During the COVID-19 pandemic, business owners across the country and right here in Louisville have been busy trying to adjust and learn to do business in ways like never before.

From virtual meetings to suddenly offering carryout or curbside pickup, local businesses have been finding ways to make it work.

As we continue to adjust to life as we know it, is your business prepared for a bounce-back surge in business?

Will potential consumers be able to find your business online?

More importantly, can potential consumers find your business online RIGHT NOW?

Let’s face it, folks.

If you’re not implementing some type of SEO or Local SEO into your business plan, people aren’t finding you online. And the longer you wait, the longer you miss out on the chance to generate more leads.

Panicking yet?

The good news is, the tips and tricks we’re covering today are relevant outside of global pandemics too. However, now that business owners are facing even more unique challenges, we’re here to tell you two things.

  1. Don’t panic.
  2. There are solutions at hand. You just have to be willing to trust us.

The Proof is in the Pudding

Building a strong online presence is critical to the success of your business, and it all starts with SEO and Local SEO.

Just take a peek at how well it worked out for one of our clients.

Abrams Roofing, in Louisville, KY, ROI stats.

Abrams Roofing & Sheet Metal, a roofing company in Louisville, KY, has been in business since 1959. Safe to say advertising and marketing have changed quite a bit since way back when.

We began our partnership with Abrams in 2017. During their first year in implementing a strategic marketing plan, they saw a total return on investment (ROI) of 1093%.

Yes, really.

For every $1 they invested in marketing, they earned $11.93 back in their pocket from new business.

In the first year of our partnership, we increased their call volume nearly 10 times the original amount.

But it gets better.

Year over year, we have doubled the average amount of leads they were getting per month.

And because of it…

…not to brag (but we kinda are)…

We have been able to continue our partnership with Abrams Roofing & Sheet Metal over the years.

“My experience with One Thing Marketing has been incredibly positive since day one.
I would highly recommend your company to anyone looking to expand their company’s exposure in the marketplace.”
– Kim Abrams – Owner, Abrams Roofing & Sheet Metal

Are you ready for this to be YOUR business?

Sit tight, my friends.

As we continue to navigate business in new ways, it’s time to put a strategy that works in place. All it takes is a sprinkle of SEO, a pinch of Local SEO, and a dash of expertise from yours truly at One Thing Marketing.

How to Use Local SEO & Google My Business to Stay Relevant to Consumers

Think about it.

With so many things changing, has there been a time over the last month or so that you’ve been stressed about trying to find a product or service you need?

As a consumer, when you’re aware you have a problem and need a product or service to solve said problem – where do you go to find your solution?

The internet.

As a business owner, when you’re aware that consumers are searching for products and services just like yours – where should you be working to make sure your business is found?

The internet.

See the connection here?

Building an online presence is important for your Louisville, KY business.

And now, more than ever before, consumers are looking for a reputable, local business, close to home that can provide them with the products or services they want and need.

If you’re one of those local businesses, what are you doing to optimize your chances of being the business they choose to rely on?

You need Local SEO to stay relevant.

Local SEO is all about making sure your business is visible online to customers searching for products and services just like yours.

When you search for a product or service that is locally relevant, meaning you include phrases like “near me” or “in Louisville” for example, you are performing a local search.

When you take advantage of Local SEO, you are engaging in the practice of building signals of trust, relevance, and proximity in the eyes of Google.

This way, Google knows that your business is not only relevant to a specific location, but also seen as an authority in your local industry’s market.

Okay, so, how exactly do you do that?

Create, Claim, and Optimize Your Google My Business Listing

We recommend starting with creating and/or claiming your Google My Business listing.

Google My Business (GMB) is a free, easy to use tool for businesses and company owners alike to manage their online presence across Google Search and Google Maps.

Here, you can store your most vital business information, making it readily available and easily accessible for consumers online.

So if you haven’t created or claimed your listing, you need to.

Like yesterday.

GMB is a great way to put your Louisville, KY business on the map and build a strong online presence.

Using GMB allows you to display your NAP (name, address, phone number) information, your website URL, your business hours, and more.

You can also display your products and services, pricing information, photos, and give a short description about who you are and what you do. Finally, customers can leave online reviews, and you can respond.

And those are just the basics.

Knowing how to optimize your Google My Business listing with basic optimization is just the starting point. This is the first step in Local SEO and getting started with building a strong online presence for your business.

But Local SEO doesn’t stop there. There are numerous other things that fall into this category that are also very important in building and maintaining an online presence for your business.

Ready to put your business on the (virtual) map?

Connect with our team for a free strategy session. Together, we can build a custom marketing strategy for you and get started with your Local SEO services before it’s too late.

3 Ways to Update Your SEO Strategy & Build an Online Presence

Wait, there’s more. The other critical step in building a strong online presence is with an effective SEO strategy.

But, wait, didn’t we just —

Let us just stop you there.

Local SEO and SEO are different.

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the practice of optimizing a website to increase its visibility in search engines. It’s a complex process, with many different variables involved (some you can and cannot control) along with many different strategies and disciplines needed to get results.

Maybe the simplest way to explain it is: the higher you rank on Google, the more people see your site. The more that people see your site, the more leads you can generate, and the more customers and sales you will get.

While adjusting to this new “normal”, there are some easy starting points you can implement for your business to strengthen your SEO strategy and build an online presence. Here are three marketing ideas to get you started:

3 steps to improve your visibility in Louisville, KY and build an online presence.

Grab a pen and silence your cell phones. You’ll want to pay attention to what comes next.

Step 1: Update Your Website

Go ahead. Go on and open your current website’s homepage.

At first glance, can you find information about what products and services you offer?

Can you find a phone number or a way to get in touch?

How about an updated mission statement, or a fresh “why choose us” section?

Have you updated your website to include information about precautions you’re taking or changes to your business in response to COVID-19?

One Thing Marketing in Louisville, KY's homepage. They have a strong online presence.

If you answered no to any of those questions, your website definitely needs some refreshing.

When customers are actively searching for your products and services, especially once they’ve made their way to your website, they are ready to buy.

All you have to do is position your business so they can find you and make sure they have everything they need in order to be confident in buying from you.

Which brings us to our next step.

Step 2: Narrow Down Your Website Navigation

If your website has too much information packed into one place, consumers can get stuck not knowing where to go.

Or worse, if your website doesn’t have enough information, consumers can be quick to say “See ya” and move on to the next best thing.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again:

Your website can be one of your company’s strongest online assets.
It is your 24/7, 365 sales representative.

Your website should be structured in a way that helps consumers find what they need, and should be laid out or designed in a clear manner that puts your virtual best foot forward.

Less is more, my friends.

The fewer clicks it takes to find something on your website, the better.

The more clear and concise you can be, the better.

All of your products and services need their own, individual page – and should be organized in a way that clearly states what you do and what you have to offer.

Your information always needs to be accurate, easily found, easily understood, and should make your consumers want to take action.

Otherwise, there’s no point in even having it on your website.

One easy way to do this is by making sure you can answer your customers’ questions. Which brings us right to our third step to update your SEO strategy.

Step 3: Implement Content Marketing

Content marketing. What the heck is that?

Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach that involves the process of creating, publishing, and distributing content for a targeted audience online, with the goal of providing useful information.

Often, content marketing is done in the form of blogging.

Quality content marketing can help build trust, present your business as an industry authority, and make potential customers want to buy from you vs. your competition.

In fact, small businesses with blogs on their website see 126% more lead growth compared to those without.

Convinced yet?

Content marketing is all about answering questions your customers may have, but it’s more than an FAQs page. With good content marketing as a part of your overall SEO strategy, you’re providing all the information surrounding one product or service that you can.

Because of this, you build your business to be seen as an authority in your industry. When that happens, not only do you win in the eyes of Google, but you win in the eyes of your consumers, too.

Well, what do you write about?

How do you get started?

What does a good blog post look like?

We can help with that. With all of that. Schedule a free strategy session with our team to learn how content marketing can be effective for your business and how to strengthen your SEO efforts today.

Finding a Local Expert

We know, we just covered a lot of important topics in regards to Local SEO and SEO. It’s a lot to think about, especially now that COVID-19 has thrown even more things to think about into the mix.

Not to toot our own horn, but we know an incredible team of marketing experts in the Louisville area who can help you figure out how to do these things.

One Thing Marketing is here to build you a custom marketing strategy and find a way to implement SEO and Local SEO that can pave the way for your company’s success.

COVID-19 may have changed the way we do things, but we’re here to help make sure your online presence is stronger than ever so you can have a bounce-back surge in business when things start getting back to “normal”.

If you’ve made it this far, and haven’t scheduled your free strategy session yet…

What are you waiting for? Get to it!