Larger corporations have found their own ways to limit competition in social advertising: outbid anyone smaller than me. So how can local, usually smaller, businesses compete with these international conglomerates? There are a few ways, but today we’re going to dive into using near me keywords.
With social media’s domination of the advertising landscape, what was once a competitive market has now evolved into a hyper-competitive landscape with businesses, local and international, competing for social feed space. The marketplace has become crowded with everyone and everything taking up the same billboards, the same signs, and the same storefront – your phone’s screen.
So if you’re a local business looking to find a new way to attract customers than a simple ‘boost post’ button, the “near me” keyword can help you drive business at the best cost: free. Let’s take a look at how you can start today.
Here are all the topics we will cover in this guide
What Are Near Me Keywords
Importance of Near Me Keywords
- Connecting with Local Customers
The near me keyword is a great way to have customers with high-purchase intent find you. Someone’s looking for a business like you that’s close to them – this means they’re actively searching for what you offer. Whether they’re trying to find a ‘coffee shop near me’ or a ‘plumber near me’ this search term shows a strong intent to make a purchase quickly and high readiness to engage with a business.
- Boosting Visibility in Local Searches
The near me keyword allows you to compete at the lovely cost of 0. Near me boosts your visibility in local search results. This is major because users, more often than not, do not scroll past the first few search results. Getting yourself to appear as close to the top of the first page is immensely important. Get your business noticed by customers actively looking for what you offer.
- Improving Mobile Search Results
Most near me keyword searches are done on phones and mobile devices. People using the near me keyword are usually already out and about and are looking for you now. Don’t sleep on optimizing for mobile and you’ll have more people walking through your door.
- Increasing Trust and Credibility
Consistently showing up for the near me keyword builds trust with your market. Potential clients will react more favorably to a business that’s easy to find online, next to positive reviews, and is only a few minutes away. By showing up near them constantly, you show your business is established, trusted, and reliable.
- Staying Competitive in the Market
Businesses are starting to realize the importance of appearing in search results, so don’t lag behind and find yourself losing customers because they found your neighbor on Google, who’s not as near as you but is the only one that showed up because of their stronger digital search presence.
Implementing Near Me Keywords in Social Media Marketing
Conducting Near Me Keyword Research
To benefit the most from the work you put into improving your digital footprint, you’ll want to research the best terms related to your business before linking them to the near me keyword.
Identify search phrases related to your overall business, your products, your services, and what locations you want to target.
Locations could mean your street, your neighborhood, your city, your county, etc. there’s no reason to limit yourself to only a street if you’re looking to get found by as many people as possible, but make sure to start with your street as that is as near as possible.
Optimizing Social Media Profiles for Local SEO
- Complete and Accurate Profiles
Be consistent across your social media profiles and optimize for local SEO. Complete all fields, provide accurate information, and ensure NAP consistency (Name, Address, Phone number). Yes, really.
So many businesses make the mistake of having a website and social profiles with different names that people get confused, and they end up losing business that could have been theirs. Don’t make the same mistake.
- Geotagging Posts
Geotagging can help your posts show up in search results. This is incredible for platforms that let users search for content using location, like Facebook and Instagram. Show where you are and let people find you.
- Using Location-Specific Terms
Make sure to include geographic locations in your posts and your hashtags (and on your website). This will help search engines better understand what areas you serve and rank your business accordingly (at the top 😉).
- Adding service area in your Google Business Profile
If you are a business that services a specific geographical area like a mobile mechanic or you deliver to certain areas then make it known, there is a dedicated slot in your Google Business Profile (Google My Business Previously) just for that.
Integrating Near Me Keywords into Content
- Natural Integration
Near me keywords help you avoid keyword saturation (overusing a keyword) simply by mixing them up with the near me keyword. Additionally, it also gives a better way to include keywords you want to target in a natural way, like “what are the best coffee shops near me” or “…locals looking for the best coffee near them.” (the bold text is the keyword a coffee shop would target).
- Content Strategy
Factor in near me keywords within your content strategy so you can best make an impact with your post. It could be a blog post you’re sharing, a quick social story update, a customer review that mentions where you’re located, or even a reply that can be used to mention your store location.
Don’t lower your content quality – make it better with a new strategy.
- Visual Content
Include location information in more than the caption. Add it to image alt-texts (if relevant), the file name, and even the description to help search engines understand the most important piece of context here: your location.
Challenges and Best Practices
Avoiding Keyword Saturation
As mentioned before, don’t overuse the near me keyword. Keep content appealing without making it spammy. Adjust your strategy to include it, but don’t focus on it so you avoid the pitfall of overusing it.
Local Competition
The near me keyword is a new digital battleground for businesses. Stand out by refining your strategy, offering a unique value proposition or selling point to your audience, and differentiating yourself from competitors.
Understand how your competitors are leveraging the keyword to best tackle it yourself and out-place them in people’s search results (or book a free strategy session and we’ll take a look together 👀).
Keyword Variability
Don’t stick to one or a few versions. People all communicate differently – this means they search differently. Think of variations to your targeted keywords and plan to hit a wide range of them to best target local users and increase your visibility.
Conclusion
Target near me keywords and get your business visible in the local market attracting more customers and driving business success.
Key Takeaways
- Conduct Comprehensive Keyword Research: Identify the most relevant “near me” keywords for your business.
- Optimize Social Media Profiles: Ensure all profiles are complete and NAP consistent.
- Geotag Posts: Use location-specific terms to appear in local search results.
- Natural Integration: Avoid keyword saturation by integrating keywords naturally into your content.
