Local SEO isn’t just for attracting customers from your community; it can also put your business on the map. Here’s how business owners can put their best foot forward and attract domestic and international tourists to their enterprise.
Localised search engine optimisation (SEO) can help small retailers, and other enterprises see a quicker return of investment through a strategy tailored to the business’ general area. Local SEO does not need to carve a niche for itself beyond where its customers are and thus can focus on differentiating a business’ brand within its area.
Local SEO has traditionally focused on making businesses visible to local customers, and for some enterprises, this is only the beginning. Major cities like Sydney are often a hub of tourist activity, and catering to this demographic can lead to lucrative new avenues for growth for retailers, concept restaurants, entertainment venues, and many other services.
In the age of targeted search algorithms and increasing mobile usage, local SEO in Sydney must be a high priority for any small- or medium-scale enterprise that wishes to expand its online footprint and its market share. With the right strategy, you can make your business not only a favourite spot for locals but also a go-to destination for travellers from across the country and throughout the world.
Know Thy Business
Targeting travellers, along with locals in your SEO campaign is a great way to split the difference between casting a small net and a wide one. By winning over tourists, you have established your business as a must-have enterprise
There are a few things to remember when targeting travellers to your enterprise. To start, you must first define how your business’ brand will attract people from out of town. What makes your business a destination? Restaurants, for instance, can target culinary travellers with the allure of their signature dishes or their reputation as a favourite hangout among locals.
Promote Good Press
The first details that tourists would look for in a business are online reviews. While bad reviews make a terrible impression, no reviews are even worse.
Don’t neglect your local customer base even as you plan to capture a market of tourists. Their good word lies at the foundation of how people perceive your business. Encourage your happiest customers to leave positive reviews on your enterprise and reach out to them to learn where and how your business can improve to serve them better.
Streamline Your Mobile Presence
With more and more people checking destinations online before they travel, it becomes tantamount for growing businesses who want to target tourists to rank highly in search engine listings. Most customers search through their smartphones and mobile devices. An investment toward a streamlined and accessible mobile presence will make it more intuitive for potential leads to want to interact.
It is tempting to hop on the bandwagon and have an app developed, but because people see little long-term utilities in apps unless they were repeat customers. Thus, commercial apps are usually the domain of larger companies and chains, whose customers tend to visit regularly.
Rather than investing in a phone app, smaller businesses should instead focus on improving the services of their website and make it user-friendly, especially when accessed on mobile devices.
Ensure Accurate Data
To be useful, your web presence should be accurate and lead customers to your business. In websites and directories alike, keep your business’ basic information—name, contact number, and address, up to date. Periodically update the content of your enterprise to reflect what your business offers at any given time accurately.
