Blog Post

Why it’s Crucial that Your Website is Optimized for ‘Near Me’ Searches

Clive Clifford • Aug 09, 2017

Broadening Your Horizons--Literally

When was the last time you pulled out your phone to find a nearby restaurant or coffee shop? Probably pretty recently. And when you did, what phrases did you type into the search engine? Probably something along the lines of ‘Mexican restaurant near me,’ or ‘nearby coffee shop.’ With more and more people using their mobile devices to perform Internet searches on-the-go, there has been an increase in usage of the phrase ‘near me.’

And this doesn’t just apply to food searches.

People are searching for specific services using the terms ‘near me’ in industries of all kinds. This simple change in search terms can give users better search results, and can market your business in a wider area. However, this isn’t something Google can do on its own; first, you need to make sure your company’s website is optimized for ‘near me’ searches.

Broadening Your Location

Many people might start a search with the intention of using their location in the search, such as ‘kitchen remodelers Cleveland.’ However, Google is automatically recommending the replacement of the location name with ‘near me’ to give you more specific results. You might notice that when you start typing something into Google, it will suggest adding ‘near me’ to the end of your query, prompting you to select that option rather than type out your location. So, that ‘kitchen remodelers Cleveland’ search becomes ‘kitchen remodelers near me,’ and users get more location-specific results.

In a large city like Cleveland, for example, many people living in suburbs will automatically conduct a search using the nearest city rather than the specific location they are in, which may be 30 minutes outside the actual city. For searchers, replacing the location with the ‘near me’ terms gives them results that are better suited to their actual location.

For businesses like you, this means that you want to make sure your online location is optimized for those surrounding suburbs, so Google shows you as a result when customers replace big city locations with ‘near me’ searches.

What Does This Mean?

It means that marketing the local aspect of your company isn’t just a helpful tool, it’s essential for people to find your business. According to Search Marketing Daily , roughly 82 percent of ‘near me’ searches are done on smart phones or other mobile devices. Therefore, people are using a device that thrives off GPS technology to find exactly what they are looking for in a particular area. If your website isn’t optimized for those location-based searches on mobile devices, you won’t be showing up in ‘near me’ searches.

What Can You Do?

At the most basic level, there are a few things you can do that will ensure your business is catered to a variety of locations surrounding your area, thus putting you on the map—literally—for people searching for businesses like yours nearby.

Have a mobile-friendly website: This one’s a no-brainer. You should absolutely have a website that works properly on a mobile device, for reasons other than being compatible with ‘near me’ searches. When it comes to the ‘near me’ search, most people are looking up nearby places on their phones. Even if your website shows up as an option for nearby services, people won’t stay on your website if it’s not compatible with the device they’re on.

Optimize your NAP: Your business’s NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) needs to be prominently shown on your website, making it easy for both visitors and search engines to find. Moreover, there is a special code you can insert on your website that tells search engines that this information is your actual address. If Google can easily identify where your business is located, it can start showing you as an option for corresponding ‘near me’ searches in a variety of locations.

Develop location-based landing pages: Many companies advertise where their office or showroom is, which leads many potential customers to believe this is the only location they provide service to. Google can pick up on this as well, if you only have one main location mentioned. However, creating pages that specifically target other nearby locations—preferably ones that get you a lot of website traffic—tells Google and website visitors that you serve a broader area, which allows Google to show your business to a wider audience in ‘near me’ searches.

Coming to a Search Engine Near You

The evidence for optimizing your business’s location for ‘near me’ searches is overwhelming. Google is doing its part to help users easily find services in their specific location, which benefits your business by showing you to a wider audience. Now, you just have to adjust your website’s location details to meet Google half way.

Get the Latest Content in Your Inbox

Want to be the first to know about new content? Sign up to get our weekly blog posts sent to your email!

Click Here To Sign Up
Share by: