Are you struggling to get noticed in Melbourne search results? Is your business not showing up for local searches? For some small businesses it can be incredibly difficult to get the edge over your competitors. You might have an amazing website, but if you are not taking steps to dominate local listings, you are losing out on so much potential business from showing up on online maps.

If your website is not showing up to your potential clients, you are going to miss out on so much business and the potential to grow your brand recognition within your core local area. For Melbourne-based businesses this is a key element of success, and must be taken into account.

This blog will break down how to use local SEO so your business can dominate the online maps for all relevant keywords.

In this post, we will guide you through the essential steps you need to take to use local SEO to help your business dominate the online map and be easily found by clients looking for your services in Melbourne, while also building your local online presence by using effective and simple strategies.

Understanding Local SEO Basics

So, what exactly is local SEO? Let’s have a look:

What is Local SEO?

Local search optimisation is a method to ensure your business is ranking highly in search engines for clients looking in your specific area. This includes visibility across various online platforms, not just Google Maps, but also Apple Maps and Bing Maps, as well as organic local search results. You need to understand this, as it is an absolute must for businesses with a local service focus, who want to see a great return on investment web design by optimising both your website and online presence to be more visible for those potential clients.

There is more to it than just SEO for all of the internet, we are focused on a particular area, to ensure a much more targeted approach and greater visibility for your brand.

Importance for Melbourne Businesses to Show Up On Maps

As a local business, you need to make sure you are showing up to clients who are near you. Therefore, seeing how important a key element of business such as local SEO is to make sure you gain the maximum impact in your business area.

It allows your business to reach potential clients who are local to you, that are already actively searching for services you offer, so you will ensure you are creating a strong local online presence in the Melbourne market.

The business benefits for implementing a strong local SEO strategy will lead to business growth for you, and ensure your overall online presence is strong in the area that you are focusing on, rather than a larger geographic range, therefore you will gain qualified leads that are specifically targeting your key location.

Your Melbourne Business: A Step-by-Step Practical Plan to Get Seen on Every Online Map Locally

Here are a few key areas you can focus on to see an huge increase in your overall rankings for Melbourne-based businesses on platform maps:

Step 1: Optimise Your Google Business Profile

This profile helps reach local customers and see what you are all about, in your local area, so you must have one if you are wanting local visibility and business growth for your business. You will need to claim or set up your Google Business Profile listing and you must treat it as a key part of your business' local online presence and put the work in to ensure it performs well.

Google looks at this platform, so make sure it has the key information and that it is clear, concise, and helpful to potential clients who are looking at your business, to ensure you dominate the local search rankings. 

All details must be current and up to date, so it clearly states to your potential clients where you are, and what your hours of operation are, and it is clear that it is an active and well-managed listing.

• Also ensure that you are choosing the correct categories for your specific industry and niche. Ensure that your clients are finding you by seeing your brand, and making sure they are seeing you in the right location, by choosing the correct category for your business to ensure your Google Maps optimisation is correct.
• Clients like to see the face behind the business, so ensure you include your logo, high quality photos of your business, and the location if applicable. Using high-quality images will give you a strong starting point in impressing a new potential client. The quality will reflect on your business and overall brand image and message, when you choose to implement the right imagery.
• Make sure you check your reviews and make sure they are reflective of your business. Take the time to engage with clients that have shown an interest in your business, and comment accordingly to maintain the standards, as well as showcasing that you are managing your profile with care and attention. It is also important to note, that this process also helps to build local authority for your brand, to generate a credible and trustworthy online source.

Step 2: Optimise Your Apple Business Maps Listing

Many users use Apple Maps, so it is very beneficial to have a listing on Apple Business Maps, so they can easily access your business. The steps will be very similar to setting up your Google Business profile, with setting up key details, using correct images, etc. Apple Maps is another resource you do not want to ignore as it captures a huge section of the market.

Ensure that all categories and details are correct, so all Apple users are able to use the tool effectively and find you by understanding your core message. You need to provide the best experience for all potential clients, to not just improve user experience, but to ensure that you have your details available to anyone using all platforms on all devices.

Step 3: Optimise Your Bing Maps Listing

Just as important as Google Maps, is Microsoft's Bing Places for Business is used by a wider market share than you might think, so ensure that it is a key element to be implemented. Make sure you set up this profile with key details, such as your address, phone number, hours of operation, relevant categories, and images of your business.

