Local SEO can be one of the best ways for small businesses to see big results, fast. The rise of online shopping and the increase in time spent on the internet has led to a massive shift in marketing all over the world. You have to be where your customers are, and that is online. This does not, however, mean that you should give up on your local customers, and that’s where local SEO comes in.
If you are wondering how use of local slang terms can help improve your SEO and help your business, this article is for you.
What is local SEO?
To begin with, let’s take a quick look at what we mean by local SEO. SEO, or Search Engine Optimisation, is the process by which you aim to raise your position in the search engine results pages. With local SEO, you are focusing your attention on local searches, hoping to increase traffic and gain leads and customers near you.
While many products and services can be delivered far afield, all the best Online Marketing Gurus will tell you to ignore local SEO at your peril. Almost half of searches on Google have local intent, and the vast majority of that number will make a purchase that day based on their local search. This is definitely not a strategy to miss out on.
What do we mean by local ‘slang’ terms in SEO?
One of the most important aspects of local SEO is researching local keywords. In general, this involves using your business name or product and location. This ensures that those in your area can see you if they search for your business, product or services.
The keywords that you use can have a huge impact on where you show up in the results pages. For instance, a search of plumbing companies in Singapore could have your business on page 5, while plumbing companies with more targeted service areas could see you in the top few results.
You can measure the efficacy of certain words and use similar choices to try and hit a niche of high-volume searches with less competition, but this can be tricky. Using local slang can help with this. If there is a specific term or terms that are used locally and searched for, opting to use the same term over a synonym could help boost your ranking.
Further, it can have a more serious impact on your brand voice and identity. Using the term ‘thongs’ to describe flip-flops indicates an Australian company, while talking about your biscuits best being enjoyed with a ‘cuppa’ might show your business and slang is from the UK.
This can make your customers feel more at home, more relaxed and give the impression that you are trustworthy and, indeed, local to them.
So, how can local slang terms improve your SEO?
While not necessarily suitable in more formal situations, using slang terms can indeed improve your local SEO in many ways. It can:
Sound more conversational in an email or marketing campaign
Indicate a level of intimacy with potential buyers
Clarify your brand voice
Encourage a relaxed exchange
Set you apart from your competition
For all these and other reasons, why not check and see what impact adding local slang into your SEO could have on your marketing strategies today?
