Local or “near me” searches have become increasingly popular as consumers use their smartphones to find local restaurants, stores, and service providers. This cuts down on time wasted scrolling through irrelevant results and gives local companies a valuable opportunity to compete with bigger brands.
And it works: 76 percent of users searching for something nearby on a smartphone visit a related company within one day, and 28 percent of these searches lead to a sale.
So, you have to take advantage of local PPC and SEO to maximize your visibility to consumers. But you could make some big mistakes that endanger your success.
What are they? And how can you avoid them?
Not creating different ads for specific location-based products/services
Your local business might offer specific products or services to customers in one area but not others (based on consumer income, lifestyle, local amenities, etc.).
Your PPC campaigns should include ads targeting these different audience segments, even if your local customer base is still on the small side. Keeping your ads focused on relevant locations can help every cent count.
Not localizing landing pages
If you’re a local business targeting customers in your town or city only, your landing page should play on that. Demonstrate your connection to the community and the area your business is part of.
How?
- Include any local awards or prizes you might have won. This is an obvious sign that you’re doing something right and your products/services are of a higher quality than competitors’.
- If your business has been involved in an initiative to improve the community or helps in any positive cause — such as giving to food banks, raising funds for a local charity, etc. — cover this too.
- Another key technique is to include pictures of local landmarks or popular spots, reinforcing your presence in the area. You can refer to these in your landing page copy, along with any appropriate local lingo or phrases.
Not using call extensions
If you’re not taking advantage of call extensions in your ads, you’re missing out on a valuable lead-generation technique.
Call extensions display your phone number and/or a button to contact your business directly. This is a quick and easy way for prospects or existing customers to connect within seconds of seeing your ad on a results page.
Yes, they won’t be clicking through to your well-honed local landing page, but their call could still result in a direct sale or booking.
You can also use conversion tracking to measure how effective your ads with call extensions are in generating leads. This is a simple way to identify the value of specific ads.
If you’re making any of these three mistakes, your local PPC campaigns might not bring in the results you’re looking for. Take advantage of our tips to help increase your visibility and reach target customers.
Want to work with a professional Orange County digital marketing team to boost your local PPC success with bespoke campaigns? Get in touch today!