Many business owners will forget to set this up, however it is incredibly important for another avenue of growth. By having a presence on Bing Maps, you are ensuring that you are seen by a wider market of potential clients. As well as ensuring the quality of your content is of the highest standard, so users all get a positive outcome when searching for your services.

Step 4: Use Local SEO Keywords on Your Website

Do you know what location-based keywords your local clients use when searching online, ensure that these are in your content, such as "web designer Melbourne"? This will ensure that your clients will be finding you, and you will be targeting people who are looking for the services that your business has to offer. Knowing these, and including them in your website, is key. You also need to be implementing them on your website in an organic way to get better results from this strategy, without it feeling ‘stuffed’.

• Be sure to keep this natural sounding, you don't want to be 'stuffing' geographic keywords into your content so it reads as robotic and unnatural. You also want to include them in page titles, headings, and page copy. All of these aspects assist you in creating a stronger local online presence, that Google will see as an authoritative resource when you implement this strategy in a smart and calculated way.

Step 5: Generate Local Citations (directories) and Backlinks

These all help to boost your Google results and are a key component for businesses in Melbourne that want to dominate in their specific location. You need to list your website in local directory listings (TrueLocal, Pink Pages, Yellow Pages, etc.) to create stronger online visibility and rankings. It will show that you have an established and credible business that will help other sites gain faith in the quality of your brand.

• Working with local businesses will assist in creating quality backlinks to your website, and help to build a strong online presence, by sharing resources and links that are relevant to your target market. By looking at local link building you can easily begin to see amazing benefits when you are wanting to increase the credibility of your brand and business.

Step 6: Encourage Local Reviews

This shows Google your credibility, which leads to an improved presence, as Google always seeks out quality, and client trust, and will actively promote those websites above those that do not have great reviews and feedback. So, you need to always encourage your clients to leave you a review, so that others will see how trustworthy your business is. Your client testimonials are one of the best marketing resources, so you must take the time to highlight this and encourage them where you can, to generate a great outcome for your business, by having real people speak directly to the value of your services, while improving your local search rankings.

• You must respond to reviews, regardless of if they are good or bad. Doing this shows professionalism, but also shows Google that you are actively managing your online reviews management, and are working towards building a solid foundation for a trusted brand and online resource. Always make sure that you are engaging with all customer feedback, both good and bad, to showcase a well-rounded service.

Step 5: Create Localised Content

Always be thinking about your local area and see if there is a way that this can be highlighted on your website, as it will make you more relatable, and it will help local clients engage further with your brand. You need to be sharing details that relate to a local Melbourne market, as this creates value and shows that your business is active within that community. Showing involvement in local blog posts, or events that you have been to, or showcasing local initiatives with a commitment to the Melbourne community helps to highlight a connection that many clients are looking for. This is your chance to give more than just business, and to offer clients that they are engaging with the best possible business, within a location that is also key to them.

Online Tools to Assist with Local SEO

There are also numerous tools you can use to keep track of your local SEO progress:

Google Search Console

This lets you understand how clients are finding you by looking at key search data, and will give more insights for your business, as well as making sure that Google understands what key terms you want to rank for, and ensure you can get more visibility within search engines. Use this as a resource to keep track of keyword implementation and user feedback to understand the local search queries that bring clients to your business. 

• Google search console for local SEO is key to any businesses that want to have a stronger understanding of where their website is lacking and what elements could be improved to better suit your business needs and goals.

Set Up Google Analytics

You need to be using this tool to learn what works best for your business, so you are always striving to improve and grow your overall website strategy and ensure you are able to see the value from your implemented strategy. Seeing what areas of your website are working best, and which pages people are engaging with will ensure you are getting the best use of your content, and will be able to better understand the needs of your clients.

These tools offer great insight into website traffic analysis as well as tracking user behaviours and preferences, giving you a clear way to track results. You should be regularly analysing data to see where improvements and changes can be made, and how to further engage with your target audience, and ensure you’re getting a positive return from your website investments.

Conclusion

These simple steps will allow you to change the way you view your website and see it as a key area to bring more business in for the future, and also use local SEO to get the most out of your business and generate great online visibility within your area. If you follow all of the above steps, you are well on your way to dominating the Google Maps, and the overall Melbourne market local search landscape, and will ensure your business is seen by those who matter.

Ready to see your business dominating the Google Maps? Reach out today to learn more about how we can implement this for you and make changes to the content that is available to your potential clients. You will be surprised at how much change you can see when a clear plan is implemented for your local SEO strategies, to achieve the best possible business outcomes, and to drive more local client conversions and leads through your business.