Local SEO is Just as Important as User Experience: Here's Why

One of the most effective ways of online marketing is through optimization of a website. Through Search Engine Optimization, a site gets to get first priority when users query a service or goods provided by the company on the web.

Another way is through local directory listings. Every time a company creates a new listing, chances of a customer finding out about the company increase and chances of making a sale also increase.

That said, local SEO and local directory listings, alone, does not guarantee a sale. Yes, traffic on the website will definitely increase, but will this turn into a sale? For a user to want to learn more about a website, the site has to work effectively. How will this be achieved?

For an online business to succeed, a lot of work has to be put on the website. This is how it can be achieved.

• Step 1- Ensure that the website is user-friendly

• Step 2-Initiate conversations with users by incorporating live chat on the website

• Step 3-Ensure the website wins the user's trust

• Step 4- Have proof of sale on the website

Step 1-Ensure that the website is user-friendly

An easy to maneuver website is more likely to convert a visitor into a customer than a complex site. Having simple and clear instructions, with regards to making a purchase online, would facilitate this. Asking a few simple but accurate questions would make me, a potential customer, more comfortable while sharing personal information on a website.

Information provided by website visitors, for example email address, phone number, can be used to make a sale by following up on the client through email or making a call to enquire about the clients view of the website, what he/she would like to purchase, what mode of delivery would be most suitable etc.

Incorporating images is another way of making a website user-friendly. If I wanted to purchase an item and an image of the item is on the site, this would aid in decision making and would also reduce chances of purchasing a wrong item.

Step 2-Initiate conversations with users by incorporating live chat on the website

Having a live chat segment on your website is crucial in closing a sale. In the event I am interested in purchasing a product and have a question about it, a live chat segment would be the perfect forum to ask this question.

For the item on the shelf to take one step closer to having a new home, the live chat platform needs to be live as its name suggests. It would beat logic to have a client wait for a response for hours and hours. In addition to having the live chat incorporated on the site, a customer service personnel in charge of responding accurately and in a timely manner to the chats is essential.

This builds trust and addresses any doubt that the customer might have had with regards to the product intended to be purchased.

Step 3-Ensure the website wins the user's trust

I have recently come to embrace online purchasing but I am always on the lookout for any suspicious site that might end up being fraudulent. One of the things that I look out for is the green lock at the top left of the screen. In my view, this is an assurance that the site is secure and I feel more comfortable interacting with sites that have the lock sign on the address bar.

Step 4- Have proof of sale on the website

Having proof of sale also aids in building the customers trust. This can be achieved by having client testimonials on the site. As a potential client, I would be interested in knowing what clients, who have interacted with the company previously, have to say about their experience.

Be on the lookout for negative feedback from the Customer testimonials. This should not appear on the site because they will definitely reduce the chances of converting a site visitor into a customer. One of the ways in which negative customer testimonials would make their way onto the site is through connecting a sites social media page directly to the site such that comments on the social media page automatically appear on the site in real time.

I would discourage this because a site owner has no control over what a visitor reads on these feeds. Having the comments vetted before posting them on the website would be best.

Overall, local SEO and local directory listing are vital in marketing. Together with the above pointers, a lot more can be achieved. Awareness of goods and services is created affordably and effectively. One is able to control what information the public can access and this can easily work in favor of the company.