There’s been a growing trend in recent years to “go local” for purchases like fresh produce, clothing, gifts and more.
Along with the trend to buy locally, it has become increasingly important for bloggers and small business owners to include a location on their sites and social media profiles. Doing so can make a big difference in maximizing your growth potential and promotional efforts.
Add a Location to your Website or Blog
There are 2 ways to add your general geographic location to your site: On-page and with SEO tagging.
On-Page Location Mentions
Your About, Contact and Advertising/PR pages and media kit are great places to mention your major metropolitan area. Customers may be more inclined to purchase a product that is locally made, while agency representatives, who regularly spend time scouring websites in an attempt to find bloggers for region-specific campaigns, appreciate you making it easy for them.
SEO Location Tagging
Incorporating your location into your site’s title tags and meta descriptions increases your chances of being found in local web searches. Keep in mind that saying “Chicago mom” or “Dallas attorney” will often be more beneficial than “Deerfield mom” or “Flower Mound attorney”. So when thinking “local”, a major metro area will generally serve you better than a specific suburb or small town.
Add a Location to your Social Media Profiles
Many customers, brands and agencies may first connect with you via Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn, so adding your location to your profile or bio makes it easy for them to know where you are. Facebook pages can include a map with your business location pinpointed, which is helpful for customers trying to find you. Having your major metro area mentioned on your Twitter profile, along with tweeting with #YourLocation, are great ways to find and follow other bloggers or small businesses in your area, allowing for cross-promotion opportunities.
Use Location-Based Apps
FourSquare, GoWalla, Yelp and UrbanSpoon are just a few of the geography-based business review & check-in apps. Customers frequent sites like Yelp and UrbanSpoon for service reviews, so it’s important that your business is listed with them. Brands and PR agencies want to know if you are influential in your local community. Using an app like FourSquare or GoWalla to check-in when shopping or dining out shows your local involvement and can earn you perks!
Adding your location to your website and social media accounts can help you to stand out among a virtual sea of others.
Have you added your location to your website or social media profiles?
Great tip!! Off to add my location now!!
Love this site and all that I have learned about blogging from it!
Thank you!
I think you know how I feel about this – very important! Making and having connections locally for a blogger is a must in my opinion, not an option. If you’re blogging anonymously, I understand why people don’t do it, but even mentioning a state is such a huge help. Great post & info as always!