize in helping franchises and owners achieve their full potential in the local marketplace. Our managed live chat services are designed to help you achieve and convert leads into sales while building a positive reputation for your company. Contact us today to learn more about our professional live chat services and to see how Chat 24/7 Live can help you make the most of your opportunities in the consumer marketplace.
