When it's time to take business to the next level, local service area businesses (SABs) face a unique challenge: how to expand their presence within their existing service areas and other potential service areas nearby to attract new local customers effectively.
SABs typically operate in very specific locations, making it essential to hyper-locally optimize their online visibility in each target area, which is where local search engine optimization (local SEO) supported by local rank tracking comes into play.
Local rank tracking is a powerful tool for SABs seeking to use precise local search data to tailor their marketing efforts, understand customer preferences, and expand their footprint strategically.
What Is Local Rank Tracking for Service Area Businesses?
Local rank tracking involves monitoring a business's search engine rankings for specific keywords within a given geographic area.
For SABs, this process is crucial for tracking how well their online assets, especially their Google Business Profile listings (which are what most potential customers review to make purchase decisions), rank in local search results.
Local rank tracking provides invaluable data-backed insights into which keywords are driving traffic, how visible the business is compared to competitors, and what improvements can be made to enhance local visibility and even expand visibility into adjacent service areas.
Strategies for Getting Started with Tracking Local Search Rankings
Keyword Research
Start by identifying the keywords potential customers might use when searching for services in your industry and area. One of the best ways to do this is by using a local rank tracker with a keyword suggestion feature, such as Local Falcon, to find relevant terms and see their local search volumes.
Accurate Geographic Targeting
Whether it's a whole city, an area of a city, a single small town, multiple towns, a whole region, or anything in between, SABs serve very specific localities. So, it's important to incorporate location-based keywords (city names, neighborhoods, etc.) into your local rank-tracking campaigns to ensure you're tracking the right local keywords.
Competitor Analysis
In addition to tracking your own local search ranking, it's vital to also analyze the search rankings of competitors in your target areas. This can help you identify gaps and opportunities in their strategies to refine your own approach.
Google Business Profile Completeness and Accuracy
Make sure to complete and regularly update your Google Business Profile listings for each business location you want to do local rank tracking for in order to ensure a good baseline for your local SEO efforts. Ensure accurate categories, contact details, business hours, reviews, and images.
Identifying Customer Preferences and Tailoring Marketing Efforts
Local rank tracking goes beyond just monitoring search engine positions — it can also provide valuable data about customer behavior and preferences. By analyzing the keywords that drive traffic and conversions, SABs can gain insights into what potential customers are looking for and tailor their marketing efforts accordingly.
For example, you may notice certain trends over time, such as customers starting to use new variations of search terms or an uptick in searches from a nearby area that you hadn't previously targeted, but that's within your business's ability to serve.
Keeping tabs on such trends can allow you to start making local search optimizations for these new search terms or geographic keywords before the competition catches on, helping you rank high in search results and capture new segments of your target customer base.
Meet Local Falcon: A Cost-Effective Local Rank Tracking Tool for SABs
For SAB owners or digital marketers working with SABs, Local Falcon's local rank tracker is an invaluable tool for monitoring Google Business Profile rankings and helping businesses implement local SEO strategies to expand their presence in very specific locations.
Local Falcon offers a user-friendly interface that provides highly visual data about any business's search visibility on Google Maps. It tracks the real-world geographic area in which a business appears for specific keywords, offering insights into the true extent of local coverage — as precisely as at a block-by-block level.
Local Falcon's flexible credit systems makes it an adaptable tool for businesses with budgets of any size, and one that you can easily scale up your use of as you start seeing results from data-backed local SEO strategies and getting a return on your investment.
Local Falcon's Benefits Include:
- Precise Google Map Pack Rank Tracking: Local Falcon's heat maps show precisely where a business's listing appears on Google Maps, enabling SABs to identify gaps and target areas for improvement.
- Local Keyword Insights: Local Falcon provides data on keywords that drive local traffic, allowing SABs to refine their content and optimization strategies.
- Accurate Competitor Analysis: By comparing your business's visibility with competitors in the same areas, you can adjust your approach and gain a competitive edge.
- Budget Maximization and ROI: By focusing efforts on areas that matter most, SABs can optimize their local SEO strategies and budgets, resulting in higher returns on investments.
Wrapping Up
Local rank tracking is an indispensable asset for service area businesses of all sizes, from small single-location businesses to multi-location enterprise organizations, seeking to expand their local presence strategically.
By implementing effective local rank tracking and local search optimization strategies, SABs can better understand customer preferences, tailor marketing efforts, and drive targeted local expansion.
Using a tailor-built tool like Local Falcon further simplifies this process, making it easier for SABs to achieve their local SEO goals efficiently and cost-effectively.